The weak point is cost of living: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 8.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Berre-l'Étang grades D− overall, better than 3% of compared French towns. Its place in the ranking is #97 of 99 in Bouches-du-Rhône. Incomes are on the low side: 1 job per working resident; 13.3% unemployment. It is easy to get around without a car: just over two thirds of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 9% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
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 Berre-l'Étang 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.
Chapelle Notre-Dame de Caderot: Photo: Beris · CC BY-SA 3.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Berre-l'Étang.
HousingCost of living D
The median home in Berre-l'Étang sells for €3,125/m², against €3,824/m² in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
€3,125/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €14.49/m² a month, lower than Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (€15.81/m²) yet higher than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The split in Berre-l'Étang: €3,441/m² for houses, €2,403/m² for apartments. This Bouches-du-Rhône town recorded 235 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Berre-l'Étang€3,125/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Bouches-du-Rhône median€3,824/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,441/m²
143
Apartments
€2,403/m²
92
€14.49/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.85 to €17.73/m² a month)
8.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.49/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,740
median annual income per consumption unit, Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C−
More deaths than expected: Berre-l'Étang is above 78% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
−1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
After the care-home adjustment, Berre-l'Étang’s deaths ran at 99 per 100 expected, above Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (88) and compared French towns (88) alike. 1,221 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 1,157: 6% above. Average lifespans in Bouches-du-Rhône: 86 years for women, 81 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. 9 GPs practise in the town.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw106
Adjusted99
Median town88
Expected100
9
GPs in Berre-l'Étang · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
4.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Aphm Antenne Smur Marignane site Helico Securite Civile Base
6.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Clinique de Vitrolles
86 · 81
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Bouches-du-Rhône, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Money is tighter in Berre-l'Étang than in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns or compared French towns: the median disposable income is €22,620 a year per consumption unit
9%walk, cycle or take transit
The unemployment rate here is 13.3%. Jobs located in Berre-l'Étang: 5,600, for 5,600 residents in work (1 each). At the census, 9.3% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, near Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (9.7%) and lower than compared French towns (13.4%).
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving87%
On foot4%
Public transport4%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter1%
5,600
jobs based in Berre-l'Étang, 1 per working resident
13.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,620
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B+
Walkability: better than 67% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Berre-l'Étang than in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns or across compared French towns: 16% of adults
41.6median age
19% are under 15, above both Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (17%) and compared French towns (17%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 12% of residents. Over-65s are nearly a fifth of the population.
Berre-l'ÉtangBouches-du-Rhône medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma34%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education16%
Women and men · all residents
49% women, 51% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Bouches-du-Rhône 51.9%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Bouches-du-Rhône median and France median: the median of compared communes
Safety
Crime per resident in Berre-l'Étang is higher than in 61% of compared French towns
9.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Graded property crimes ran at 14.6 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 9.2 (2023–2025 average). Over 2025, Berre-l'Étang logged 359 recorded offenses. More of the graded crimes in the town were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage137
Other physical violence60
Family violence54
Theft from vehicles42
Vehicle theft32
Sexual violence22
Burglary12
Fraud111
Theft without violence67
Drug use42
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.
9.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
14.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
359
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.3%
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 · When armed robbery number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (0.3% of the index here). The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
2 historic monuments, none of them classé
2historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 10th century. 2.9% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than both Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (6.9%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Albert Emon: Kb25130, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Janine Jambu: Olivier Victor Marius DUMAY, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Robert Belloni: Gvdmc, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Berre-l'Étang
Commune in Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Berre-l'Étang is a commune of 13,832 people in the Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence. 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
Population
13,832 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence
Département
Bouches-du-Rhône (13)
Région
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Area
16.9 sq mi (43.7 km²)
INSEE code
13014
Berre-l'Étang’s 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 Berre-l'Étang
Is Berre-l'Étang safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #43 of 99 in Bouches-du-Rhône. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 12 burglaries and 137 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Berre-l'Étang good?
They grade C−, better than 17% of compared French towns and #88 of 96 in Bouches-du-Rhône. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Berre-l'Étang expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Berre-l'Étang grades D for cost of living.
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.
