Cognac grades B overall: better than 55% of compared French towns, and #19 of 26 in Charente. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 13 recorded violent incidents and 23.2 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. At the median price of €1,672/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cognac. Its strongest is walkability (A): 96% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 20% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
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 Cognac 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 Cognac.
Safety
For crime per resident, Cognac sits above 92% of compared French towns
The police record for Cognac lists 686 offenses in 2025. Jobs outnumber working residents in Cognac (13,000 to 7,800): it draws people in from around. Among the graded crimes in the town, the most frequent was criminal damage (2025).
13recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage230
Family violence99
Theft from vehicles93
Burglary88
Other physical violence86
Sexual violence64
Vehicle theft26
Drug use166
Theft without violence142
Fraud112
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.
13
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
23.2
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
686
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 · When armed robbery number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (0.1% 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.
Work & commuteJobs & income C+
More people in Cognac are out of work than in Charente’s towns or across compared French towns: 14.0%
19.7% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, above Charente’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike. At the census, 4.2% of working residents in Cognac didn’t travel to work at all. Median disposable income comes to €24,930 a year per consumption unit.
20%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving74%
On foot12%
Bicycle5%
Public transport3%
Motorbike or scooter2%
13,000
jobs based in Cognac, 1.7 per working resident
14.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,930
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 90% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Old homes shape Cognac: 17% were built before 1919, more than in Charente’s towns and across compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Relative to its size, Cognac keeps 11 protected monuments per 10,000 residents. Among the classé monuments locally is Dolmen de Séchebec. The town has 20 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 5 classé, the highest protection, and 15 inscrit, the second level. Part of the town has been protected as a historic area since 2017.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
90.7% of candidates passed the brevet at the four collèges within 5 km, 0.6 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The bac pass rate near Cognac is 96.2%, higher than both Charente’s towns (93.6%) and compared French towns (92.9%). On results, collèges and lycées here come #7 of 23 in Charente.
98%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living B+
Cognac earns a B+ for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €1,672/m², comes from 826 sales of houses and apartments in Cognac from July 2023 to June 2026. In Cognac, houses go for €1,688/m² and apartments for €1,617/m². Estimated advertised rent for houses: €8.98/m² a month.
€1,672/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Cognac€1,672/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Charente median€1,635/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,688/m²
639
Apartments
€1,617/m²
187
€11.12/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.96 to €13.80/m² a month)
4.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.98/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,460
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cognac
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C+
Cognac has a higher adjusted death rate than 58% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Adjusted for age and care homes, Cognac records 90 deaths per 100 expected, in line with Charente’s towns (88) and compared French towns (88). 2,211 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 2,057: 8% above. Average lifespans in Charente: 85.7 years for women, 79 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
−10%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw108
Adjusted90
Median town88
Expected100
8
GPs in Cognac · 3.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopitaux du Grand Cognac
1.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Hopitaux du Grand Cognac
85.7 · 79
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Charente, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Students and young workers shape Cognac: 11% are 15 to 24, above Charente’s towns and compared French towns
Over-65s are nearly a quarter of the population. 30% of adults hold a degree, higher than Charente’s towns (25%) and near compared French towns (30%). The age that splits Cognac in two is 44.7.
44.7median age
CognacCharente medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma22%
CAP or BEP24%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education30%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 90 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Charente 52.4%, France 51.8%.
Dolmen de Séchebec: Photo: rosier · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Saint-Léger: Photo: Chris06 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Immeuble dit Maison Lestrade ou Maison de la Lieutenance: Photo: Sémhur · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hôtel Verdelin: Photo: Rosier · CC BY-SA 3.0
Jean Monnet: Anonymous Unknown author (Keystone France), Public domain · Christophe Jallet: Xavier NALTCHAYAN from France, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Lloyd Mondory: Thomas Ducroquet, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pierre Boiteau: Marthe Boiteau épouse de Pierre Boiteau, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Éric Laugérias: YanRB, CC BY-SA 4.0
Cognac’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Cognac
Is Cognac safe?
It grades D for safety, #23 of 26 in Charente. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 88 burglaries and 230 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Cognac good?
They grade B+, better than 72% of compared French towns and #7 of 23 in Charente. The lycée stands out: 100% of 68 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé Beaulieu in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Cognac expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,672/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €11.12/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Cognac grades B+ for cost of living.
About Cognac
Commune in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Cognac is a commune of 18,532 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cognac. 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.
