Raron was important in local politics and held the title Raronia prudens.

This large parish comprised the four municipalities of the middle third of the Zenden of Raron.

The uninhabited Meier tower was converted into a gothic church by Ulrich Ruffiner in 1508–1514.

[3] The big stone houses of Raron testify to the prosperity of the 17th and 18th centuries.

Traffic through Raron over the St. German pass to Visp contributed to the prosperity of the town.

Due to the containment of the Rhone and Bietschbach rivers, the draining of the swamps in 1865–1885 and the construction of the Lonza Entsumpfungs canal in 1920, the valley opened up for agriculture.

[3] Raron evolved in the second half of the 20th century into a modern industrial and small business town.

In the 1940s a military airfield for the Swiss Air Force was built in the valley with an aircraft cavern, but it was abandoned in the army reform of 1994.

The south portal of the Lötschberg Base Tunnel was opened to the east of the village in 2007.

[3] Raron has an area, as of 2011[update], of 30.3 square kilometers (11.7 sq mi).

It includes the villages of Raron and Sankt German and the hamlets of Turtig and Rarnerchumma.

[5] The blazon of the municipal coat of arms is Raron Gules, a Vine eradicated and fructed Or leaved Vert.

[4] Most of the population (as of 2000[update]) speaks German (1,534 or 91.7%) as their first language, Albanian is the second most common (48 or 2.9%) and French is the third (34 or 2.0%).

[4] The historical population is given in the following chart:[3][12] The prehistoric site or Heidnischbühl, the Church of St. Roman with old Rectory and the Viztume tower house are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

The entire village of Raron, the hamlet of Rarner Chumma and the Turtig/Wandfluh region are all part of the Inventory of Swiss Heritage Sites.

[15] In the 2007 Swiss Council of States election a total of 859 votes were cast, of which 31 or about 3.6% were invalid.

[4] There were 810 residents of the municipality who were employed in some capacity, of which females made up 36.7% of the workforce.

The number of jobs in the primary sector was 34, of which 28 were in agriculture and 5 were in forestry or lumber production.

In the tertiary sector; 37 or 19.0% were in wholesale or retail sales or the repair of motor vehicles, 41 or 21.0% were in the movement and storage of goods, 39 or 20.0% were in a hotel or restaurant, 11 or 5.6% were the insurance or financial industry, 20 or 10.3% were technical professionals or scientists, 26 or 13.3% were in education and 1 was in health care.

[4] From the 2000 census[update], 1,435 or 85.8% were Roman Catholic, while 56 or 3.3% belonged to the Swiss Reformed Church.

The education system in the Canton of Valais allows young children to attend one year of non-obligatory Kindergarten.