France›Mayenne›Pays de la Loire

ContestMayenne

A town of 834 in Mayenne, Pays de la Loire.

Population

834

INSEE, census 2023 · commune

Rent

€7.41

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

Median income

€26,970

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 Contest a good place to live?

Contest is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.

Ensemble dénommé Le Grand Poillé · Classé · Photo: Yodaspirine · CC BY-SA 4.0

Contest’s story

Contest in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Contest: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level).

The oldest protected part dates from the 14th century; the first monument here was protected in 1994.

19% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

1994First protected: Ensemble dénommé Le Grand Poillé

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Contest.

Who lives here

Few people in Contest are 65 or over: 19%, below Mayenne’s towns and compared French towns

Contest sits below both Mayenne’s towns (27%) and compared French towns (22%) on this measure. Under-15s account for 19% of the population.

43.3median age

ContestMayenne medianFrance median

Mayenne medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

11%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma16%

CAP or BEP32%

Baccalauréat18%

Higher education29%

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

About an even split. Median share of women: Mayenne 52.1%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Contest
	Contest	Mayenne median	France median
Under 15	19%	16%	17%
15–24	11%	10%	11%
25–44	23%	20%	23%
45–64	28%	26%	26%
65+	19%	27%	22%
No diploma	16%	24%	19%
CAP or BEP	32%	29%	26%
Baccalauréat	18%	17%	18%
Higher education	29%	25%	30%

Full pageContest’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages43.3 median age · 19% are 65 or over Households340 households · 2.5 people per household Born abroad1.8% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Contest?”

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

History

Contest keeps more of its old housing than Mayenne or compared French towns: 19% built before 1919

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

That puts Contest above both Mayenne’s towns (8.6%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Contest: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level). Among the classé monuments in Contest is Ensemble dénommé Le Grand Poillé.

1historic monument

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé1

Inscrit0

Among them · Classé

Ensemble dénommé Le Grand Poillé 14th & 15th c.

14th c.

oldest protected part

1994

first monument protected

Full pageContest’s history pageOpen the page

Age of homes19% built before 1919 · Older homes Map1 historic monument Classé1 classé · France’s highest protection Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Contest?”

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

Work & commute

Only 4.2% of commuters in Contest go to work without a car, fewer than in Mayenne’s towns and compared French towns

On this, Contest is below both Mayenne’s towns (11.3%) and compared French towns (13.4%). 5.9% of the labour force are out of work. Contest has 100 jobs for 400 working residents, 0.2 per worker.

4%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving86%

On foot2%

Motorbike or scooter1%

Bicycle1%

Public transport1%

100

jobs based in Contest, 0.2 per working resident

5.9%

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

€26,970

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

worked without traveling (at or from home)

Full pageContest’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Getting to work4% walk, cycle or take transit Jobs based here100 jobs based here · 0.2 per working resident Median income€26,970 a year · Median income per consumption unit

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

Housing

Renting in Contest costs less than in Mayenne’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €7.41/m² a month

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

In the comparison, Contest comes below both Mayenne’s towns (€9.49/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).

€7.41/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Contest€7.41/m²

Median of towns€12.41/m²

Mayenne median€9.49/m²

€7.41/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€5.80 to €9.47/m² a month)

€7.08/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Full pageContest’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Renting€7.41/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

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

Nearby attractions

Oppidum de Moulay and 2 more in and around Contest

Heritage and museums in and near Contest. Best known first.

All attractions →

FortFortOppidum de Moulay3.2 km east, in Moulay ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Bois-Salair1.7 km northwest, in Saint-Georges-Buttavent Art galleryArt galleryEcole-Galerie1.6 km north, in Saint-Georges-Buttavent

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Contest

12pages on Contest

The big questions

Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 3.9 mi away Work & commute100 jobs based here Housing21 sales on record, the last three years Flood & hazards

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractionsClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 43.3 History1 historic monument Town HallFamous people

Landmarks

Contest has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.

All monuments →

Ensemble dénommé Le Grand PoilléResidence · 14th & 15th c.

Classé

Chapelle des CalvairiennesChapel · 15th–19th c. · in Mayenne, 3.6 mi

Classé

Château de BourgonChâteau · 15th c. · in Montsûrs, 5.4 mi

Classé

Allée couverte de la cote 197 en forêt de MayenneDolmen · in Vautorte, 6.3 mi

Photo credits

Ensemble dénommé Le Grand Poillé: Photo: Yodaspirine · CC BY-SA 4.0

Famous people from Contest

Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Contest yet.

How we find them →

Contest’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 Mayenne →

MayenneMontsûrsAmbrières-les-ValléesLouvernéErnéeArgentréContest

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Contest	834	—	—	—	—	—
Mayenne	12,883	3.6	B⁺	A⁻	C⁻	A⁻
Montsûrs	3,192	9.6	A⁺	A	A⁺	B
Ambrières-les-Vallées	2,619	10	—	A⁺	—	C⁺
Louverné	4,344	10	A⁺	B	A	A
Ernée	5,499	12	A⁺	A	B⁻	A⁻
Argentré	2,906	12	A⁺	A⁻	A⁺	A

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

About Contest

Commune in Mayenne, Pays de la Loire

Contest is a commune of 834 people in the Communauté de communes Mayenne Communauté. 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: 834 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté de communes Mayenne Communauté
Département: Mayenne (53)
Région: Pays de la Loire
Area: 9 sq mi (23.3 km²)
INSEE code: 53074

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.