Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 169 in Haute-Garonne, Occitanie.
Balesta is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents. Just over a third of residents are 65 or over.
The one thing Balesta does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Balesta as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Chapelle Saint-Jean et cimetière, in Saint-Plancard, 1.7 mi away.
18% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Nothing in Balesta is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Balesta.
Aged 15 to 24: 13% of residents. People 65 and over make up 34% of the town, above Haute-Garonne’s towns (18%) and compared French towns (22%) alike. Among adults, 33% have a degree.
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Haute-Garonne 51.3%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Balesta | Haute-Garonne median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 7.1% | 19% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 10% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 17% | 25% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 34% | 18% | 22% |
| No diploma | 20% | 13% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 18% | 22% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 22% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 33% | 40% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Haute-Garonne median and France median: the median of compared communes
Just over a tenth of the labour force were unemployed, above Haute-Garonne’s towns (8.8%) and compared French towns (10.1%) alike. Walking, cycling and public transport carried 5.9% of commuters at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Sales in Balesta from July 2023 to June 2026: 6 houses and apartments.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Balesta yet.
Commune in Haute-Garonne, Occitanie
Balesta is a commune of 169 people in the Communauté de communes Cœur et Coteaux du Comminges. 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Balesta | 169 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Montréjeau | 2,648 | 7.9 | C− | A− | D | D |
| Saint-Gaudens | 12,139 | 10 | C+ | A− | D | C+ |
| Lannemezan Hautes-Pyrénées | 5,811 | 11 | C− | A | D | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · 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 November 9, 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.