Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 105 in Manche, Normandy.
La Baleine is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
The 2 things La Baleine does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in La Baleine as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Abbaye de Hambye (également sur commune de Percy), in Hambye, 1.7 mi away.
66% 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 La Baleine.
28% of residents are 65 or over, about level with Manche’s towns (29%) and above compared French towns (22%). Children under 15 make up 17% of residents. Degrees are held by 23% of adults.
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Manche 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| La Baleine | Manche median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 13% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.5% | 9.3% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 20% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 28% | 29% | 22% |
| No diploma | 25% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 30% | 29% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 19% | 17% | 18% |
| Higher education | 23% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Manche median and France median: the median of compared communes
2.8% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, lower than both Manche’s towns (9.6%) and compared French towns (13.4%). At the census, 13.9% of working residents in La Baleine didn’t travel to work at all. Households’ median disposable income: €24,540 a year per consumption unit.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
General-bac pupils go 10.6 mi to the nearest lycée. The closest collège is 2.4 mi off.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Roland VaudatinNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 47 | 85%+1 pt |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
A house rents for an estimated €6.86/m² a month. Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 2 homes in La Baleine.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage and museums in and near La Baleine. Best known first.
Nothing in La Baleine 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 La Baleine 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Baleine | 105 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Percy-en-Normandie | 2,641 | 5.1 | — | A | — | B+ |
| Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny | 3,903 | 6.9 | B− | A− | B | C− |
| Quettreville-sur-Sienne | 3,167 | 7.6 | — | A− | — | B |
| Bréhal | 3,487 | 10 | B | C | A− | C+ |
| Coutances | 8,321 | 11 | C− | B+ | D | C− |
| Bourgvallées | 3,326 | 12 | — | A− | — | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Manche, Normandy
La Baleine is a commune of 105 people in the Communauté de communes Coutances Mer et Bocage. 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.