Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
This town in Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire has a population of 3,601.
Middle of the road on almost everything. Schools are its strong suit — brevet results at the expected rate. Overall, Derval earns a B−: better than 53% of compared French towns, and #63 of 93 in Loire-Atlantique. Buying 70 m² at the median €1,690/m² takes 5 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes Châteaubriant-Derval. Health is a weak point: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 6% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. The rest of its grades are middling: B− for safety and B for jobs & income.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · employment, INSEE census 2023.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
The one thing Derval does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Derval 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.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Derval has 2 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
The oldest protected part dates from the 14th century; the first monument here was protected in 2021.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Derval.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The town’s schools place #43 of 83 in Loire-Atlantique on results.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Saint-Joseph PrivateNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 80 | 91%±0 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Derval is Centre hospitalier Chateaubriant, 14.3 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 369 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 433, 17% more. Average lifespans in Loire-Atlantique: 86.2 years for women, 80.3 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. There are 5 general practitioners in the town.
Source: INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025; DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 · Licence Ouverte · The care-home figures behind this are our own model (TownRatings), not official statistics.
1,650 jobs are based in Derval, for 1,600 working residents (1 per worker). 7.2% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The earliest of these monuments dates from the 14th century. Derval has 2 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list, none at the highest level (classé).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Graduates make up just over a quarter of adults. 19% are under 15, near Loire-Atlantique’s towns (19%) and higher than compared French towns (17%). Line up the people of Derval by age and the one in the middle is 41.6.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Loire-Atlantique 51.0%, France 51.8%.
| Derval | Loire-Atlantique median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 19% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 20% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 17% | 14% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 32% | 28% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 26% | 34% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Loire-Atlantique median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €11.72/m² a month, below Loire-Atlantique’s towns (€12.75/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²) alike. House rents are put at about €8.63/m² a month. Houses accounted for 98% of sales, apartments for the rest.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,690/m² | 105 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
In 2025, 45 offenses were recorded in Derval. Violence against people ran at 8.4 per 1,000 residents a year and the graded property crimes at 13.1 (2023–2025 average). Police and gendarmerie recorded 45 offenses in the graded categories locally in 2025.
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.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · When other physical violence 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 (7.1% of the index here). The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
The list names few of Derval’s 2 monuments; beside them, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Derval 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derval | 3,601 | — | B− | B− | B− | C |
| Grand-Fougeray Ille-et-Vilaine | 2,584 | 5.1 | — | A | — | C |
| Nozay | 4,292 | 7.3 | B+ | B− | B | C− |
| Guémené-Penfao | 5,243 | 7.6 | B | A− | C+ | C− |
| Bain-de-Bretagne Ille-et-Vilaine | 7,674 | 12 | B+ | B | C− | C |
| Saffré | 4,115 | 13 | — | C+ | — | C− |
| Guipry-Messac Ille-et-Vilaine | 7,354 | 13 | B− | A− | A− | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades B− for safety, #50 of 93 in Loire-Atlantique. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 13 burglaries and 9 acts of criminal damage.
They grade B+, better than 70% of compared French towns and #43 of 83 in Loire-Atlantique. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Derval grades B− for cost of living.
Commune in Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire
Derval is a commune of 3,601 people in the Communauté de communes Châteaubriant-Derval. 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) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · 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.