Charleville-Mézières grades D overall: better than 12% of compared French towns. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 16.3 recorded violent incidents and 22.6 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €1,417/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Ardenne Métropole. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 94% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 29% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
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 Charleville-Mézières 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.
Hazard riskNot graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas–
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Immeuble · Classé · Photo: NEUVENS Francis · CC BY-SA 3.0
Charleville-Mézières’ story
Charleville-Mézières in pictures
The Culture ministry lists 63 historic monuments in Charleville-Mézières: 53 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 10 inscrit (the second level).
That’s 14 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 91% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5.
The oldest protected part dates from the 15th century; the first monument here was protected in 1910.
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2001.
1910First protected: Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Espérance
2001The protected historic area is created
2022Most recently protected: Hôtel de ville de Mézières
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Charleville-Mézières.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
Charleville-Mézières has higher unemployment than Ardennes’ towns or compared French towns: 22.0%
That puts Charleville-Mézières above both Ardennes’ towns (18.5%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Charleville-Mézières has 27,450 jobs for 15,150 working residents, 1.8 per worker. 28.7% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
29%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving65%
On foot16%
Public transport9%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter1%
27,450
jobs based in Charleville-Mézières, 1.8 per working resident
22.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€20,390
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A+
Walkability: better than 96% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Charleville-Mézières runs higher than in 95% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 1,890 offenses in the graded categories in Charleville-Mézières in 2025. On the Safety Grade, Charleville-Mézières ranks 11th of the 12 compared towns in Ardennes. For armed robbery, 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, under 0.1% of the index here.
16.3recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage625
Other physical violence359
Family violence283
Theft from vehicles210
Burglary179
Sexual violence157
Vehicle theft77
Theft without violence586
Drug use367
Fraud310
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.
16.3
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
22.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,890
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 0.1%
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
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 2001, and 63 historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 63 historic monuments in Charleville-Mézières: 53 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 10 inscrit (the second level). Charleville-Mézières has 14 protected monuments per 10,000 residents, above both Ardennes’ towns (4.7) and compared French towns (2.5). Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2001.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth D
Charleville-Mézières’ death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 88% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Adjusted for age and care homes, Charleville-Mézières records 106 deaths per 100 expected, close to Ardennes’ towns (107) and above compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 5,586 residents of Charleville-Mézières died, against 4,691 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 19% more. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
+6%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw119
Adjusted106
Median town88
Expected100
38
GPs in Charleville-Mézières · 4.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch de Charleville Mezieres Hopital de Manchester
0.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch de Charleville Mezieres Hopital de Manchester
84.6 · 77.7
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ardennes, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living B+
Renting in Charleville-Mézières costs an estimated advertised €9.58/m² a month, against €8.19/m² in Ardennes’ towns and €12.41/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Half the homes sold went for more than €1,417/m², close to Ardennes’ towns (€1,185/m²) and below compared French towns (€2,430/m²). In Charleville-Mézières, houses go for €1,653/m² and apartments for €1,264/m².
€1,417/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Charleville-Mézières€1,417/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ardennes median€1,185/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,653/m²
652
Apartments
€1,264/m²
791
€9.58/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.45 to €12.32/m² a month)
4.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.82/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€22,940
median annual income per consumption unit, Ardenne Métropole
The Culture ministry lists 63 historic monuments in Charleville-Mézières: 53 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 10 inscrit (the second level).
Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Espérance: Photo: MOSSOT · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Saint-Lie de Mohon: Photo: Szeder László · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hôtel de ville: Photo: Dietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vieux moulin, actuellement musées Rimbaud et de l'Ardenne: Photo: PILOU08 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Famous people from Charleville-Mézières
120 notable people were born in Charleville-Mézières.
Arthur Rimbaud: Étienne Carjat, Public domain · Félix Savart: Moonik, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Apollonie Sabatier: Vincent Vidal, Public domain · Edmond-Louis-Alexis Dubois-Crancé: François Bonneville, Public domain · Mario David: Tisourcier, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Clément Lhotellerie: Thomas Ducroquet, CC BY-SA 3.0
Charleville-Mézières’ neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Charleville-Mézières
Is Charleville-Mézières safe?
It grades D for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 179 burglaries and 625 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Charleville-Mézières good?
They grade C−, better than 22% of compared French towns and #5 of 12 in Ardennes. 90% of 102 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Monge in 2025, 2 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Charleville-Mézières expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Charleville-Mézières grades B+ for cost of living.
About Charleville-Mézières
Commune in Ardennes, Grand Est
Charleville-Mézières is a commune of 45,560 people in the Ardenne Métropole. 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.
