Dunkerque grades D overall: better than 9% of compared French towns, and #146 of 189 in Nord. Its weakest subject is health (D): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 5% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €2,060/m², a 70 m² home costs 6.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque. Its strongest is walkability (A+): 96% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 26% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.

Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.

StrongestA⁺WalkabilityWeakestDHealth C⁻Safety

What makes Dunkerque stand out

The 2 things Dunkerque does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Poverty rate

Income

23% below the poverty line

Of residents in 2023, against 13%, the median of compared French towns

Median income €22,790 a year per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size). Source: INSEE, Filosofi 2023.

Jobs per working resident, compared French towns

Work

45,300 jobs are based here, for 31,550 working residents: more jobs per working resident than in 88% of compared French towns

Source: INSEE, census 2023.

How Dunkerque grades

Each subject compares Dunkerque 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 grading works

WalkabilityA⁺Open →HealthDOpen →SafetyC⁻Open →Jobs & income17.9% unemployment · #97 of 200 in NordC⁻Open →Cost of livingAt the median price, a 70 m² home costs 6.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality · #144 of 200 in NordC⁻Open →SchoolsBac results at the expected rate; brevet results 1.3 points above the expected rate · #106 of 195 in NordB⁻Open →

Hazard riskNot graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas–

How TownRatings grades French towns →

Église Saint-Éloi · Classé · Photo: Paul Hermans · CC BY-SA 3.0

Dunkerque’s story

Dunkerque in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 31 historic monuments in Dunkerque: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 27 inscrit (the second level).

That’s 3.6 for every 10,000 residents, more per resident than 61% of compared French towns; the median compared French town has 2.5.

The oldest protected part dates from the 16th century; the first monument here was protected in 1916.

4.2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

1916First protected: Église Saint-Éloi
2019Most recently protected: Monument à la mémoire des Fusiliers marins

Explore the history →

Nearby attractions

Beffroi de Dunkerque and 24 more in and around Dunkerque

Other places to visit, museums and heritage in and near Dunkerque. Best known first.

All attractions →

AttractionAttractionBeffroi de Dunkerquein town

MuseumMusée portuaire de Dunkerquein town

MuseumLieu d'art et action contemporaine de Dunkerquein town

Art galleryMusée des Beaux-Arts de Dunkerquein town

Historic shipPrincess Elizabethin town AttractionAttractionDuchesse Annein town

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).

Photo credits (4)

Musée portuaire de Dunkerque: Grumpy, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Lieu d'art et action contemporaine de Dunkerque: Claus Ableiter, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Dunkerque: Pichasso, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
Princess Elizabeth: Raimond Spekking, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Dunkerque.

Work & commuteJobs & income C⁻

Unemployment in Dunkerque, 17.9%, runs above Nord’s towns and compared French towns

In the comparison, Dunkerque comes above both Nord’s towns (13.2%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Dunkerque has 45,300 jobs for 31,550 working residents, 1.4 per worker. The median disposable income is €22,790 a year per consumption unit.

26%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving70%

Public transport14%

On foot8%

Bicycle4%

Motorbike or scooter1%

45,300

jobs based in Dunkerque, 1.4 per working resident

17.9%

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

€22,790

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

worked without traveling (at or from home)

A⁺

Walkability: better than 96% of compared French towns

Full pageDunkerque’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Jobs based here45,300 jobs based here · 1.4 per working resident Getting to work26% walk, cycle or take transit Median income€22,790 a year · Median income per consumption unit

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

HealthHealth D

Dunkerque’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 87% of compared French towns

Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.

Adjusted for age and care homes, Dunkerque records 105 deaths per 100 expected, close to Nord’s towns (105) and above compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 9,270 residents of Dunkerque died, against 8,002 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 16% more. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.

