Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes has a population of 1,325.
Prices are modest for what you get (A): A year’s estimated rent on a 70 m² apartment is 31% of the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Schools do well: bac results 1.3 points above the expected rate; brevet results 1.9 points above the expected rate. Where it falls short is walkability — nearly a third of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 1% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. The local economy is weaker than most (D): 0.2 jobs per working resident; 10.7% unemployment.
Mercuer has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
The one thing Mercuer does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Mercuer 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.
Mercuer has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Mercuer has 1 historic monument on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 0 inscrit, the second level.
The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1934.
Joachim Chastanier de Burac, born in 1752, is the one person born in Mercuer before 1900 that Wikidata records.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Mercuer.
Unemployment stood at 10.7%, lower than Ardèche’s towns (13.3%) yet higher than compared French towns (10.1%). On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 0.7% of commuters travelled at the census. Median disposable income comes to €26,870 a year per consumption unit.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
27 houses and apartments changed hands in Mercuer from July 2023 to June 2026.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the 3 vocational lycées within 5 km, 93% of 193 candidates passed the bac pro. Near Mercuer, 96.1% of lycée candidates passed the bac, higher than both Ardèche’s towns (94.1%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Also worth knowing: the closest collège is 1.5 mi off.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège RoquaNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 116 | 88%−3 pts |
| Lycée polyvalent Marcel GimondNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 237 | 97%±0 pts |
| Collège privé Saint-François d'Assise PrivateBest against expectations: 6 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 161 | 99%+6 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
27% of residents are 65 or over, about level with Ardèche’s towns (27%) and above compared French towns (22%). Among adults, 34% have a degree. The age that splits Mercuer in two is 50.5.
51% women, 49% men
About 95 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ardèche 52.7%, France 51.8%.
| Mercuer | Ardèche median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.1% | 9.9% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 27% | 27% | 22% |
| No diploma | 15% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 19% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 34% | 25% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Ardèche median and France median: the median of compared communes
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 106 residents of Mercuer died, against 115 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 8% fewer. After the care-home adjustment, the town’s deaths ran at 92 per 100 expected, near Ardèche’s towns (90) and higher than compared French towns (88). Average lifespans in Ardèche: 85.9 years for women, 79.7 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
Source: INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025; DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 · Licence Ouverte · This figure includes a care-home adjustment that TownRatings models; no official statistic exists. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from D to A−.
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes from before 1919 make up a tenth of the total, below Ardèche’s towns (13%) but above compared French towns (7.4%). The earliest of these monuments dates from the 12th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Mercuer. Best known first.
Mercuer has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
One notable person was born in Mercuer.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercuer | 1,325 | — | — | A | — | C+ |
| Aubenas | 12,416 | 1.9 | B+ | B | D | A− |
| Vals-les-Bains | 3,474 | 2.4 | A− | B | B+ | B+ |
| Saint-Étienne-de-Fontbellon | 2,920 | 2.6 | A | C+ | A | B |
| Villeneuve-de-Berg | 3,031 | 8.8 | C | B+ | B+ | C− |
| Privas | 8,538 | 14 | B− | A− | C | C |
| Chomérac | 3,183 | 16 | — | B | — | B |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Mercuer has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 4 recorded violent incidents and 5.1 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade A−, better than 80% of compared French towns. 97% of 237 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Marcel Gimond in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Commune in Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Mercuer is a commune of 1,325 people in the Communauté de communes du Bassin d'Aubenas. 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
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated October 30, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
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.