Buying in is costly: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 8.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. With a D overall, Istres is better than 8% of compared French towns and ranks #81 of 99 in Bouches-du-Rhône. Walkability is its strong suit (A−): 82% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 11% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. It lags on schools as well (C−): bac results 1.4 points below the expected rate; brevet results 6.5 points below the expected rate.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education.
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 Istres 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 Istres.
HousingCost of living D
Homes in Istres sell for €3,124/m² at the median, against €3,824/m² in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In Istres, houses go for €3,293/m² and apartments for €2,840/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). Of the homes sold, 55% were houses.
€3,124/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Istres€3,124/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Bouches-du-Rhône median€3,824/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,293/m²
721
Apartments
€2,840/m²
597
€15.02/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€12.15 to €18.57/m² a month)
8.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€13.72/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
Schools
Fewer pupils pass the brevet at the collèges near Istres than in Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns or compared French towns: 79.5%
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the vocational lycée within 5 km, 74% of 82 candidates passed the bac pro. Its collèges and lycées rank #87 of 96 in Bouches-du-Rhône on results. 92.2% of candidates passed the bac at the lycées within 5 km of Istres, in line with Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (92.6%) and compared French towns (92.9%).
96%passed the bac (general and technological)C−School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income C+
For walkability, Istres ranks above 76% of compared French towns
Half of residents lived on more than €25,480 a year per consumption unit, about level with compared French towns (€25,970) and below Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (€27,430). Jobs located in Istres: 15,950, for 19,300 residents in work (0.8 each). No commute at all: 2.6% of working residents locally at the census.
11%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving86%
Public transport5%
On foot4%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
15,950
jobs based in Istres, 0.8 per working resident
10.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€25,480
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 76% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
For crime per resident, Istres sits above 73% of compared French towns
The graded crime recorded most in Istres was criminal damage (2025). Per 1,000 residents a year, there were 9.7 cases of violence against people and 17.5 graded property crimes (2023–2025 average). The 2025 count: 1,215 offenses locally.
9.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage397
Family violence191
Other physical violence182
Burglary166
Theft from vehicles116
Vehicle theft92
Sexual violence71
Fraud255
Theft without violence240
Drug use232
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.
9.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
17.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,215
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
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 · 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, 0.1% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
History
6 historic monuments in Istres, the oldest from prehistory
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes from before 1919 make up 2.2% of the total. Among the classé monuments in Istres is abri préhistorique Cornille. The oldest protected building goes back to prehistory.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth C+
Istres sees 91 deaths per 100 expected: under what its ages predict, yet above Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 3,220 residents of Istres died, against 3,255 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 1% fewer. In Bouches-du-Rhône, women can expect to live 86 years and men 81 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. There are 29 general practitioners locally.
−9%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw99
Adjusted91
Median town88
Expected100
29
GPs in Istres · 2.8 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.8 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique de L Etang de L Olivier
7.6 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
Istres skews young, with 12% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than in both Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns and compared French towns
28% of adults hold a degree. People 65 and over make up a fifth of the town, below Bouches-du-Rhône’s towns (22%) and compared French towns (22%) alike. The median resident of Istres is 42.1 years old.
42.1median age
IstresBouches-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 diploma18%
CAP or BEP25%
Baccalauréat23%
Higher education28%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Bouches-du-Rhône 51.9%, France 51.8%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Istres
Is Istres safe?
It grades C for safety, #55 of 99 in Bouches-du-Rhône. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 166 burglaries and 397 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Istres good?
They grade C−, better than 20% of compared French towns and #87 of 96 in Bouches-du-Rhône. 96% of 391 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Arthur Rimbaud in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Istres expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Istres grades D for cost of living.
About Istres
Commune in Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Istres is a commune of 44,292 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
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.
