France›Manche›Normandy

Fontenay-sur-MerManche

161 residents make their home in this town in Manche, Normandy.

Population

161

INSEE, census 2023 · commune

Rent

€10.29

per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²

Median income

€25,700

a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970

Walk, cycle, transit

of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Fontenay-sur-Mer a good place to live?

French towns are graded from 1,000 residents, which leaves Fontenay-sur-Mer out for now. 25% of its homes are second homes.

What makes Fontenay-sur-Mer stand out

The one thing Fontenay-sur-Mer does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Second homes, share of all homes

Homes

of all homes, against 2% in the median compared French town

Source: INSEE, census 2023.

Château de Courcy · Inscrit · Photo: Bertrand LEROUX · CC BY-SA 3.0

Fontenay-sur-Mer’s story

Fontenay-sur-Mer in pictures

The Culture ministry’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Fontenay-sur-Mer; none is classé, France’s top protection.

The oldest protected part dates from the 17th century; the first monument here was protected in 1968.

43% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

1968First protected: Château de Courcy
1970Most recently protected: Château de Francqueville

Explore the history →

Nearby attractions

Château de Courcy and 17 more in and around Fontenay-sur-Mer

Heritage and museums in and near Fontenay-sur-Mer. Best known first.

All attractions →

ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Courcyin town ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Francvillein town MuseumMuseumBatterie de Crisbecq1.7 km south, in Saint-Marcouf MuseumMuseumBatterie d'Azeville3.5 km south, in Azeville Monastery or conventMonastery or conventAbbaye de Montebourg5 km west, in Montebourg ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Quinéville2 km north, in Quinéville

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fontenay-sur-Mer.

Who lives here

Fontenay-sur-Mer has fewer young adults than Manche’s towns or compared French towns: 5.4% are 15 to 24

11% are under 15, below both Manche’s towns (13%) and compared French towns (17%). Over-65s are 27% of the population. Among adults, 28% have a degree.

55.5median age

Fontenay-sur-MerManche medianFrance median

Manche medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

27%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma28%

CAP or BEP28%

Baccalauréat14%

Higher education28%

Women and men · all residents

48% women, 52% men

About 110 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Manche 52.0%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Fontenay-sur-Mer
	Fontenay-sur-Mer	Manche median	France median
Under 15	11%	13%	17%
15–24	5.4%	9.3%	11%
25–44	16%	20%	23%
45–64	40%	26%	26%
65+	27%	29%	22%
No diploma	28%	24%	19%
CAP or BEP	28%	29%	26%
Baccalauréat	14%	17%	18%
Higher education	28%	22%	30%

Full pageFontenay-sur-Mer’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages55.5 median age · 27% are 65 or over Households80 households · 2 people per household Born abroad1.2% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Fontenay-sur-Mer?”

INSEE, census 2023 · Manche median and France median: the median of compared communes

History

Old homes shape Fontenay-sur-Mer: 43% were built before 1919, more than in Manche’s towns and across compared French towns

France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.

The Culture ministry’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Fontenay-sur-Mer; none is classé, France’s top protection. Its oldest listed monument dates from the 17th century.

2historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé0

Inscrit2

17th c.

oldest protected part

1968

first monument protected

Full pageFontenay-sur-Mer’s history pageOpen the page

Age of homes43% built before 1919 · Older homes Map2 historic monuments Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Fontenay-sur-Mer?”

Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period

Work & commute

Unemployment in Fontenay-sur-Mer, 3.9%, runs below Manche’s towns and compared French towns

Fontenay-sur-Mer has 50 jobs for 50 working residents, 0.5 per worker. Walking, cycling and public transport carried 6.7% of commuters at the census. At the census, just over a tenth of working residents in Fontenay-sur-Mer didn’t travel to work at all.

7%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving81%

On foot5%

Public transport1%

Motorbike or scooter1%

Bicycle0%

jobs based in Fontenay-sur-Mer, 0.5 per working resident

3.9%

unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%

€25,700

median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970

11%

worked without traveling (at or from home)

Full pageFontenay-sur-Mer’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Jobs based here50 jobs based here · 0.5 per working resident Getting to work7% walk, cycle or take transit Median income€25,700 a year · Median income per consumption unit

Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Housing

The estimated advertised rent of an apartment in Fontenay-sur-Mer is €10.29/m² a month

Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.

Renting a house costs an estimated €8.03/m² a month. Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 11 homes in Fontenay-sur-Mer.

€10.29/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Fontenay-sur-Mer€10.29/m²

Median of towns€12.41/m²

Manche median€9.90/m²

€10.29/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.10 to €13.06/m² a month)

€8.03/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Full pageFontenay-sur-Mer’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Renting€10.29/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Fontenay-sur-Mer

12pages on Fontenay-sur-Mer

The big questions

Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 7.1 mi away Work & commute50 jobs based here Housing11 sales on record, the last three years Flood & hazards

Out and about

Outdoors100% of the commune is protected nature Attractions2 places to visit mapped in town ClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 55.5 History2 historic monuments Town HallFamous people

Landmarks

The Culture ministry’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Fontenay-sur-Mer; none is classé, France’s top protection.

All monuments →

Château de FrancquevilleChâteau

Château de CourcyChâteau · 17th c.

Photo credits

Château de Francqueville: Photo: Auteur inconnu Unknown author librairie Henri Brochard, Valognes · Public domain · Château de Courcy: Photo: Bertrand LEROUX · CC BY-SA 3.0

Famous people from Fontenay-sur-Mer

Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Fontenay-sur-Mer yet.

How we find them →

Fontenay-sur-Mer’s neighbors

The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Manche →

Sainte-Mère-ÉgliseValognesPicauvilleCarentan-les-MaraisBricquebec-en-CotentinIsigny-sur-MerFontenay-sur-Mer

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Fontenay-sur-Mer	161	—	—	—	—	—
Sainte-Mère-Église	2,896	6	—	B	—	D
Valognes	6,969	7.5	B⁺	B⁻	B⁻	C⁻
Picauville	3,228	9.3	B⁺	B⁺	A⁺	C⁻
Carentan-les-Marais	10,218	13	B⁻	B	C⁺	C
Bricquebec-en-Cotentin	5,893	15	A⁺	A⁻	A⁺	A⁻
Isigny-sur-Mer Calvados	3,543	16	A⁻	A⁻	B⁺	C

People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.

About Fontenay-sur-Mer

Commune in Manche, Normandy

Fontenay-sur-Mer is a commune of 161 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Cotentin. 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: 161 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté d'agglomération du Cotentin
Département: Manche (50)
Région: Normandy
Area: 3.2 sq mi (8.2 km²)
INSEE code: 50190

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.