Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
530 people live in this town in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
There are no grades for Le Bessat: French towns need 1,000 residents for them. Second homes make up nearly a quarter of its housing.
The one thing Le Bessat does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Le Bessat as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Aérium Rocheclaine, in La Valla-en-Gier, 3.3 mi away.
16% 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 Le Bessat.
21% of residents are children under 15. Degrees are held by 44% of adults, higher than both Loire’s towns (28%) and compared French towns (30%). Half of Le Bessat is older than 43, half younger.
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Le Bessat | Loire median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 6.7% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 24% | 22% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| No diploma | 5.5% | 20% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 21% | 29% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 23% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 44% | 28% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
Jobs located in Le Bessat: 50, for 200 residents in work (0.3 each). Unemployment stood at 6.0%, below both Loire’s towns (8.6%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Public transport took 3.6% of the town’s working residents to work 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.
House rents are put at about €8.57/m² a month. Among the homes sold, 96% were houses. 25 houses and apartments changed hands in Le Bessat from July 2023 to June 2026.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Other places to visit, heritage and family days out in and near Le Bessat. Best known first.
Nothing in Le Bessat 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 Le Bessat 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Le Bessat | 530 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Saint-Genest-Malifaux | 2,921 | 4.8 | — | B+ | — | C+ |
| Bourg-Argental | 2,886 | 5.4 | A+ | A | B+ | B |
| Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds | 6,563 | 6.8 | A− | C | B+ | A− |
| Saint-Chamond | 35,646 | 7.1 | C | B− | C | C+ |
| Saint-Étienne | 173,136 | 7.5 | C+ | A− | D− | B− |
| La Ricamarie | 8,039 | 7.7 | B+ | A | D | A− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Le Bessat is a commune of 530 people in the Communauté de communes des Monts du Pilat. 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 October 30, 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.