Pessac grades C overall: better than 30% of compared French towns, and #67 of 100 in Gironde. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 9.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is walkability (A): 91% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 29% 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 Pessac 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 Pessac.
Work & commuteJobs & income B+
A walkable place: Pessac beats 92% of compared French towns on foot
The unemployment rate comes to 11.7%. The median disposable income was €28,840 a year per consumption unit, above both Gironde’s towns (€27,420) and compared French towns (€25,970). 35,550 jobs are based in Pessac, for 28,550 working residents (1.2 per worker).
29%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving65%
Public transport18%
Bicycle8%
On foot3%
Motorbike or scooter2%
35,550
jobs based in Pessac, 1.2 per working resident
11.7%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€28,840
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 92% 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 Pessac costs more than in Gironde’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €15.27/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €3,712/m², comes from 1,897 sales of houses and apartments in Pessac from July 2023 to June 2026. Apartments in Pessac sell for €3,478/m², houses for €3,873/m². The sales split: 57% houses, the rest apartments.
€3,712/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Pessac€3,712/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Gironde median€3,176/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,873/m²
1,083
Apartments
€3,478/m²
814
€15.27/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€12.00 to €19.43/m² a month)
9.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.31/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€27,270
median annual income per consumption unit, Bordeaux Métropole
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Pessac records more crime per resident than four in five compared French towns
More of the graded crimes in Pessac were criminal damage than anything else (2025). 1,885 offenses were reported in Pessac during 2025. Violence against people averaged 5.4 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 24.6.
5.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage598
Theft from vehicles494
Burglary355
Family violence170
Other physical violence108
Sexual violence87
Vehicle theft60
Armed robbery13
Theft without violence563
Fraud412
Drug use79
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.
5.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
24.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,885
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.
History
Pessac: 53 historic monuments, 6 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Before 1919: that is when 1.6% of homes were built. Per 10,000 residents, Pessac counts 7.9 protected monuments, higher than both Gironde’s towns (1.5) and compared French towns (2.5). Among the classé monuments locally is Immeuble faisant partie du Quartier moderne de Frugès. Houses and mansions, 50 of the 53, make up the bulk.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Schools
89.7% of candidates passed the brevet at the 10 collèges within 5 km, 2.4 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Pessac, 91.2% passed the bac, below both Gironde’s towns (93.5%) and compared French towns (92.9%). School results put the town #74 of 93 in Gironde. For collège, the closest is 0.7 mi away.
94%passed the bac (general and technological)CSchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Pessac loses fewer people than its age profile suggests, 80 per 100 expected, below Gironde’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Pessac has 66 family doctors. 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. From 2016 to 2025, 4,807 residents of Pessac died, against 5,508 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 13% fewer.
−20%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw87
Adjusted80
Median town88
Expected100
66
GPs in Pessac · 4.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Haut Leveque Chu
3.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Groupe hospitalier Pellegrin Chu
86.4 · 81.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Gironde, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Students and young workers shape Pessac: 20% are 15 to 24, above Gironde’s towns and compared French towns
People 65 and over make up 18% of the town, lower than both Gironde’s towns (20%) and compared French towns (22%). Graduates make up nearly half of adults. Pessac has a median age of 37.
37median age
PessacGironde medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
20%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma13%
CAP or BEP18%
Baccalauréat16%
Higher education49%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 90 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Gironde 51.8%, France 51.8%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Pessac
Is Pessac safe?
It grades C− for safety, #74 of 100 in Gironde. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 355 burglaries and 598 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Pessac good?
They grade C, better than 26% of compared French towns and #74 of 93 in Gironde. 94% of 459 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Pape Clément 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 Pessac expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €3,712/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Pessac grades D for cost of living.
About Pessac
Commune in Gironde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Pessac is a commune of 67,339 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
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.
