Brest grades C+ overall: better than 37% of compared French towns, and #56 of 59 in Finistère. Its weakest subject is safety (D): an average of 10.9 recorded violent incidents and 21.4 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 €2,194/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Brest Métropole. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 95% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 33% 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 Brest 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 Brest.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
Brest gets to work on foot, by bike and by public transport more than Finistère’s towns or compared French towns: 33.2% of commuters
Of those in the labour force, 13.5% are unemployed. The median disposable income was €24,030 a year per consumption unit, below Finistère’s towns (€26,720) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. 85,350 jobs are based in Brest, for 59,600 working residents (1.4 per worker).
33%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving63%
Public transport17%
On foot10%
Bicycle6%
Motorbike or scooter1%
85,350
jobs based in Brest, 1.4 per working resident
13.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,030
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
Safety
Crime per resident in Brest runs higher than in 86% of compared French towns
Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Brest (2025). For 2025, the figures show 4,547 offenses here. On the Safety Grade, Brest ranks 57th of the 59 compared towns in Finistère.
10.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage1,653
Other physical violence657
Family violence590
Theft from vehicles538
Burglary400
Sexual violence368
Vehicle theft312
Armed robbery29
Theft without violence1,602
Fraud942
Drug use561
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.
10.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
21.4
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
4,547
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.
Schools
93.9% of candidates passed the brevet at the 12 collèges within 5 km, 2.4 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
For exam results, it comes #32 of 63 in Finistère.
98%passed the bac (general and technological)ASchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C−
Adjusted for age and care homes, Brest sees more deaths than 78% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
178 GPs practise in Brest. Adjusted mortality here: 99 deaths for every 100 expected. 13,201 deaths in the town between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 11,791: 12% above. Life expectancy in Finistère: 84.8 years for women and 79 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3.
−1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw112
Adjusted99
Median town88
Expected100
178
GPs in Brest · 5.3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Instruction des Armees Clermont Tonnerre
0.5 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Chru Brest site Hopital Morvan
84.8 · 79
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Finistère, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
10 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2001
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Since 2001, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area. Brest has 0.7 protected monuments per 10,000 residents, lower than Finistère’s towns (5) and near compared French towns (2.5). Among the classé monuments in the town is Château, actuellement préfecture maritime. The oldest protected building goes back to the 13th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Brest skews young, with 20% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than Finistère’s towns or compared French towns
Retirement age and beyond: 18% of residents are 65 or older. 14% are under 15, lower than both Finistère’s towns (15%) and compared French towns (17%). Degrees are held by two in five adults.
35median age
BrestFinistère medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
20%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma14%
CAP or BEP21%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education40%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 95 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Finistère 51.7%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Finistère median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living C+
Brest’s grade for cost of living: a C+
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
7,050 sales of houses and apartments in Brest, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €2,194/m². Houses sell for €2,389/m² here, apartments for €2,130/m². Estimated advertised rent for houses: €10.85/m² a month.
€2,194/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Brest€2,194/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Finistère median€2,388/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,389/m²
1,644
Apartments
€2,130/m²
5,406
€12.18/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.75 to €15.21/m² a month)
5.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.85/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,960
median annual income per consumption unit, Brest Métropole
Château, actuellement préfecture maritime: Photo: S. DÉNIEL · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maison située 2-2bis rue Traverse et 20 rue de Denver: Photo: S. DÉNIEL · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Naval Monument ou Mémorial américain de la Première Guerre mondiale: Photo: Llorenzi · CC BY-SA 3.0
Gonzalo Higuaín: Кирилл Венедиктов, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Alain Robbe-Grillet: Jose Lara, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Yann Tiersen: Andrés Ibarra, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Louis Hémon: This image is available from Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Public domain · Victor Segalen: Louis Talbot (1853-?), Public domain · Valentin Madouas: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick, CC BY-SA 3.0
Brest’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 Brest
Is Brest safe?
It grades D for safety, #57 of 59 in Finistère. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 400 burglaries and 1,653 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Brest good?
They grade A, better than 85% of compared French towns and #32 of 63 in Finistère. The lycée stands out: 100% of 187 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Sainte-Anne 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 Brest 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 €2,194/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.18/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Brest grades C+ for cost of living.
About Brest
Commune in Finistère, Brittany
Brest is a commune of 142,346 people in the Brest 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.
