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France›Charente›Nouvelle-Aquitaine

BessacCharente

A town of 122 in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Population
122
INSEE, census 2023 · commune
Rent
€9.08
per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²
Median income
€23,540
a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970
Walk, cycle, transit
2%
of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Bessac a good place to live?

Bessac is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.

What makes Bessac stand out

The 2 things Bessac does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
18%2%BessacMedianSecond homes, share of all homes
Homes
18% are second homes
of all homes, against 2% in the median compared French town
Source: INSEE, census 2023.
37%22%BessacMedianResidents 65 and over
Who lives here
37% are 65 or over
of residents, against 22% in the median compared French town
Median age 57.5. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
Moulin à vent de La Paille
Moulin à vent de La Paille · Inscrit · Photo: Rosier · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bessac’s story

Bessac in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Bessac, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

The oldest protected part dates from the 18th century; the first monument here was protected in 2002.

48% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

  • 2002First protected: Moulin à vent de La Paille
  • 2020Most recently protected: Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste
Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bessac.

Who lives here

Bessac skews older, with 37% of residents 65 or over, more than Charente’s towns or compared French towns

In the comparison, Bessac comes above both Charente’s towns (28%) and compared French towns (22%). Children under 15 make up 11% of residents.

57.5median age
BessacCharente medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma21%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat22%
Higher education19%

Women and men · all residents

48% women, 52% men

About 107 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Charente 52.4%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Bessac
BessacCharente medianFrance median
Under 1511%15%17%
15–246.6%9.6%11%
25–4416%21%23%
45–6430%26%26%
65+37%28%22%
No diploma21%22%19%
CAP or BEP27%30%26%
Baccalauréat22%19%18%
Higher education19%25%30%
Full pageBessac’s Who lives here pageOpen the page
Ages57.5 median age · 37% are 65 or overHouseholds60 households · 1.9 people per householdBorn abroad4.9% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birthQuestions“What is the population of Bessac?”

INSEE, census 2023 · Charente median and France median: the median of compared communes

History

Bessac keeps more of its old housing than Charente or compared French towns: 48% built before 1919

France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.

For Bessac, that is above both Charente’s towns (12%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Bessac, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

2historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé0
Inscrit2
18th c.
oldest protected part
2002
first monument protected
Full pageBessac’s history pageOpen the page
Age of homes48% built before 1919 · Older homesMap2 historic monumentsQuestions“How many historic monuments are there in Bessac?”

Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period

Work & commute

Walking, cycling and public transport carry fewer commuters in Bessac than in Charente’s towns or compared French towns: 2.1%

Bessac sits below both Charente’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%) on this measure. Bessac has 0 jobs for 50 working residents, 0.3 per worker. The median disposable income is €23,540 a year per consumption unit.

2%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving89%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter2%
On foot0%
Bicycle0%
0
jobs based in Bessac, 0.3 per working resident
11.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,540
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
6%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
Full pageBessac’s work & commute pageOpen the page
Getting to work2% walk, cycle or take transitJobs based here0.3 per working residentMedian income€23,540 a year · Median income per consumption unit

Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Housing

Estimated advertised rents run lower in Bessac than in Charente’s towns or across compared French towns: €9.08/m² a month

Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.

That puts Bessac below both Charente’s towns (€10.82/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).

€9.08/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Bessac€9.08/m²
Median of towns€12.41/m²
Charente median€10.82/m²
€9.08/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.18 to €11.49/m² a month)
€7.90/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
Full pageBessac’s cost of living pageOpen the page
Renting€9.08/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Bessac

11pages on Bessac
The big questions
Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 6.7 mi awayWork & commute0 jobs based hereHousing6 sales on record, the last three yearsFlood & hazards
Out and about
Outdoors6% of the commune is protected natureClimateWeather
The story
Who lives hereMedian age 57.5History2 historic monumentsTown HallFamous people

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Bessac, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

All monuments →
Église Saint-Jean-BaptisteChurch
Moulin à vent de La PailleMill · 18th c.
Photo credits

Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste: Photo: JLPC · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Moulin à vent de La Paille: Photo: Rosier · CC BY-SA 3.0

Famous people from Bessac

Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Bessac yet.

How we find them →

Bessac’s neighbors

The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Charente →
Barbezieux-Saint-HilaireRoullet-Saint-EstèpheChâteauneuf-sur-CharenteLa CouronneSaint-MichelAngoulêmeBarbezieux-Saint-HilaireRoullet-Saint-EstèpheChâteauneuf-sur-CharenteLa CouronneSaint-MichelAngoulêmeBessac
How the neighbors grade
TownPeopleMilesOverallCostSafetyHealth
Bessac122—————
Barbezieux-Saint-Hilaire4,7267.4B−B+C−C+
Roullet-Saint-Estèphe4,35711B+B+A+B
Châteauneuf-sur-Charente3,55012AA−A−C+
La Couronne7,76514CBDC+
Saint-Michel3,19616BBCB
Angoulême41,90817C+BD−B+

People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.

About Bessac

Commune in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Bessac is a commune of 122 people in the Communauté de communes Lavalette Tude Dronne. 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
122 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Lavalette Tude Dronne
Département
Charente (16)
Région
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Area
4.1 sq mi (10.5 km²)
INSEE code
16041

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.