Overall, Cancale earns a B, which places it #59 of 75 in Ille-et-Vilaine. It comes out better than 63% of compared French towns. Add schools to its strengths — brevet results at the expected rate. Housing is expensive: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 10.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
Figures: employment, INSEE census 2023 · 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.
Each subject compares Cancale 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.
Ancienne église Saint-Méen: Photo: GO69 · CC0 · Malouinière de la Motte-Jean: Photo: Annick Bregain · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Jetée dite Cale de l'Epi: Photo: JGS25 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ancien corps de garde, dit corps de garde des Doles, sis au hameau du Verger: Photo: Pymouss · CC BY-SA 3.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Cancale.
Who lives here
An older town: 38% of people in Cancale are 65 or over, more than in Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns and across compared French towns
57.6median age
Children are just over a tenth of the town. 7.9% of the population is aged 15 to 24, below both Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%). Among adults, 33% have a degree.
CancaleIlle-et-Vilaine medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
38%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma17%
CAP or BEP25%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education33%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 88 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Ille-et-Vilaine 51.2%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Ille-et-Vilaine median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living C−
Buying in Cancale costs more than in Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns and across compared French towns: the median sale is €3,951/m²
€3,951/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house in Cancale goes for €3,712/m², an apartment for €4,194/m². The market here: 305 sales of houses and apartments between July 2023 and June 2026. For a house, the estimated advertised rent is €10.94/m² a month.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Cancale€3,951/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Ille-et-Vilaine median€2,729/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,712/m²
195
Apartments
€4,194/m²
110
€12.29/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.98 to €15.12/m² a month)
10.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.94/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,880
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint Malo Agglomération
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income A
Incomes in Cancale run higher than in Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns and across compared French towns: a median €28,730 a year per consumption unit
17%walk, cycle or take transit
1,950 jobs are based in Cancale, for 2,000 working residents (1 per worker). At the census, 17.4% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above both Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns (12.9%) and compared French towns (13.4%). 8.2% of the labour force are out of work.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving74%
On foot9%
Public transport5%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter2%
1,950
jobs based in Cancale, 1 per working resident
8.2%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€28,730
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B+
Walkability: better than 70% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Cancale is higher than in 65% of compared French towns
5.6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Cancale (2025). Violence against people averaged 5.6 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 19.3. The 2025 count: 148 offenses in the town.
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage54
Burglary22
Vehicle theft20
Theft from vehicles18
Family violence13
Other physical violence11
Sexual violence10
Armed robbery0
Fraud39
Theft without violence35
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.
5.6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
19.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
148
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
Old homes shape Cancale: 15% were built before 1919, more than in Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns and across compared French towns
4historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 17th century. Among the classé monuments in Cancale is Ancien corps de garde, dit corps de garde des Doles, sis au hameau du Verger. The Culture ministry lists 4 historic monuments in the town: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 3 inscrit (the second level).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth B−
Allowing for age and care homes, Cancale sees 86 deaths per 100 expected, against 80 in Ille-et-Vilaine’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
−14%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
895 deaths in Cancale between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 863: 4% above. The nearest emergency department to Cancale is Ghre site Saint Malo Broussais, 7.4 mi away. This Ille-et-Vilaine town has 6 family doctors. Life expectancy in Ille-et-Vilaine: 86 years for women and 80.9 for men (2025); France averages 85.9 and 80.3.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw104
Adjusted86
Median town88
Expected100
6
GPs in Cancale · 2.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ghre site Saint Malo Broussais
7.4 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ghre site Saint Malo Broussais
86 · 80.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Ille-et-Vilaine, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Jeanne Jugan: Leon Brune, Public domain · Olivier Roellinger: Flohicb, CC BY-SA 4.0
About Cancale
Commune in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany
Cancale is a commune of 5,672 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint Malo Agglomération. 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
5,672 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint Malo Agglomération
Département
Ille-et-Vilaine (35)
Région
Brittany
Area
4.9 sq mi (12.6 km²)
INSEE code
35049
Cancale’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 Cancale
Is Cancale safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #61 of 75 in Ille-et-Vilaine. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 22 burglaries and 54 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Cancale good?
They grade A−, better than 77% of compared French towns and #38 of 80 in Ille-et-Vilaine. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Cancale expensive to live in?
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.29/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Cancale grades C− 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.
