Several subjects drag its grade down. School results trail most towns: brevet results 8 points below the expected rate. Overall, Fos-sur-Mer earns a D−, which places it #95 of 99 in Bouches-du-Rhône. That leaves it better than 3% of compared French towns. The local economy does well: 2.1 jobs per working resident; 10.7% unemployment. Buying 70 m² at the median €3,117/m² takes 8.5 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence.
Figures: employment, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · 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 Fos-sur-Mer 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 la Mer: Photo: Speedygonzafr · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Saint-Sauveur: Photo: Thérèse Gaigé · CC BY-SA 4.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fos-sur-Mer.
Schools
Fewer pupils pass the brevet at the collèges near Fos-sur-Mer than in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns or compared French towns: 80.0%
80.0%passed the brevetD−School Grade
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
On results, collèges and lycées here come #96 of 96 in Bouches-du-Rhône. For the general bac, the closest lycée is 4 mi away. The closest collège is 0.7 mi off.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living D
Homes in Fos-sur-Mer sell for €3,117/m² at the median, against €3,824/m² in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
€3,117/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house in Fos-sur-Mer goes for €3,295/m², an apartment for €2,388/m². The estimated advertised rent is €15.02/m² a month, near Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (€15.81/m²) and higher than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Renting a house costs an estimated €14.02/m² a month.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Fos-sur-Mer€3,117/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Bouches-du-Rhône median€3,824/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,295/m²
257
Apartments
€2,388/m²
131
€15.02/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€12.19 to €18.51/m² a month)
8.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.02/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,740
median annual income per consumption unit, Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Recorded crime per resident is higher in Fos-sur-Mer than in 78% of compared French towns
7.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Graded property crimes ran at 20.9 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 7.9 (2023–2025 average). Police and gendarmerie recorded 480 offenses in Fos-sur-Mer in 2025. Jobs outnumber working residents in Fos-sur-Mer (14,450 to 6,850): it draws people in from around. The graded crime recorded most here was criminal damage (2025).
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage147
Theft from vehicles103
Vehicle theft63
Family violence61
Other physical violence44
Burglary37
Sexual violence25
Fraud118
Theft without violence112
Drug use26
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.
7.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
20.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
480
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
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 · Small counts of armed robbery go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 0.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher.
HealthHealth C−
Adjusted for age and care homes, Fos-sur-Mer sees more deaths than three in four compared French towns
−1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Women in Bouches-du-Rhône live to 86 on average and men to 81 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. Weighed against its ages and care homes, Fos-sur-Mer records 99 deaths per 100 expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,152 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,222, 6% more.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw106
Adjusted99
Median town88
Expected100
13
GPs in Fos-sur-Mer · 2.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
4.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique de L Etang de L Olivier
5.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch de Martigues Hopital des Rayettes
86 · 81
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Bouches-du-Rhône, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Fewer people in Fos-sur-Mer hold a degree than in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns or compared French towns: 23%
42.8median age
The 15-to-24 age group makes up just over one in ten residents. Children under 15 make up 18%, higher than both Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (17%) and compared French towns (17%). Over-65s are 20% of the population.
Fos-sur-MerBouches-du-Rhône medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma19%
CAP or BEP31%
Baccalauréat22%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% 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
History
Fos-sur-Mer has 4 historic monuments, the oldest from Antiquity
4historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
1.5% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (6.9%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The oldest protected building goes back to Antiquity.
Commune in Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Fos-sur-Mer is a commune of 15,862 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
15,862 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence
Département
Bouches-du-Rhône (13)
Région
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Area
33.8 sq mi (87.6 km²)
INSEE code
13039
Fos-sur-Mer’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
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.
