Some departments of France provide more aid or allocate larger amounts than others…
Not all social assistance recipients receive the same amounts. The amounts received depend both on the type of aid received – whether it is active solidarity income (RSA), aid for the elderly, social assistance for disabled people or even social assistance. social assistance for children (ASE) – but also criteria which give entitlement to more or less aid depending on the situation of the beneficiaries. But can the amount allocated also depend on the department in which one lives?
It is a fact, certain French departments spend significantly more than others on social assistance as shown in the 2022 report from the Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (DREES), of makes the income of those administered more or less or their precarious situation. Of the more than 90 French departments, around thirty exceed the average amount of social assistance allocated per inhabitant per year, which was estimated at 600 euros in 2020. If in some places the total of social assistance measures distributed is lower, elsewhere it can be largely exceeded:
If certain departments spend more on a social assistance measure allocated to a resident, others deliver more aid in quantity. A point which also affects territorial investment. There are again around thirty departments providing more social assistance than the national average. In 2020, more than half of French territories activated more than 66 social assistance measures per 1,000 inhabitants and while some barely exceed this rate, others widen the gap.
In summary, the departments of the Ile de France (excluding Seine-Saint-Denis), the north-west and the east of France spend the least on social assistance, unlike the southern territories, west, north and center of the country. These gaps are not really linked to the generosity of the departments, but above all to the needs of their population. These variations actually reflect income inequalities between territories and redistribution flows.
Among all the aid measures and the amounts delivered to beneficiaries, many are in the name of the RSA which represents 46% of the social assistance provided. However, the amount of RSA set at the national level does not differ that much between the most and least assisted residents: 530 and 580 euros. On the other hand, the number of beneficiaries can be multiplied by two or even three from one department to another. Same observation for beneficiaries of assistance for the elderly: they receive between 380 and 500 euros but their number varies enormously depending on the territory.
