Ardentes grades A+ overall: better than 97% of compared French towns, and #2 of 11 in Indre. Its weakest subject is walkability (C): 42% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 6% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At the median price of €1,347/m², a 70 m² home costs 3.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Châteauroux Métropole. Its strongest is schools (A+): brevet results 4 points above the expected rate.
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 Ardentes 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.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Ardentes sees less crime per resident than 87% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie figures for Ardentes show 49 offenses in 2025. The town comes 2nd of the 11 compared towns in Indre on the Safety Grade. Graded property crimes ran at 12.7 per 1,000 residents a year, and violence against people at 1.2 (2023–2025 average). Also worth knowing: the commonest graded crime in the town was burglary (2025).
1.2recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearASafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Burglary30
Criminal damage19
Armed robbery0
Fraud22
Theft without violence12
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.
1.2
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
12.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
49
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
11.3%
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 · When family violence, other physical violence, sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (11.3% of the index here). That estimated share passes 10%, so treat this Safety Grade with more caution than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living A
Homes in Ardentes sell for €1,347/m² at the median, against €1,176/m² in Indre’s towns and €2,430/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €9.49/m² a month, above Indre’s towns (€8.76/m²) but below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses made up 97% of the homes sold; apartments the rest. For a house, the estimated advertised rent is €7.67/m² a month.
€1,347/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Ardentes€1,347/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Indre median€1,176/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,341/m²
105
€9.49/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.56 to €11.90/m² a month)
3.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€7.67/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,450
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Châteauroux Métropole
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income B
Unemployment in Ardentes, 6.5%, runs below Indre’s towns and compared French towns
At the census, 6.3% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train. Jobs based in Ardentes number 750, against 1,650 residents in work (0.5 per worker). Half of residents lived on more than €25,800 a year per consumption unit, about level with compared French towns (€25,970) and above Indre’s towns (€23,370).
6%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving90%
On foot3%
Public transport2%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter0%
750
jobs based in Ardentes, 0.5 per working resident
6.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€25,800
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
C
Walkability: better than 28% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
1 historic monument, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
11% of its homes were built before 1919, lower than Indre’s towns (14%) yet higher than compared French towns (7.4%). Among the classé monuments in Ardentes is Église Saint-Martin. The oldest protected building goes back to the 12th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for France
People 65 and over make up 25% of the town, below Indre’s towns (30%) but above compared French towns (22%). 15% of residents are children under 15. Graduates make up nearly a quarter of adults.
48.9median age
ArdentesIndre medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
25%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma20%
CAP or BEP34%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
51% women, 49% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Indre 53.6%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Indre median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth B−
Allowing for age and care homes, Ardentes sees 87 deaths per 100 expected, against 96 in Indre’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Ardentes is Centre hospitalier, 6.9 mi away. 337 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 367: 8% below. Average lifespans in Indre: 84 years for women, 76.9 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. There is one general practitioner in the town.
−13%deaths against expected, after care homesB−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw92
Adjusted87
Median town88
Expected100
1
GPs in Ardentes · 1.6 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
6.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier
6.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier
84 · 76.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Indre, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Ardentes
Is Ardentes safe?
It grades A for safety, #2 of 11 in Indre. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 30 burglaries and 19 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Ardentes good?
They grade A+, better than 96% of compared French towns and #1 of 12 in Indre. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Ardentes expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Ardentes grades A for cost of living.
About Ardentes
Commune in Indre, Centre-Val de Loire
Ardentes is a commune of 3,715 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Châteauroux 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.
