Besançon grades C overall: better than 30% of compared French towns, and #22 of 28 in Doubs. Its weakest subject is safety (C−): an average of 12.4 recorded violent incidents and 15.8 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 €2,219/m², a 70 m² home costs 6 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté urbaine Grand Besançon Métropole. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 94% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 41% 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 Besançon 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 Besançon.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
A walkable place: Besançon beats 96% of compared French towns on foot
After tax and benefits, the median income is €23,240 a year per consumption unit. 14.4% of the labour force were unemployed, above Doubs’ towns (11.3%) and compared French towns (10.1%) alike. Jobs located in Besançon: 73,900, for 47,800 residents in work (1.5 each).
41%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving55%
Public transport21%
On foot13%
Bicycle7%
Motorbike or scooter1%
73,900
jobs based in Besançon, 1.5 per working resident
14.4%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,240
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 96% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
A secteur sauvegardé since 1964, and 194 historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Besançon is Amphithéâtre romain. Per 10,000 residents, Besançon counts 16 protected monuments, above both Doubs’ towns (2.5) and compared French towns (2.5). Part of the town has been protected as a historic area since 1964. Most of the list is houses and mansions: 149 of 194.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Safety
For crime per resident, Besançon sits above 76% of compared French towns
Over 2025, Besançon logged 3,487 recorded offenses. On the Safety Grade, Besançon ranks 26th of the 28 compared towns in Doubs. More of the graded crimes in the town were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
12.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage1,221
Other physical violence645
Family violence559
Theft from vehicles371
Sexual violence296
Burglary207
Vehicle theft165
Armed robbery23
Theft without violence1,341
Drug use905
Fraud795
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.
12.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
15.8
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
3,487
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 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 · The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living C
Renting in Besançon costs an estimated advertised €12.88/m² a month, against €10.97/m² in Doubs’ towns and €12.41/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
5,252 sales of houses and apartments in Besançon, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €2,219/m². Houses in Besançon sell for €2,765/m² and apartments for €2,161/m².
€2,219/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Besançon€2,219/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Doubs median€1,556/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,765/m²
570
Apartments
€2,161/m²
4,682
€12.88/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.24 to €16.20/m² a month)
6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.99/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,010
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté urbaine Grand Besançon Métropole
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A young town: 21% of people in Besançon are 15 to 24, more than in Doubs’ towns or compared French towns
Children under 15 count for 14% of the people here. 19% of residents are 65 or over, lower than both Doubs’ towns (23%) and compared French towns (22%). Line up the people of Besançon by age and the one in the middle is 35.6.
35.6median age
BesançonDoubs medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
21%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma19%
CAP or BEP18%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education41%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 88 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Doubs 51.3%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Doubs median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth B
Fewer deaths than Besançon’s ages would predict, 84 per 100 expected, under Doubs’ towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Average lifespans in Doubs: 85.7 years for women, 79.4 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. 9,813 deaths in Besançon between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 10,445: 6% below. Also worth knowing: for a family doctor, residents of Besançon can choose among 155 GPs.
−16%deaths against expected, after care homesBHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw94
Adjusted84
Median town88
Expected100
155
GPs in Besançon · 5.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Universitaire Jean Minjoz Besancon
2.4 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Polyclinique de Franche Comte
85.7 · 79.4
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Doubs, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Victor Hugo: Étienne Carjat, Public domain · Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: Nadar, Public domain · Charles Fourier: Jean Gigoux, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Charles Nodier: Jean-Baptiste Paulin Guérin, Public domain · Jean-Charles Valladont: Sander van Ginkel, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Louis Lumière: Unidentified photographer, Public domain
Besançon’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 Besançon
Is Besançon safe?
It grades C− for safety, #26 of 28 in Doubs. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 207 burglaries and 1,221 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Besançon good?
They grade C, better than 35% of compared French towns and #17 of 33 in Doubs. 94% of 408 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Jules Haag in 2025, 3 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Besançon expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,219/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Besançon grades C for cost of living.
About Besançon
Commune in Doubs, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Besançon is a commune of 118,489 people in the Communauté urbaine Grand Besançon Métropole. 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.
