Low prices, and some weak spots to weigh against them. With a C overall, Saint-Michel is better than a quarter of compared French towns and ranks #13 of 23 in Aisne. Where it falls short is jobs & income: 0.8 jobs per working resident; 20.3% unemployment. Homes are affordable: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 2.6 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. It also trails on health: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 12% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B− for schools and B for walkability.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · employment and commuting, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Each subject compares Saint-Michel with other French towns of 2,500 or more, ordered by how far its rank is from the middle. American and UK towns are graded separately.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Michel.
HealthHealth D
More deaths than expected: Saint-Michel is above 92% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
One GP practises in Saint-Michel. Ages and care homes taken into account, deaths in Saint-Michel come to 112 per 100 predicted. France’s death rates at each age would predict 288 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 321, 12% more. Average lifespans in Aisne: 83.2 years for women, 77.4 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
+12%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw112
Adjusted112
Median town88
Expected100
1
GPs in Saint-Michel · 3.5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.8 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Hirson
7.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Fourmies
83.2 · 77.4
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Aisne, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Saint-Michel than in Aisne’s towns or across compared French towns: €8.13/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Half the homes sold went for more than €777/m², below both Aisne’s towns (€1,167/m²) and compared French towns (€2,430/m²). From July 2023 to June 2026, 102 homes were sold in Saint-Michel. Of the homes sold, 98% were houses.
€777/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Michel€777/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Aisne median€1,167/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€783/m²
100
€8.13/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.52 to €10.13/m² a month)
2.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€6.72/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€20,630
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Trois Rivières
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Saint-Michel runs higher than in 77% of compared French towns
The commonest graded crime in Saint-Michel was criminal damage (2025). The police record for Saint-Michel lists 94 offenses in 2025. Each year (2023–2025 average), violence against people came to 14.2 per 1,000 residents and the graded property crimes to 14.5.
14.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage41
Family violence29
Other physical violence12
Burglary7
Sexual violence5
Fraud11
Not in the gradeTheft without violence, drug use and fraud are shown for information but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence plus burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and criminal damage per resident.
14.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
14.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
94
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
3.2%
of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · For armed robbery, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 3.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
Saint-Michel keeps more of its old housing than Aisne’s towns or compared French towns: 20% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Saint-Michel has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 2 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level. Among the classé monuments locally is Ancienne abbaye bénédictine. Its oldest listed monument dates from the 13th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income D−
Fewer commuters in Saint-Michel walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Aisne’s towns or compared French towns: 9.5%
The unemployment rate comes to 20.3%. The median disposable income was €20,370 a year per consumption unit, near Aisne’s towns (€20,680) and lower than compared French towns (€25,970). 4.3% of Saint-Michel’s working residents had no journey to work at the census.
9%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving85%
On foot7%
Public transport2%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter1%
900
jobs based in Saint-Michel, 0.8 per working resident
20.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€20,370
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B
Walkability: better than 59% of compared French towns
INSEE, census 2023 · Aisne median and France median: the median of compared communes
Schools
83.6% of candidates passed the brevet at the two collèges within 5 km, 9.7 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Near Saint-Michel, 88.7% of lycée candidates passed the bac, lower than both Aisne’s towns (90.1%) and compared French towns (92.9%). For exam results, it comes #13 of 24 in Aisne.
91%passed the bac (general and technological)B−School Grade
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Michel
Is Saint-Michel safe?
It grades C− for safety, #12 of 23 in Aisne. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 7 burglaries and 41 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Saint-Michel good?
They grade B−, better than 45% of compared French towns and #13 of 24 in Aisne. 91% of 182 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Frédéric et Irène Joliot Curie in 2025, 4 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Saint-Michel expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Saint-Michel grades A for cost of living.
About Saint-Michel
Commune in Aisne, Hauts-de-France
Saint-Michel is a commune of 3,199 people in the Communauté de communes des Trois Rivières. TownRatings compares communes, France’s local unit: each has its own mayor and its own statistics. Its area takes in the town and the countryside around it.
Built from INSEE’s 2026 official geography (COG) and IGN Admin Express boundaries
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.
