Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town, home to 7,995 people, lies in Haute-Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It skews older: 29% of residents are 65 or over.
A strong record with one exception. Residents are healthier than most: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 23% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Pupils here do less well than most: bac results 0.7 points below the expected rate; brevet results 3.3 points below the expected rate. At the median price of €1,893/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté urbaine Limoges Métropole. The overall grade lands at A−, #9 of 19 in Haute-Vienne. That leaves it better than 79% of compared French towns.
Figures: deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · 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 Isle does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Isle 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 →
Isle has 1 historic monument on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
The oldest protected part dates from the 13th century; the first monument here was protected in 1985.
3.7% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Isle. Best known first.
MuseumMusée national Adrien-Dubouché4.5 km northeast, in Limoges
MuseumMusée des Beaux-Arts de Limoges5 km northeast, in LimogesChâteauChâteauChâteau de l'Étoilein townChâteauChâteauChâteau de La Chabrouliein townChâteauChâteauChâteau de Verthamontin townPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Isle.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Women in Haute-Vienne live to 84.4 on average and men to 79.8 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,039 deaths in Isle from 2016 to 2025; there were 903, 13% fewer. Also worth knowing: this Haute-Vienne town has 5 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.
On average over 2023–2025, every 1,000 residents saw 5.4 violent offenses and 10.5 graded property crimes a year. Recorded offenses in Isle came to 120 in 2025. The commonest graded crime locally was burglary (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 · 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, 0.6% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Just over a tenth of the population is aged 15 to 24, higher than both Haute-Vienne’s towns (9.2%) and compared French towns (11%). Over-65s are 29% of the population. The middle age in Isle is 49.2.
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Haute-Vienne 52.5%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Isle | Haute-Vienne median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 9.2% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 18% | 20% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 26% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 29% | 27% | 22% |
| No diploma | 16% | 17% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 21% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 41% | 30% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Haute-Vienne median and France median: the median of compared communes
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The bac pro: 89% of 161 candidates passed at the 4 vocational lycées within 5 km. Schools rank #9 of 17 in Haute-Vienne. 85.3% of candidates passed the brevet at the collèges within 5 km of Isle, near Haute-Vienne’s towns (85.3%) and lower than compared French towns (87.5%).
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Jean RebierNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 165 | 90%−2 pts |
| Lycée Auguste RenoirNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 369 | 95%−1 pt |
| Collège privé Beaupeyrat PrivateBest against expectations: 6 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 103 | 99%+6 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Jobs located in Isle: 2,100, for 3,000 residents in work (0.7 each). At the census, 12.9% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train. The unemployment rate comes to 9.0%.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 13th century. Before 1919: that is when 3.7% of homes were built.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
226 sales of houses and apartments in Isle, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,893/m². Houses in Isle sell for €1,902/m² and apartments for €1,737/m². The estimated advertised rent is €11.77/m² a month, between Haute-Vienne’s towns (€10.01/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,902/m² | 196 |
| Apartments | €1,737/m² | 30 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Isle has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Église Saint-Martin: Photo: Alex Hudghton · CC BY-SA 4.0
Wikidata places 1 person here, but the articles don’t both confirm Isle as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Isle | 7,995 | — | A− | B− | A− | A− |
| Condat-sur-Vienne | 5,281 | 1.7 | B | C+ | A | B |
| Bosmie-l'Aiguille | 2,667 | 2.5 | — | B+ | — | A |
| Limoges | 129,937 | 3.2 | C | B+ | D | B− |
| Aixe-sur-Vienne | 5,890 | 3.5 | A− | A | A | C+ |
| Verneuil-sur-Vienne | 4,903 | 4.8 | A+ | B | A+ | A− |
| Panazol | 11,342 | 4.9 | A | B | A | A+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades A− for safety, #14 of 19 in Haute-Vienne. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 36 burglaries and 22 acts of criminal damage.
They grade C, better than 32% of compared French towns and #9 of 17 in Haute-Vienne. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,893/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Isle grades B− for cost of living.
Commune in Haute-Vienne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Isle is a commune of 7,995 people in the Communauté urbaine Limoges 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 November 4, 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.