About Aarau
Aarau is a town, a municipality, and the capital of the northern Swiss canton of Aargau. The town is also the capital of the district of Aarau. It is German-speaking and predominantly Protestant. Aarau is situated on the Swiss plateau, in the valley of the Aare, on the river's right bank, and at the southern foot of the Jura Mountains, and is west of Zurich, 58 kilometres south of Basel and 65 kilometres northeast of Bern. The municipality borders directly on the canton of Solothurn to the west. It is the largest town in Aargau. At the beginning of 2010 Rohr became a district of Aarau.
- Canton
- Aargau
- Area
- 12.3 km²
Population
22'710residents
Median taxable income
CHF 67'153
Vacancy
0.38%
Foreign residents
23.4%
Dwellings
12'632
Jobs (FTE)
34'888
Tax multiplier
96%
Land use across the commune
Every 100 × 100 m of Aarau, coloured by how it's used. Drawn from the BFS Arealstatistik 2025 release — the most recent nationwide snapshot.
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Loading statistics …
Jobs & economy
34'888 full-time-equivalent jobs across 2'648 businesses — services make up 91% of employment, industry 9% (2018).
Source BFS STATENT
34'888FTE total
Primary0.1%
Secondary9.2%
Tertiary90.7%
Land use
50% built-up, 11% agricultural, 32% forest. Measured across 1'237 hectares (2018).
Source BFS Arealstatistik
Settlement53.4%
Agriculture11.7%
Forest34.9%
Water0.0%
Election Results
SP led the 2023 National Council election with 28.4%, ahead of SVP at 18.2%.
Source BFS
SP28.4%+2.0 pp
SVP18.2%+1.9 pp
FDP14.8%−1.8 pp
Grüne12.8%−1.9 pp
GLP11.1%+0.2 pp
Mitte7.5%
EVP3.6%−0.1 pp
Others
0.8%
2023 vs 2019
Primary / second-home mix
89.0% of dwellings are primary residences; 11.0% are second homes (2026).
Source BFS
Primary residences89.0%
Second homes11.0%
Climate data
Annual mean 10.0°C with 920 mm of rain. Warmest in July (19.4°C), coldest in January (1.2°C). Station: Buchs / Aarau, 387 m.
Source MeteoSchweiz
10.0°C
Annual mean
Mean 10.0°C
Rain 920 mm
Sun ≈127 days
Buchs / Aarau · 387 m.a.s.l. · 1991–2020 normals
Warming trend
Mean annual temperature at Luzern has risen by +2.4°C between the first 30 observed years (1871–1900) and the most recent (1996–2025).
Source MeteoSchweiz NBCN
+2.4°C
mean 1996–2025 vs. 1871–1900
Luzern · 454 m.a.s.l. · 1871–2025
