Bourges grades C+ overall: better than 40% of compared French towns, and #10 of 14 in Cher. Its weakest subject is safety (C−): an average of 9.1 recorded violent incidents and 22.4 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 €1,645/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Bourges Plus. Its strongest is walkability (A): 85% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 23% 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 Bourges 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 Bourges.
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 1965, and 115 historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Bourges is Crypte gallo-romaine de Sainte-Blandine. The town has 18 protected monuments for every 10,000 residents. Since 1965, a site patrimonial remarquable has protected part of the town. Its heritage reaches back to Antiquity.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income C
For walkability, Bourges ranks above 89% of compared French towns
The unemployment rate comes to 14.0%. At the census, 22.8% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above Cher’s towns (11.9%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike. For its 24,900 residents in work, Bourges has 40,550 jobs: 1.6 each.
23%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving73%
On foot9%
Public transport9%
Bicycle5%
Motorbike or scooter1%
40,550
jobs based in Bourges, 1.6 per working resident
14.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,230
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 89% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Bourges runs higher than in 84% of compared French towns
On the Safety Grade, Bourges ranks 13th of the 14 compared towns in Cher. Police and gendarmerie figures for Bourges show 2,340 offenses in 2025. Also worth knowing: of the graded crimes here, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
9.1recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage1,022
Burglary367
Other physical violence250
Theft from vehicles220
Family violence219
Sexual violence137
Vehicle theft125
Theft without violence588
Drug use520
Fraud426
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.
9.1
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
22.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
2,340
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.
HousingCost of living B
Homes in Bourges sell for €1,645/m² at the median, against €1,298/m² in Cher’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €11.40/m² a month, higher than Cher’s towns (€9.78/m²) yet lower than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses in Bourges sell for €1,746/m² and apartments for €1,554/m². Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 2,778 homes here.
€1,645/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Bourges€1,645/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Cher median€1,298/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,746/m²
1,373
Apartments
€1,554/m²
1,405
€11.40/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.12 to €14.25/m² a month)
4.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.62/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,590
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Bourges Plus
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C+
Bourges records 91 deaths for every 100 its ages predict, against 97 in Cher’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
8,071 deaths in Bourges between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 7,364: 10% above. Life expectancy in Cher: 84 years for women and 78.4 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3. For a family doctor, residents of Bourges can choose among 46 GPs.
−9%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw110
Adjusted91
Median town88
Expected100
46
GPs in Bourges · 3.3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Bourges Jacques Coeur
1.6 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Bourges Jacques Coeur
84 · 78.4
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Cher, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Students and young workers shape Bourges: 14% are 15 to 24, above Cher’s towns and compared French towns
23% of residents are 65 or over, below Cher’s towns (29%) and close to compared French towns (22%). Among adults, 34% have a degree. Half of Bourges is older than 42.4, half younger.
42.4median age
BourgesCher medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
14%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma20%
CAP or BEP24%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education34%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Cher 52.2%, France 51.8%.
Louis XI de France: Jacob de Litemont, Public domain · Berthe Morisot: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Henri Brisson: Théodore Truchelut / Félix Théodore Valkman, Public domain · Émile Deschamps: Jacques François Llanta, Public domain · Emmanuel Imorou: S. Plaine, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Sophie Barjac: Frantogian, CC BY-SA 3.0
Bourges’ 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 Bourges
Is Bourges safe?
It grades C− for safety. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 367 burglaries and 1,022 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Bourges good?
They grade B−, better than 49% of compared French towns and #5 of 14 in Cher. The lycée stands out: 99% of 193 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé Sainte-Marie 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 Bourges expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Bourges grades B for cost of living.
About Bourges
Commune in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire
Bourges is a commune of 64,186 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Bourges Plus. 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.
