Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 159 residents and lies in Jura, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
French towns are graded from 1,000 residents, which leaves Besain out for now. Holiday and other second homes account for 17% of homes.
The one thing Besain does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Besain as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Château (ancien), in Montrond, 1.7 mi away.
40% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Besain.
People 65 and over make up 22% of the town, lower than Jura’s towns (27%) and near compared French towns (22%). Aged 15 to 24: 7.7% of residents. A third of adults hold a degree.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Jura 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Besain | Jura median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 14% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 7.7% | 10% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 37% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 22% | 27% | 22% |
| No diploma | 14% | 21% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 35% | 25% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 13% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 33% | 28% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Jura median and France median: the median of compared communes
Jobs located in Besain: 50, for 100 residents in work (0.3 each). The median disposable income was €29,600 a year per consumption unit, above Jura’s towns (€24,890) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how just over one in ten commuters travelled at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Sales in Besain from July 2023 to June 2026: 5 houses and apartments.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Nothing in Besain is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Besain yet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Besain | 159 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Poligny | 3,976 | 5.6 | A+ | A | C+ | B+ |
| Champagnole | 8,036 | 5.9 | A | B+ | B− | B |
| Arbois | 3,114 | 8.4 | A+ | A− | A | C+ |
| Lons-le-Saunier | 16,618 | 14 | C+ | B+ | D | B− |
| Montmorot | 3,261 | 15 | B | B | C− | B |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Jura, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Besain is a commune of 159 people in the Communauté de communes Arbois, Poligny, Salins, Cœur du Jura. 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) · 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.