Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Population 1,834: a town in Calvados, Normandy.
Buying in is costly: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 11.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Schools lag: bac results 5 points below the expected rate; brevet results 11 points below the expected rate. Its remaining grades are unremarkable: B for health and B for jobs & income.
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 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025). Houlgate 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 3 things Houlgate does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Houlgate 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.
Houlgate has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Houlgate has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
The oldest protected part dates from the 15th century; the first monument here was protected in 1948.
Heritage, other places to visit and museums in and near Houlgate. Best known first.
MuseumVilla du Temps retrouvé3 km west, in CabourgAttractionAttractionCasino de Houlgatein townChâteauChâteauChâteau Foucher de Careilin townAttractionAttractionManège Chaignonin townAttractionAttractionMaison Bleue2.1 km west, in Dives-sur-MerPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Houlgate.
Retirement age and beyond: 47% of residents are 65 or older. People aged 15 to 24 make up 6.6% of the town, lower than both Calvados’ towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%). Graduates make up nearly a third of adults.
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Calvados 52.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Houlgate | Calvados median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 8.6% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 6.6% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 14% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 47% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 18% | 23% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 25% | 28% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 17% | 18% |
| Higher education | 32% | 26% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Calvados median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses in Houlgate sell for €4,500/m² and apartments for €4,226/m². The estimated advertised rent is €16.52/m² a month, higher than both Calvados’ towns (€12.67/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). From July 2023 to June 2026, 413 homes were sold in the town.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €4,500/m² | 118 |
| Apartments | €4,226/m² | 295 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
A collège lies 1.9 mi away.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Paul ÉluardNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 41 | 66%−11 pts |
| Lycée professionnel Jean JoorisNearest lycéeVocational lycée | Vocational lycée | 33 | 79%−5 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
45 offenses were reported in Houlgate during 2025. Jobs outnumber working residents in Houlgate (700 to 550): it draws people in from around. Each year (2023–2025 average), violence against people came to 5.3 per 1,000 residents and the graded property crimes to 23. The commonest graded crime here was criminal damage (2025).
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.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · For other physical violence, sexual violence, burglary, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, 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, 14.6% of the index here. Because that share is over 10%, this Safety Grade is less sure than most. 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.
Unemployment stood at 11.9%, above both Calvados’ towns (10.3%) and compared French towns (10.1%). 19.2% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 15th century. Nearly a tenth of its homes were built before 1919, above Calvados’ towns (8.1%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 288 residents of Houlgate died, against 308 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 7% fewer. The nearest emergency department to Houlgate is Ch Cote Fleurie site de Cricqueboeuf, 10.7 mi away. One GP practises in the town. Average lifespans in Calvados: 85.5 years for women, 78.9 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
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 · The care-home step is TownRatings’ own calculation, not an official number. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from C to A−.
Houlgate has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
Vestiges de l'ancienne église de Beuzeval: Photo: Gregory Deryckère · CC BY 2.5 · Château de Beuzeval (également sur commune de Gonneville-sur-Mer): Photo: DimiTalen · CC0
2 notable people were born in Houlgate.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houlgate | 1,834 | — | — | D− | C− | B |
| Dives-sur-Mer | 5,122 | 1.5 | D− | D− | C | D |
| Cabourg | 3,725 | 2.5 | D− | D− | D− | C− |
| Deauville | 3,539 | 7.7 | D | D− | D− | C |
| Ouistreham | 9,212 | 8.7 | C+ | D | C+ | C |
| Touques | 3,913 | 8.7 | D | D | C− | C |
| Trouville-sur-Mer | 4,619 | 8.9 | D− | D− | D− | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
They grade D, better than 7% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Houlgate grades D− for cost of living.
Commune in Calvados, Normandy
Houlgate is a commune of 1,834 people in the Communauté de communes Normandie-Cabourg-Pays d'Auge. 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.