Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Bruay-sur-l'Escaut’s weakest is health — after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 31% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are on the low side: 0.5 jobs per working resident; 18.9% unemployment. It is easy to get around without a car: 89% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 14% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At €1,326/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 4.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Valenciennes Métropole. Put together, the subjects come to a D overall, better than 6% of compared French towns. That places it #161 of 189 in Nord.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, 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.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Each subject compares Bruay-sur-l'Escaut 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 2 things Bruay-sur-l'Escaut does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Hôpital général, in Valenciennes, 2.6 mi away.
Explore the history →Nothing in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
There are 5 general practitioners in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut. Women in Nord live to 84.5 on average and men to 78.8 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. 1,163 deaths in the town between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 811: 43% above.
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 figures behind this are our own model (TownRatings), not official statistics.
Each year (2023–2025 average), violence against people came to 14.6 per 1,000 residents and the graded property crimes to 17.1. For 2025, the figures show 405 offenses in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut. Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut (2025).
Not in the gradeTheft without violence, drug use and fraud are shown for information but left out of the Safety Grade, which counts violence plus burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and criminal damage per resident.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · For armed robbery, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 0.2% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Half of residents lived on more than €19,440 a year per consumption unit, below Nord’s towns (€23,900) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. At the census, 8.9% of working residents in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut went to work by public transport.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Over-65s are 16% of the population. Children under 15 make up 23%, higher than both Nord’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (17%). 13% of residents are aged 15 to 24.
52% women, 48% men
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
| Bruay-sur-l'Escaut | Nord median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 23% | 19% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 23% | 25% | 26% |
| 65+ | 16% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 30% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 16% | 26% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 87% passed the bac pro, of 237 candidates at 2 lycées. Its schools’ results rank #135 of 195 in Nord. At the five general lycées, 95% of 1,401 candidates passed the bac, at the expected rate.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Jean MacéNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 110 | 85%+10 pts |
| Lycée Henri WallonNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 336 | 94%±0 pts |
| Collège Paul ÉluardBest against expectations: 8 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 94 | 84%+8 pts |
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.
The median price, €1,326/m², comes from 288 sales of houses and apartments in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut from July 2023 to June 2026. Houses accounted for 99% of sales, apartments for the rest.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,321/m² | 286 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Bruay-sur-l'Escaut. Best known first.
MuseumMusée des Arts et de l'Archéologie de Valenciennes4.6 km south, in ValenciennesChâteauChâteauChâteau Dampierre4.3 km southwest, in AnzinFortFortCitadelle de Valenciennes4.9 km south, in ValenciennesAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Valenciennes4.6 km south, in ValenciennesAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye Saulve de Valenciennes2.8 km south, in Saint-SaulveMuseumMuseumMusée Théophile-Jouglet4 km southwest, in AnzinPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
2 notable people were born in Bruay-sur-l'Escaut.
Henri Martel: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Bruay-sur-l'Escaut is a commune of 11,644 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Valenciennes Métropole. 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bruay-sur-l'Escaut | 11,644 | — | D | B− | C− | D− |
| Escautpont | 4,202 | 1.6 | D− | B− | D | D− |
| Beuvrages | 6,796 | 1.7 | D | B− | C+ | D− |
| Saint-Saulve | 10,947 | 2.1 | C | C− | C+ | B− |
| Raismes | 12,199 | 2.2 | D− | B− | D | D |
| Anzin | 13,183 | 2.3 | D | B− | D | D− |
| Onnaing | 8,479 | 2.5 | D− | B− | D | D− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades C− for safety, #142 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 42 burglaries and 105 acts of criminal damage.
They grade C+, better than 35% of compared French towns and #135 of 195 in Nord. 94% of 336 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Henri Wallon in 2025, at the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,326/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Bruay-sur-l'Escaut grades B− for cost of living.
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 November 9, 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.
