Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, home to 20,020 people.
Bruges’s grades pull in different directions. At B− overall, Bruges is better than 52% of compared French towns and ranks #45 of 100 in Gironde. Health outcomes beat most towns: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 31% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Where it falls short is safety — an average of 7.6 recorded violent incidents and 27.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Buying in is costly: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 9.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
Figures: deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
The 2 things Bruges does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Bruges 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.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Bruges, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 13th century; the first monument here was protected in 1956.
1.8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Museums, other places to visit and heritage in and near Bruges. Best known first.
AttractionCathédrale Saint-André de Bordeaux5 km south, in Bordeaux
MuseumMusée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux4.9 km south, in Bordeaux
AttractionPlace des Quinconces4.3 km southeast, in Bordeaux
MuseumBase sous-marine de Bordeaux3.5 km east, in Bordeaux
MuseumCité du Vin4.4 km southeast, in BordeauxPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bruges.
Per resident in work, Bruges counts 1.2 jobs (12,250 jobs, 10,500 workers). On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 25.0% of commuters travelled at the census. Nearly a tenth of the labour force were unemployed, below Gironde’s towns (9.7%) and compared French towns (10.1%) alike. The typical income here, after tax and benefits, is €28,780 a year per consumption unit.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
1,007 deaths in Bruges between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 1,305: 23% below. Life expectancy at birth in Gironde is 86.4 years for women and 81.3 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. The town has 15 family doctors.
Source: INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025; DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 · Licence Ouverte · The adjustment for care homes is TownRatings’ own modeling, not an official figure.
Of the graded crimes in Bruges, theft from vehicles came up most often (2025). In 2025, 688 offenses were recorded in the town. Police and gendarmerie recorded 688 offenses in the graded categories here in 2025.
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.
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.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses sell for €4,225/m² in Bruges, apartments for €3,487/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €14.83/m² a month, above both Gironde’s towns (€13.75/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Among the homes sold, 35% were houses.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €4,225/m² | 290 |
| Apartments | €3,487/m² | 546 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Those 65 and older account for 15% of residents. Just over a tenth of the population is aged 15 to 24, higher than both Gironde’s towns (10%) and compared French towns (11%). Children are 17% of the town.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Gironde 51.8%, France 51.8%.
| Bruges | Gironde median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 10% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 32% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| No diploma | 10% | 14% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 20% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 47% | 34% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Gironde median and France median: the median of compared communes
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 13th century. Homes from before 1919 make up 1.8% of the total, below Gironde’s towns (5.8%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
On results, collèges and lycées here come #42 of 93 in Gironde. For collège, the closest is 0.6 mi away. At the 11 general lycées, 95% of 2,452 candidates passed the bac, 2.1 points below the expected rate.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège AusoneNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 146 | 93%−1 pt |
| Lycée privé Saint-Joseph de Tivoli PrivateNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 227 | 99%±0 pts |
| Lycée professionnel Charles PéguyBest against expectations: 23 points above the expected rateVocational lycée | Vocational lycée | 92 | 85%+23 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Bruges, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Église Saint-Pierre: Photo: Lilipiapia · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Château de Treulon: Photo: PA · CC BY-SA 3.0
9 notable people were born in Bruges.
Mathieu Valbuena: Дмитрий Пукалик, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Matthieu Chalmé: Fcgb260, Public domain · Anthony Pannier: Sebjarod, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Charly Pontens: Vanbasten 23, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vincent Duhagon: Shev123, CC BY-SA 4.0
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruges | 20,020 | — | B− | D | D | A |
| Le Bouscat | 25,081 | 1 | B− | D | C− | A |
| Eysines | 24,825 | 2.1 | C+ | D | D | A− |
| Bordeaux | 267,991 | 2.6 | C | D− | D− | B+ |
| Blanquefort | 17,215 | 3.1 | C | D | D | A− |
| Mérignac | 78,090 | 3.7 | B− | D | C− | B+ |
| Le Haillan | 11,392 | 3.7 | C+ | D | C− | B |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades D for safety, #84 of 100 in Gironde. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 66 burglaries and 192 acts of criminal damage.
They grade B−, better than 50% of compared French towns and #42 of 93 in Gironde. 99% of 227 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé Saint-Joseph de Tivoli in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Bruges grades D for cost of living.
Commune in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Bruges is a commune of 20,020 people in the Bordeaux 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
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated October 30, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
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.
