Castries grades B overall: better than 60% of compared French towns, and #16 of 84 in Hérault. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 11 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
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 Castries 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 Castries.
HousingCost of living D
Homes in Castries cost more than in Hérault’s towns and across compared French towns, with a median sale of €3,893/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses sell for €3,866/m² in Castries, apartments for €4,043/m². This Hérault town recorded 193 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026. Of the homes sold, 75% were houses.
€3,893/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Castries€3,893/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Hérault median€3,252/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,866/m²
144
Apartments
€4,043/m²
49
€13.64/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.03 to €16.87/m² a month)
11
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€13.77/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,750
median annual income per consumption unit, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
5 historic monuments, the oldest from prehistory
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Castries is Vestiges de l'ancienne église paroissiale Saint-Etienne. Relative to its size, Castries keeps 7.3 protected monuments per 10,000 residents. Its heritage reaches back to prehistory.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income A−
Castries is better off than Hérault’s towns or compared French towns: the median disposable income is €29,020 a year per consumption unit
9.1% of the labour force are out of work. At the census, 5.4% of working residents in Castries didn’t travel to work at all. On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how just over one in ten commuters travelled at the census.
11%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving82%
Public transport4%
On foot4%
Bicycle3%
Motorbike or scooter2%
2,850
jobs based in Castries, 0.9 per working resident
9.1%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€29,020
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B+
Walkability: better than 74% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Fewer deaths than Castries’ ages would predict, 80 per 100 expected, under Hérault’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Women in Hérault live to 86.3 on average and men to 80.6 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. France’s death rates at each age would predict 641 deaths in Castries from 2016 to 2025; there were 548, 15% fewer. For a family doctor, residents of Castries can choose among 12 GPs.
−20%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw85
Adjusted80
Median town88
Expected100
12
GPs in Castries · 5.3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
5.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique du Parc
7.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Chu Montpellier Hopital Arnaud de Villeneuve
86.3 · 80.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Hérault, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Castries has less crime per resident than 72% of compared French towns
The 2025 count: 114 offenses in Castries. Of the graded crimes in the town, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearB+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage44
Sexual violence18
Family violence15
Other physical violence11
Theft from vehicles11
Vehicle theft8
Burglary7
Armed robbery0
Fraud44
Theft without violence35
Drug use18
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
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
12
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
114
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
1.1%
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
89.1% of candidates passed the brevet at the two collèges within 5 km, 4.4 points below the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The nearest general lycée is 3.8 mi away. The town’s schools place #65 of 80 in Hérault on results.
Vestiges de l'ancienne église paroissiale Saint-Etienne: Photo: GO69 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Aqueduc alimentant le château: Photo: Christian Ferrer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pont sur la Cadoule: Photo: Lothur · CC0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Castries
Is Castries safe?
It grades B+ for safety, #18 of 84 in Hérault. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 7 burglaries and 44 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Castries good?
They grade C, better than 32% of compared French towns and #65 of 80 in Hérault. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Castries expensive to live in?
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €13.64/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Castries grades D for cost of living.
About Castries
Commune in Hérault, Occitanie
Castries is a commune of 6,883 people in the Montpellier Méditerranée 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.
