Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 576 in Calvados, Normandy. Only 13% of residents are 65 or over.
Esson is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
The one thing Esson does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Esson as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Château de la Motte, in Cesny-les-Sources, 4 mi away.
21% 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 Esson.
On this, Esson is above both Calvados’ towns (16%) and compared French towns (17%). People 65 and over make up 13% of the town.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Calvados 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Esson | Calvados median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 27% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.8% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 13% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 20% | 23% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 29% | 28% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 21% | 17% | 18% |
| Higher education | 26% | 26% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Calvados median and France median: the median of compared communes
In the comparison, Esson comes below both Calvados’ towns (14.4%) and compared French towns (13.4%). Unemployment stands at 8.0%. Esson has 300 jobs for 250 working residents, 1.1 per worker.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
For Esson, that is below both Calvados’ towns (87.5%) and compared French towns (87.5%).
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Roger BellairNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 113 | 78%−12 pts |
| Collège Notre-Dame PrivateBest against expectations: 8 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 64 | 97%+8 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Too few homes sold here for a reliable median price.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage and museums in and near Esson. Best known first.
Nothing in Esson is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
One notable person was born in Esson.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esson | 576 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Thury-Harcourt-le-Hom | 3,600 | 2.2 | B | B+ | A− | B |
| Les Monts d'Aunay | 4,777 | 8.4 | B+ | B+ | A | C+ |
| Condé-en-Normandie | 5,985 | 8.7 | C+ | A | C | C− |
| Saint-Martin-de-May | 4,529 | 10 | B+ | C+ | A+ | B+ |
| Athis-Val de Rouvre Orne | 4,201 | 12 | A+ | A | A+ | B+ |
| Villers-Bocage | 3,088 | 12 | A− | C | A− | C+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Calvados, Normandy
Esson is a commune of 576 people in the Communauté de communes Cingal-Suisse Normande. 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) · 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.