San Benedetto del Tronto: what to know before buying a home
A municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, Marche. Official data on earthquakes, population, services and transport.
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Search for an address in San Benedetto del Tronto
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 Giuseppe Mazzini 1, San Benedetto del Tronto.
San Benedetto del Tronto, the Palm Riviera and the fishing port
The palm-lined seafront, which gave this stretch of coast the name Riviera delle Palme, is the image of San Benedetto del Tronto: kilometres of beach clubs, hotels and gardens between the town and the sand. The harbour is one of the Adriatic's main fishing ports. San Benedetto is the most populous town in the province of Ascoli Piceno, bigger than the provincial capital, and holds 23.4% of the province's residents.
The town is squeezed between sea and hills. On the high ground is the Paese Alto, the old core gathered around its tower; below it the districts built in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries stretch south to Porto d'Ascoli, where the river Tronto marks the border with Abruzzo next to the Sentina nature reserve. The station on the Adriatic line also has trains to Ascoli, and the A14 motorway has an exit in town.
In summer the population swells, and on the seafront and nearby streets many homes are second homes or holiday lets. The numbers show it: there are 466 bars and restaurants, 9.91 per 1,000 residents, and sports facilities are also above the provincial average.
The number of residents has barely changed since 2011: 47,045 in 2023 according to Istat, the national statistics office, against 46,963 at the census. The average age is 48.0, over-65s make up 26.8% and foreign residents 6.8%. Declared incomes are slightly above the provincial average.
The Marche coast is not sheltered from earthquakes. San Benedetto is in seismic zone 2 on the Civil Protection Department's scale, like 31 other municipalities in the province, with an expected acceleration of about 0.178 g; in the same province, the 2016 sequence destroyed Arquata del Tronto. Many seafront blocks date from the 1960s and 1970s, so before buying ask for structural surveys and whether the building has used the incentives for strengthening. The Revenue Agency publishes the land registry maps.
Key points
- Largest town in the province, a fishing port and a palm-lined seafront.
- Population stable since 2011: 47,045 in 2023.
- Seismic zone 2, expected acceleration about 0.178 g.
- Bars and restaurants: 9.91 per 1,000 residents.
Overview
San Benedetto del Tronto is a municipality in the province of Ascoli Piceno, in Marche. At the end of 2023 it had 47,045 residents, the most populous municipality in the province. 23% of the province's residents live here.
Earthquakes
For Italy's Civil Protection Department, San Benedetto del Tronto is in seismic zone 2, a zone where strong earthquakes are possible. Most municipalities in the province (32 of 33) are in the same zone.
In the built-up area, the expected ground shaking (peak ground acceleration, PGA) is about 0.178 g, a medium-high value: the level with a 10% probability of being exceeded in 50 years, on rock.
For anyone buying in San Benedetto del Tronto, 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 number of residents is nearly unchanged. The estimated average age is 48 years, in line with the province. 27% of residents are over 65 (the regional figure is 26%). Foreign residents make up 6.8% of the population. On average, a household has 2.2 members.
Income and climate
In tax year 2024, taxpayers in San Benedetto del Tronto declared an average taxable income of 23,937 euros, in line with the province (22,837 euros). The Italian average is 24,895 euros.
San Benedetto del Tronto is in climate zone D, with 1,593 heating degree days: heating may be switched on from 1 November to 15 April, for up to 12 hours a day. The same table puts the town hall at 6 metres above sea level.
Services
In the official Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health lists, San Benedetto del Tronto has 39 schools and 17 pharmacies. The Overture Maps data also lists 37 grocery shops and supermarkets, 52 healthcare facilities, 71 sports facilities and 11 parks and green areas.
There are 1.1 healthcare facilities per 1,000 residents, more than the province average (0.8).
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 37.5% of the land in San Benedetto del Tronto, compared with 6.5% in the province and 7.0% in the region. In 2024 built-up land stayed almost the same.
Radon and contaminated sites
Official databases list 3 contaminated sites, or sites still under investigation, in San Benedetto del Tronto, and 4 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 San Benedetto del Tronto: 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 San Benedetto del Tronto 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 497 inhabited census areas in San Benedetto del Tronto. Half of the residents live in areas scoring 74 or more.
Residents by band
- modest 0.1%
- fair 13.1%
- good 68.0%
- very good 18.9%
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
- Seismic classification of municipalities, Dipartimento della Protezione Civile. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 2025-05.
- MPS04 seismic hazard model, INGV. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2004 model.
- Data by census section, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, residents at the end of 2023, compared with the 2011 census.
- Places, Overture Maps Foundation. Licence CDLA Permissive 2.0 and others depending on provider, release 2026-10-21.0.
- Income and main IRPEF variables by municipality, MEF, Dipartimento delle Finanze. Licence CC BY 3.0 IT, tax year 2024.
- Climate zones and heating degree days of municipalities (Presidential Decree 412/1993, Annex A), Normattiva. Licence CC BY 4.0, current text.
- Land take, territorial dynamics and ecosystem services, ISPRA e SNPA. Licence CC BY 4.0, 2024 data.
- Predictive radon map by municipality, ISPRA. Licence CC BY 4.0, version 2022-11.
- Contaminated sites, ISPRA, MOSAICO - Banca dati nazionale dei siti oggetto di procedimento di bonifica. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 12 November 2026.
- Liveability index by census area, Vicinalia, from the data in the report sections. Licence CC BY-SA 4.0, worked out on 30 September 2026.
- List of Italian municipalities, Istat. Licence CC BY 4.0, updated to 21 February 2026.
ISTAT code 044066. The text on this page is generated automatically from the data.