Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 518 in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Esse is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
The 3 things Esse does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Esse, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1972.
25% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Esse.
On this, Esse is below both Charente’s towns (9.6%) and compared French towns (11%). 31% of residents are 65 or over.
47% women, 53% men
About 113 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Charente 52.4%, France 51.8%.
| Esse | Charente median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 6% | 9.6% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 31% | 28% | 22% |
| No diploma | 24% | 22% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 33% | 30% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 20% | 25% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Charente median and France median: the median of compared communes
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
In the comparison, Esse comes above both Charente’s towns (12%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Esse, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
For Esse, that is below both Charente’s towns (11.0%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Esse has 100 jobs for 200 working residents, 0.4 per worker. At the census, 5.5% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
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.
Esse sits below both Charente’s towns (88.8%) and compared French towns (87.5%) on this measure.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Noël-NoëlNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 69 | 83%−1 pt |
| Lycée polyvalent Émile RouxNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 136 | 97%+2 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.
That puts Esse below both Charente’s towns (€10.82/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €1,060/m², comes from 31 sales of houses and apartments in Esse from July 2023 to June 2026.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,060/m² | 31 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage and other places to visit in and near Esse. Best known first.
The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Esse, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
église Saint-Étienne: Photo: Jack ma · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Esse yet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esse | 518 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Confolens | 2,730 | 2.5 | B | A | C+ | D− |
| Terres-de-Haute-Charente | 3,777 | 12 | B− | A | B+ | D |
| Saint-Junien Haute-Vienne | 11,415 | 13 | A− | A | B− | B |
| Rochechouart Haute-Vienne | 3,603 | 15 | A | A | A | B+ |
| Oradour-sur-Glane Haute-Vienne | 2,550 | 16 | — | A− | — | B+ |
| Bellac Haute-Vienne | 3,537 | 17 | A− | A | C− | B+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Esse is a commune of 518 people in the Communauté de communes de Charente Limousine. 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.
