Health is a strength: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 16% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Jobs & income is its weak spot: 0.3 jobs per working resident; 9.6% unemployment. It lags on walkability as well: 45% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 5% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Homes sell for a median €2,431/m²: 70 m² comes to 7.1 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes du Bassin d'Aubenas.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Vesseaux 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.
Each subject compares Vesseaux 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 Vesseaux.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Vesseaux than in Ardèche’s towns or compared French towns: 5.1%
9.6% of the labour force were unemployed, lower than Ardèche’s towns (13.3%) and near compared French towns (10.1%). Median disposable income comes to €25,140 a year per consumption unit. At the census, 2.7% of working residents in Vesseaux didn’t travel to work at all.
5%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving91%
Public transport3%
On foot2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle1%
350
jobs based in Vesseaux, 0.3 per working resident
9.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€25,140
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
C−
Walkability: better than 22% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B
Vesseaux loses fewer people than its age profile suggests, 84 per 100 expected, below Ardèche’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 182 deaths in Vesseaux from 2016 to 2025; there were 246, 35% more. In Ardèche, life expectancy at birth reaches 85.9 years for women and 79.7 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. Also worth knowing: for a family doctor, residents of Vesseaux can choose among 3 GPs.
−16%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw135
Adjusted84
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Vesseaux · 2.3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
3.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Ardeche Meridionale Aubenas
3.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Ardeche Meridionale Aubenas
85.9 · 79.7
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ardèche, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Old homes shape Vesseaux: 17% were built before 1919, more than in Ardèche’s towns and across compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 12th century. The Culture ministry’s list holds 1 historic monument in Vesseaux; none is classé, France’s top protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living B
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Vesseaux than in Ardèche’s towns or across compared French towns: €8.63/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Behind the median of €2,431/m²: 51 houses and apartments sold in Vesseaux between July 2023 and June 2026. Houses accounted for 98% of sales, apartments for the rest.
€2,431/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Vesseaux€2,431/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ardèche median€1,907/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,415/m²
50
€8.63/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.63 to €11.24/m² a month)
7.1
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.92/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,960
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Bassin d'Aubenas
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Vesseaux has fewer young adults than Ardèche’s towns or compared French towns: 7.5% are 15 to 24
Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over, about level with compared French towns (22%) and below Ardèche’s towns (27%). Children are 18% of the town. Among adults, 35% have a degree.
45.3median age
VesseauxArdèche medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
21%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma12%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education35%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Ardèche 52.7%, France 51.8%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Vesseaux
Is Vesseaux safe?
Vesseaux has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 2.6 recorded violent incidents and 6.5 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Is Vesseaux expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,431/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Vesseaux grades B for cost of living.
About Vesseaux
Commune in Ardèche, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Vesseaux is a commune of 2,069 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
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.
