Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue’s best grade is for walkability (A): 69% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 28% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. A 70 m² home at the median €2,759/m² costs 7.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération du Cotentin. Health outcomes fall short of most towns: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 14% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. 41% of its homes are second homes.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue 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.
SafetyNot graded: over a quarter of the index would rest on the département’s average, where small counts aren’t published–
SchoolsNot graded: no collège with published results within 5 km–
Hazard riskNot graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas–
How TownRatings grades French towns →
Ile de Tatihou · Classé · Photo: Larayevire · CC BY-SA 3.0
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue’s story
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue in pictures
The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level).
The oldest protected part dates from the 17th century; the first monument here was protected in 1929.
19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Wikidata records 4 people born in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue before 1900, the earliest François Durand, in 1796.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.
Who lives here
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue skews older, with 43% of residents 65 or over, more than Manche’s towns or compared French towns
20% of adults hold a degree, below Manche’s towns (22%) and compared French towns (30%) alike. The share aged 15 to 24 is 6.1%. One measure of family life: 10% of residents are under 15.
61.4median age
Saint-Vaast-la-HougueManche medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
43%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma28%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat15%
Higher education20%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 84 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Manche 52.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
INSEE, census 2023 · Manche median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth D
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue loses more people than its age profile suggests, 114 per 100 expected, above Manche’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 313 deaths in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue from 2016 to 2025; there were 443, 42% more. Average lifespans in Manche: 85.5 years for women, 79 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. For a family doctor, residents of Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue can choose among 3 GPs. The nearest emergency department to Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is Chpc site Valognes, 10.7 mi away.
+14%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw142
Adjusted114
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue · 2.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
10.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Chpc site Valognes
15.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Public du Cotentin
85.5 · 79
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Manche, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
For walkability, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue ranks above 87% of compared French towns
11.5% of the labour force were unemployed, above both Manche’s towns (8.8%) and compared French towns (10.1%). For its 550 residents in work, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue has 1,000 jobs: 1.8 each.
28%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving64%
On foot11%
Bicycle9%
Public transport8%
Motorbike or scooter2%
1,000
jobs based in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, 1.8 per working resident
11.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,650
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 87% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue keeps more of its old housing than Manche’s towns or compared French towns: 19% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is Fort de la Hougue. The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments locally: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). Protection here reaches back to the 17th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living B−
For cost of living, Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue gets a B−
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €9.85/m² a month, near Manche’s towns (€9.90/m²) and lower than compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €2,759/m², comes from 103 sales of houses and apartments in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue from July 2023 to June 2026. The sales split: 87% houses, the rest apartments.
€2,759/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue€2,759/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Manche median€1,814/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,657/m²
90
€9.85/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.77 to €12.49/m² a month)
7.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.90/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,250
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Cotentin
The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level).
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue
Is Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue safe?
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 3.1 recorded violent incidents and 14 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Is Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,759/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue grades B− for cost of living.
About Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue
Commune in Manche, Normandy
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue is a commune of 1,648 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
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.
