Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 5,338 in Nord, Hauts-de-France.
Dechy grades D− overall: better than 5% of compared French towns, and #167 of 189 in Nord. Its weakest subject is health (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 82% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €1,305/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Douaisis Agglo.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
The 3 things Dechy does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Dechy 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 no building in Dechy as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Porte de Valenciennes ou Porte Vacqueresse, in Douai, 2.1 mi away.
4.4% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Dechy. Best known first.
MuseumMusée de la Chartreuse4.5 km northwest, in DouaiMuseumMuseumCentre historique minier de Lewarde3.8 km southeast, in LewardeAttractionAttractionBeffroi de Douai3.8 km northwest, in DouaiChâteauChâteauChâteau de Montmorency4.5 km northeast, in Montigny-en-OstreventAbbeyAbbeyAbbaye des Prés de Douai4.3 km northwest, in DouaiChâteauChâteauChâteau de Gœulzin4.6 km southwest, in GœulzinPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dechy.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
On this, Dechy is above both Nord’s towns (105) and compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 1,032 residents of Dechy died, against 569 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 82% more. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
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
Police and gendarmerie recorded 178 offenses in the graded categories in Dechy in 2025. For sexual violence and armed robbery, this figure isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the index uses the département’s average instead, 1.3% of the index here. With 2,750 jobs for 1,650 working residents, Dechy draws people from neighboring communes, and crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its number of residents.
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
In the comparison, Dechy comes above both Nord’s towns (13.2%) and compared French towns (10.1%). The median disposable income is €19,680 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.
For Dechy, that is close to Nord’s towns (85.9%) and below compared French towns (87.5%).
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Paul LangevinNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 80 | 81%−1 pt |
| Lycée Arthur RimbaudNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 327 | 91%−4 pts |
| Collège Romain RollandBest against expectations: 10 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 65 | 85%+10 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Dechy sits above both Nord’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (17%) on this measure. 12% of residents are aged 15 to 24.
53% women, 47% men
About 87 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
| Dechy | Nord median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 19% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 12% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 25% | 26% |
| 65+ | 21% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 34% | 23% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 29% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 17% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 14% | 26% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median sale price was €1,305/m², below both Nord’s towns (€1,810/m²) and compared French towns (€2,430/m²).
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,305/m² | 122 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Nothing in Dechy is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
One notable person was born in Dechy.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dechy | 5,338 | — | D− | B− | D | D− |
| Guesnain | 4,635 | 0.9 | D | B− | C | C |
| Sin-le-Noble | 16,076 | 1.1 | D− | B− | D | D− |
| Waziers | 7,266 | 2.4 | D | B | D | D |
| Lambres-lez-Douai | 4,883 | 2.6 | D | C+ | C− | D |
| Douai | 40,250 | 2.6 | D− | C+ | D− | D |
| Montigny-en-Ostrevent | 4,495 | 2.8 | C | C+ | A− | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades D for safety, #149 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 28 burglaries and 69 acts of criminal damage.
They grade C−, better than 24% of compared French towns and #161 of 195 in Nord. 91% of 327 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Arthur Rimbaud in 2025, 4 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €11.46/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Dechy grades B− for cost of living.
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Dechy is a commune of 5,338 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Douaisis Agglo. 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.