More weak spots than strong ones. Housing is expensive (D−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 13.8 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Walkability is its strong suit — 97% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 21% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. All told, that adds up to a D overall and a rank of #65 of 84 in Hérault. That leaves it better than 15% of compared French towns. Police record more crime here than in most towns: an average of 12.9 recorded violent incidents and 36.2 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Elsewhere it is close to typical: B for schools, B− for health and C+ for jobs & income.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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 La Grande-Motte 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.
Tour du Grand-Travers: Photo: Le Boustrophedon · CC BY-SA 4.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in La Grande-Motte.
Who lives here
Fewer children live in La Grande-Motte than in Hérault’s towns or compared French towns: 6.9% are under 15
62.3median age
46% of residents are 65 or over, higher than both Hérault’s towns (24%) and compared French towns (22%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 6.2%. Graduates make up 36% of adults.
La Grande-MotteHérault medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
46%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma15%
CAP or BEP20%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education36%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 84 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Hérault 52.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Hérault median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living D−
A home in La Grande-Motte sells for €5,383/m², more than in Hérault’s towns or compared French towns
€5,383/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
No town in Hérault costs more to buy into than La Grande-Motte, at €5,383/m², the highest of 96. Apartments in La Grande-Motte sell for €5,324/m², houses for €6,102/m². The estimated advertised rent is €18.14/m² a month, above both Hérault’s towns (€13.36/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
La Grande-Motte€5,383/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Hérault median€3,252/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€6,102/m²
145
Apartments
€5,324/m²
1,948
€18.14/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€13.63 to €24.15/m² a month)
13.8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€18.48/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€27,250
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de l'Or
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Recorded crime per resident is higher in La Grande-Motte than in 98% of compared French towns
12.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearD−Safety Grade
The 2025 count: 372 offenses in La Grande-Motte. The town has 3,200 jobs for 2,650 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work. Of the graded crimes locally, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage132
Theft from vehicles71
Burglary45
Other physical violence41
Family violence39
Sexual violence26
Vehicle theft18
Theft without violence345
Drug use287
Fraud109
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.
12.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
36.2
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
372
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
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 · For armed robbery, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 0.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher.
Work & commuteJobs & income C+
La Grande-Motte has higher unemployment than Hérault’s towns or compared French towns: 15.6%
21%walk, cycle or take transit
21.2% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census. At the census, 5.2% of working residents in La Grande-Motte didn’t travel to work at all. After tax and benefits, the median income is €26,240 a year per consumption unit.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving72%
On foot9%
Bicycle9%
Public transport3%
Motorbike or scooter2%
3,200
jobs based in La Grande-Motte, 1.2 per working resident
15.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€26,240
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 86% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Schools
86.0% of candidates passed the brevet at the collège within 5 km, 4 points below the expected rate
100%passed the bac (general and technological)BSchool Grade
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of La Grande-Motte, 99.6% passed the bac, higher than both Hérault’s towns (95.0%) and compared French towns (92.9%). A collège lies 0.7 mi away. Its schools’ results rank #41 of 80 in Hérault.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
2 historic monuments, none of them classé
2historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
0.2% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Hérault’s towns (8.8%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The protected list starts in the 18th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth B−
La Grande-Motte’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 52% of compared French towns
−12%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,545 deaths in La Grande-Motte from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,413, 9% fewer. The nearest emergency department to La Grande-Motte is Clinique Via Domitia, 7.4 mi away. This Hérault town has 15 family doctors. Women in Hérault live to 86.3 on average and men to 80.6 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw91
Adjusted88
Median town88
Expected100
15
GPs in La Grande-Motte · 4.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Clinique Via Domitia
11.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Polyclinique Saint Roch
86.3 · 80.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Hérault, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
La Grande-Motte is a commune of 8,440 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de l'Or. 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
Population
8,440 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de l'Or
Département
Hérault (34)
Région
Occitanie
Area
5.3 sq mi (13.7 km²)
INSEE code
34344
La Grande-Motte’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about La Grande-Motte
Is La Grande-Motte safe?
It grades D− for safety, #81 of 84 in Hérault. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 45 burglaries and 132 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in La Grande-Motte good?
They grade B, better than 64% of compared French towns and #41 of 80 in Hérault. The lycée stands out: 100% of 149 candidates passed the bac at Lycée privé polyvalent La Merci Littoral in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is La Grande-Motte expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so La Grande-Motte grades D− for cost of living.
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.
