Orsay grades B overall: better than 65% of compared French towns, and #15 of 91 in Essonne. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 9.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is jobs & income (A+): 1.4 jobs per working resident; 7.7% unemployment.
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 Orsay 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 Orsay.
Work & commuteJobs & income A+
Incomes in Orsay run higher than in Essonne’s towns or compared French towns: a median €36,910 a year per consumption unit
In the comparison, Orsay comes above both Essonne’s towns (€29,720) and compared French towns (€25,970). 44.2% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
44%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving50%
Public transport31%
On foot9%
Bicycle5%
Motorbike or scooter2%
10,400
jobs based in Orsay, 1.4 per working resident
7.7%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€36,910
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 97% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living D
Renting in Orsay costs more than in Essonne’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €19.58/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
For Orsay, that is above both Essonne’s towns (€17.41/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €4,137/m², comes from 482 sales of houses and apartments in Orsay from July 2023 to June 2026. In Orsay, houses go for €4,206/m² and apartments for €4,000/m².
€4,137/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Orsay€4,137/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Essonne median€3,237/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€4,206/m²
261
Apartments
€4,000/m²
221
€19.58/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€16.23 to €23.61/m² a month)
9.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€17.77/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€30,880
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Communauté Paris-Saclay
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth A
Fewer deaths than Orsay’s ages would predict, 68 per 100 expected, under Essonne’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Orsay sits below both Essonne’s towns (79) and compared French towns (88) on this measure. From 2016 to 2025, 1,050 residents of Orsay died, against 1,436 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 27% fewer. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−32%deaths against expected, after care homesAHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw73
Adjusted68
Median town88
Expected100
12
GPs in Orsay · 2.5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Paris Saclay
1.4 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Hopital Paris Saclay
86.4 · 82.2
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Essonne, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Orsay has more crime per resident than 72% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 421 offenses in the graded categories in Orsay in 2025. For armed robbery, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 0.4% of the index here. With 10,400 jobs for 7,500 working residents, Orsay draws people from neighboring communes, and crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its number of residents.
6.8recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage132
Burglary95
Theft from vehicles51
Family violence48
Other physical violence36
Vehicle theft34
Sexual violence25
Theft without violence181
Fraud118
Drug use50
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.
6.8
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
19.9
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
421
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.4%
of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published
INSEE, census 2023 · Essonne median and France median: the median of compared communes
History
1 historic monument, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Orsay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level). 4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Orsay
Is Orsay safe?
It grades C for safety, #64 of 91 in Essonne. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 95 burglaries and 132 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Orsay good?
They grade B−, better than 48% of compared French towns and #14 of 94 in Essonne. The lycée stands out: 100% of 66 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé du cours secondaire d'Orsay 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 Orsay expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €4,137/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Orsay grades D for cost of living.
About Orsay
Commune in Essonne, Île-de-France
Orsay is a commune of 16,498 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Communauté Paris-Saclay. 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.
