Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,459 in Manche, Normandy.
Sottevast has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its weakest subject is health (D): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 12% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €1,897/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération du Cotentin. Its strongest is jobs & income (A+): 1.4 jobs per working resident; 5.0% unemployment.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
The 3 things Sottevast does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Sottevast 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 →
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Sottevast, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 15th century; the first monument here was protected in 1973.
14% 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 Sottevast.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
France’s death rates at each age would predict 92 deaths in Sottevast from 2016 to 2025; there were 103, 12% more. At birth, a girl in Manche can expect 85.5 years and a boy 79 (2025); across France, 85.9 and 80.3. The nearest emergency department to Sottevast is Chpc site Valognes, 6.2 mi away.
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 adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
Walking, cycling and public transport carried 5.4% of commuters at the census. The median disposable income was €27,020 a year per consumption unit, about level with compared French towns (€25,970) and above Manche’s towns (€24,970).
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
16% of residents are 65 or over. The 15-to-24 age group: 8.7%, below Manche’s towns (9.3%) and compared French towns (11%) alike. Among adults, 29% have a degree.
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Manche 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Sottevast | Manche median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 22% | 13% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.7% | 9.3% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 29% | 20% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 25% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 16% | 29% | 22% |
| No diploma | 13% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 31% | 29% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 23% | 17% | 18% |
| Higher education | 29% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Manche median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Advertised rents are estimated at €9.80/m² a month, about level with Manche’s towns (€9.90/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). 42 sales of houses and apartments in Sottevast, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,897/m².
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,897/m² | 42 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 15th century. Homes from before 1919 make up 14% of the total, higher than both Manche’s towns (12%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Heritage and other places to visit in and near Sottevast. Best known first.
Sottevast has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Chapelle Sainte-Suzanne de l'Abbaye: Photo: Xfigpower · CC BY-SA 3.0
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Sottevast 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sottevast | 1,459 | — | — | A− | — | D |
| Bricquebec-en-Cotentin | 5,893 | 4.2 | A+ | A− | A+ | A− |
| Valognes | 6,969 | 5.8 | B+ | B− | B− | C− |
| Cherbourg-en-Cotentin | 78,258 | 8.1 | B− | C | B− | C− |
| Les Pieux | 3,249 | 9.7 | — | B | — | A |
| La Hague | 11,484 | 12 | A | B | A+ | C |
| Picauville | 3,228 | 13 | B+ | B+ | A+ | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Sottevast has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 2.8 recorded violent incidents and 2.8 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,897/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Sottevast grades A− for cost of living.
Commune in Manche, Normandy
Sottevast is a commune of 1,459 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
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 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.