Though the territorial dimension of ministerial recruitment has been explored in several countries, it remains a blind spot in France. This paper analyzes the presence and influence of cabinet ministers under the Fifth Republic. To do so, it draws on a dataset based on the 344 senior ministers and 889 appointments identified between 1959 and 2020. These data are processed through a series of quantitative and qualitative indicators. The study confirms the central position of Paris as the main place of national elites’ extraction. It also stresses the existence of three concentric circles in terms of ministerial appointments: Paris, mainland regions and peripheral territories.