Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 1,238 people, lies in Ariège, Occitanie.
Prices are modest for what you get (A−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its lowest grade is for schools — brevet results 9 points below the expected rate. 16% of homes here are second homes.
Mercus-Garrabet 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 2 things Mercus-Garrabet does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Mercus-Garrabet 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.
Mercus-Garrabet has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Mercus-Garrabet: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level).
The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1910.
14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Mercus-Garrabet.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The closest collège is 2.9 mi off.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège du Sabarthès-Montcalm, site de Tarascon-sur-AriègeNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 99 | 74%−9 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
9.8% of the labour force are out of work. Half of residents lived on more than €23,570 a year per consumption unit, about level with Ariège’s towns (€23,470) and below compared French towns (€25,970).
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.
Half the homes sold went for more than €1,468/m², below both Ariège’s towns (€1,645/m²) and compared French towns (€2,430/m²). House rents are put at about €8.48/m² a month. 43 houses and apartments changed hands in Mercus-Garrabet from July 2023 to June 2026.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,468/m² | 43 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Mercus-Garrabet is Chiva site Saint Jean de Verges, 10.1 mi away. From 2016 to 2025, 95 residents of Mercus-Garrabet died, against 121 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 21% fewer. In Ariège, women can expect to live 84.9 years and men 80 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. The town has 3 family doctors.
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 · Care-home places are adjusted for by TownRatings, using a model rather than an official statistic. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from C+ to A.
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The protected list starts in the 12th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
23% of adults hold a degree, below Ariège’s towns (25%) and compared French towns (30%) alike. The under-15s are 18% of the population here. Mercus-Garrabet has a median age of 45.8 years.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Ariège 52.2%, France 51.8%.
| Mercus-Garrabet | Ariège median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.2% | 10% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 23% | 27% | 22% |
| No diploma | 18% | 21% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 32% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 21% | 20% | 18% |
| Higher education | 23% | 25% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Ariège median and France median: the median of compared communes
Heritage, other places to visit and museums in and near Mercus-Garrabet. Best known first.
Mercus-Garrabet has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
One notable person was born in Mercus-Garrabet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercus-Garrabet | 1,238 | — | — | A− | — | A− |
| Tarascon-sur-Ariège | 3,085 | 2.8 | C− | B+ | C+ | C |
| Foix | 9,934 | 5.7 | C | A− | D | C− |
| Varilhes | 3,487 | 12 | A | B+ | B+ | A |
| Lavelanet | 5,987 | 12 | C+ | A− | D | C+ |
| Saint-Jean-du-Falga | 2,851 | 14 | B+ | B | B+ | B |
| La Tour-du-Crieu | 3,230 | 15 | A− | C | A+ | A− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Mercus-Garrabet has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 3.1 recorded violent incidents and 9.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade D−, better than 2% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Mercus-Garrabet grades A− for cost of living.
Commune in Ariège, Occitanie
Mercus-Garrabet is a commune of 1,238 people in the Communauté de communes du Pays de Tarascon. 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) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · 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.