Where to Live in Glarus as a Family

By VivaMap · find the best place to live in Switzerland, from canton to exact address · Last updated 14 September 2026

Quality-of-life map for the Family profile in the Glarus area — communes weighted by that profile's priorities

The Glarus metropolitan area shows mixed results for the Family profile. Our analysis covers 2 communes in the Glarus area.

With an average score of 5.8/10, the area is on par with the national average (6.1/10). Individual scores range from 5.5 to 6.1/10, offering a real span of options. A standard deviation of 0.31 signals relative homogeneity for this profile.

Top 5 Communes

  1. 1. Glarus Nord (GL) 6.1/10
    solid score for this profile, without marked excellence
  2. 2. Glarus (GL) 5.5/10
    solid score for this profile, without marked excellence

Bottom 5 Communes

  1. 1. Glarus (GL) 5.5/10
    solid score for this profile, without marked excellence
  2. 2. Glarus Nord (GL) 6.1/10
    solid score for this profile, without marked excellence

Why These Communes Stand Out

Education & Culture (weight: 95%)

Below-average average of 3.4/10. Glarus Nord leads the ranking (3.8/10), while Glarus comes last (3/10). Note: Glarus appears in the global top 5 for the Family profile despite a low score here — its advantage comes from other criteria.

Noise (weight: 90%)

Excellent average of 9.6/10. Glarus leads the ranking (9.8/10), while Glarus Nord comes last (9.3/10). Note: Glarus Nord appears in the global top 5 for the Family profile despite a low score here — its advantage comes from other criteria.

Air Quality (weight: 80%)

Excellent average of 8.4/10. Glarus leads the ranking (8.6/10), while Glarus Nord comes last (8.1/10). Note: Glarus Nord appears in the global top 5 for the Family profile despite a low score here — its advantage comes from other criteria.

Strengths and Tradeoffs of the Agglomeration

Relative to the Swiss average, the Glarus area stands out on Air Quality (8.4/10, well above the national average of 6.3/10, deviation +2) and shows weakness on Annual Sunshine (1.2/10, well below the national average of 4.7/10, deviation -3.5).

Top-ranked communes limit the compromise on Annual Sunshine without sacrificing higher-priority profile criteria. Each criterion's scores are independently normalised at national scale; direct comparison between different criteria should be interpreted with caution.

Advice for the Family profile

For a family with children, start by checking the school catchment (nearby primary, accessible upper-secondary), distance to daycare and playgrounds, and the safety of pedestrian and cycling routes. A high Noise and Nature score protects sleep and child development; a strong Education & Culture score multiplies extra-curricular opportunities. Mind the commute: an ideal commune becomes painful when it adds 45 daily minutes to travel. Visit your three finalists at different times of day, including a Wednesday afternoon to gauge the real rhythm.

Methodology

The profile overall score combines the 9 VivaMap criteria weighted by the profile's declared priorities. Each criterion score is normalised on a national 0-10 scale to keep agglomerations comparable. Visit the criteria pages to learn how each dimension is measured.

Related Guides

Data: FSO, geo.admin.ch, OSM — Scores normalised 0-10