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Palermo: what to know before buying a home

A municipality in the province of Palermo, Sicilia. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.

Liveability index free for any address

Search for an address in Palermo

The report looks at the exact point: landslide and flood risk, seismic zone, price per square metre for the area, services and nearby stops.

For example: Corso dei Mille 1, Palermo.

Palermo, half a province in one city

More than half the people in the province live in Palermo. The Sicilian capital had 630,427 residents in 2023, 52.5% of the provincial total. The city faces the Tyrrhenian Sea across the plain known as the Conca d'Oro, hemmed in by Monte Pellegrino and the hills inland. Phoenicians, Arabs and Normans all left their mark: Arab-Norman Palermo, including the Palatine Chapel and the cathedral, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site together with the cathedrals of Monreale and Cefalù.

The 2011 census counted 657,561 residents, so the population has since fallen by 4.1%. It remains a fairly young city by Italian standards: an estimated average age of about 45, 23.1% of residents over 65 (almost exactly the Sicilian figure of 23.2%) and households of 2.36 people on average. Foreign nationals make up 4.0%.

A city this size has to be understood district by district, and the numbers show why. Overture counts 581 education sites, 591 healthcare sites, 194 officially registered pharmacies and 2,766 cafés and restaurants. Per resident these are close to the provincial averages, but the real walking distance to a school or pharmacy varies enormously between neighbourhoods, which is why the report measures it from the address.

For earthquake risk Palermo is in seismic zone 2, like 81 of the 82 municipalities in the province; only 1 is in zone 1. Expected ground acceleration in the built-up area is about 0.174 g, a mid-range value. With housing that runs from historic palazzi to post-war apartment blocks, the key question for a buyer is when and how the building was put up.

The Revenue Agency's cadastral maps (Agenzia delle Entrate) cover all of Palermo, so the sheet and parcel number can be derived from the address. There is no single answer on landslides and flooding for the whole city: the report looks at the exact location of the property.

Key points

  • 630,427 residents in 2023: 52.5% of the province.
  • Population down 4.1% since 2011.
  • Seismic zone 2, expected ground acceleration about 0.174 g.
  • Arab-Norman centre listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Overview

Palermo is the capital of the province of Palermo, in Sicilia. At the end of 2023 it had 630,427 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 53% of the province's residents live here.

Earthquakes

For Italy's Civil Protection Department, Palermo is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (81 of 82) are in the same zone.

In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.174 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.

For anyone buying in Palermo, the building matters a great deal: ask for the design year, whether it met the 2008 seismic standards, and whether any seismic retrofit has been carried out.

Population

Compared with the 2011 census, the resident population has fallen by 4.1%. The estimated average age is 45 years, in line with the province. 23% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 23%). Foreign residents make up 4.0% of the population. On average, a household has 2.4 members.

Income and climate

In tax year 2024, taxpayers in Palermo declared an average taxable income of 24,061 euros, above the provincial average (21,337 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.

Palermo is in climate zone B, with 751 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 December to 31 March, for up to 8 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 14 metres above sea level.

Services

In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, Palermo has 581 schools and 194 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 294 grocery shops and supermarkets, 591 healthcare facilities, 417 sports facilities and 67 parks and green areas.

There are 0.9 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.7).

Public transport

We do not yet have open public transport timetables for this municipality: the report says so explicitly, without inventing distances.

How built-up it is

Buildings, roads, car parks and other sealed surfaces cover 40.0% of the land in Palermo, compared with 5.7% in the province and 6.6% in the region. In 2024 built-up land grew by 13.2 hectares.

Radon and contaminated sites

According to the ISPRA map, the estimated radon emission in the municipality is low. Radon varies from building to building and can only be known by measuring it, especially on ground floors and in basements.

Official databases list 14 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in Palermo, and 19 more have been cleaned up or closed. The report tells you whether one is close to the address.

Landslides and flooding

Landslide and flood hazard changes from one street to the next even within Palermo: the report checks the address against the ISPRA maps.

House prices

The Revenue Agency's price ranges per square metre (OMI) apply to zones, not to whole municipalities: the report gives the range for the address's zone.

Land registry

The cadastral maps for Palermo are public: from the address the report finds the sheet and parcel number.

Liveability area by area

The Vicinalia liveability index runs from 0 to 100 and looks at the place, not the people who live there: services within walking distance, transport, green space, natural hazards, air, quiet, buildings and connection. Here it is worked out at the centre of each of the 2,967 inhabited census areas in Palermo. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 72 or more.

Residents by band

  • modest 0.0%
  • fair 20.5%
  • good 71.5%
  • very good 8.0%

Vicinalia index by census area, licence CC BY-SA 4.0. Data: IdroGEO ISPRA (2026), Istat, INGV, EEA, AGCOM, Overture Maps and OpenStreetMap.

The colour is the value at the centre of the area. For an exact address, search for it above: the free check looks at that exact point. How the index is worked out

Data sources

ISTAT code 082053. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.