Merpins has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its weakest subject is walkability (D): 0% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 5% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At the median price of €1,667/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 jobs & income (A+): 2.9 jobs per working resident; 7.7% unemployment.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Merpins 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.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living A−
Merpins gets an A− for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €10.10/m² a month, close to Charente’s towns (€10.82/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €1,667/m², comes from 52 sales of houses and apartments in Merpins from July 2023 to June 2026.
€1,667/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Merpins€1,667/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Charente median€1,635/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,667/m²
51
€10.10/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.13 to €12.54/m² a month)
4.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.50/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,460
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Grand Cognac
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
Merpins keeps more of its old housing than Charente or compared French towns: 20% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
That puts Merpins above both Charente’s towns (12%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Merpins: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level). Among the classé monuments in Merpins is Vestiges de l'abbaye Notre-Dame de la Frenade.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth B
Merpins’ death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is lower than in 59% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 90 residents of Merpins died, against 106 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 15% fewer. The adjustment lowers most towns’ figures, so the comparison is what counts: the median of compared French towns is 12% below expected. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from C− to A.
−15%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw85
Adjusted85
Median town88
Expected100
0
GPs in Merpins · 3.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
3.3 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopitaux du Grand Cognac
3.3 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
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Merpins
Is Merpins safe?
Merpins has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 4.7 recorded violent incidents and 7.1 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Merpins good?
They grade B+, better than 72% of compared French towns. 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 Merpins expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,667/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Merpins grades A− for cost of living.
About Merpins
Commune in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Merpins is a commune of 1,085 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.