+5%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade

Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025

Raw116

Adjusted105

Median town88

Expected100

GPs in Dunkerque · 3.5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)

1.2 mi

to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Dunkerque

1.2 mi

to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Dunkerque

84.5 · 78.8

years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Nord, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3

Full pageDunkerque’s health pageOpen the page

Health GradeLikely between D and C−Getting care1.2 mi to an emergency department · Centre hospitalier de Dunkerque GPs and pharmacies73 GPs · 37 pharmacies Vs. the neighborsAhead of all 6 graded neighbors

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

Safety

Crime per resident in Dunkerque runs higher than in 85% of compared French towns

Police and gendarmerie recorded 2,514 offenses in the graded categories in Dunkerque in 2025. Violence against people ran at 12.9 per 1,000 residents a year and the graded property crimes at 19.1 (2023–2025 average). Of the graded crimes in Dunkerque, criminal damage came up most often (2025).

12.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC⁻Safety Grade

Recorded by type · 2025

Criminal damage1,019

Other physical violence423

Family violence360

Sexual violence207

Burglary202

Theft from vehicles168

Vehicle theft128

Armed robbery7

Theft without violence903

Drug use424

Fraud420

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.

12.9

recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average

19.1

recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average

2,514

offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025

under 0.1%

of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published

Full pageDunkerque’s safety reportOpen the page

Safety Grade12.9 violent incidents per 1,000 residents · Dunkerque has more crime per resident than 85% of compared French towns Crime by typeCriminal damage is the most common of the graded categories Vs. the neighborsBehind its 6 graded neighbors Questions“Is Dunkerque safe?”

Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte

HousingCost of living C⁻

Renting in Dunkerque costs more than in Nord’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €13.50/m² a month

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

For Dunkerque, that is above both Nord’s towns (€11.81/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €2,060/m², comes from 2,999 sales of houses and apartments in Dunkerque from July 2023 to June 2026. In Dunkerque, houses go for €1,990/m² and apartments for €2,202/m².

€2,060/m²median sale price

Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026

Dunkerque€2,060/m²

Median of towns€2,430/m²

Nord median€1,810/m²

By type	Median per m²	Sales
Houses	€1,990/m²	1,727
Apartments	€2,202/m²	1,272

€13.50/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€10.46 to €17.41/m² a month)

6.2

times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price

€11.13/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

€23,270

median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque

Full pageDunkerque’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Renting€13.50/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent PricesMedian sale price €2,060/m² Price against income6.2 times income · 70 m² at the median price Vs. the neighborsAhead of 2 of its 6 graded neighbors

Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

History

31 historic monuments, 4 classé

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

The Culture ministry lists 31 historic monuments in Dunkerque: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 27 inscrit (the second level). 4.2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

31historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé4

Inscrit27

Among them · Classé

16th c.

oldest protected part

1916

first monument protected

4.2%

of homes built before 1919 · median town 7.4%

3.6

monuments per 10,000 residents · median town 2.5

Full pageDunkerque’s history pageOpen the page

Map31 historic monuments Classé4 classé · France’s highest protection Age of homes4.2% built before 1919 · Older homes Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Dunkerque?”

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

Schools

85.2% of candidates passed the brevet at the 16 collèges within 5 km, 1.3 points above the expected rate

Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.

Dunkerque sits close to Nord’s towns (85.9%) and below compared French towns (87.5%) on this measure.

97%passed the bac (general and technological)B⁻School Grade

Brevet pass rate · collèges within 5 km

Dunkerque85.2%

Median of towns87.5%

Bac pass rate · lycées within 5 km

Dunkerque90.6%

Median of towns92.9%

School	Level	Candidates	Passed, 2025
Collège Notre-Dame des Dunes PrivateNearest collègeCollège	Collège	107	94%±0 pts
Lycée polyvalent Vauban PrivateNearest lycéeGeneral lycée	General lycée	62	89%−6 pts
Collège René Bonpain PrivateBest against expectations: 11 points above the expected rateCollège	Collège	50	98%+11 pts

See all 28 schools →

97%

passed the general and technological bac, +0.5 pts against the expected rate

78%

passed the vocational bac, −2.2 pts against the expected rate

85.2%

passed the brevet at the collèges, +1.3 pts against the expected rate

0.5 mi

to the nearest collège from the town center

Full pageDunkerque’s schools pageOpen the page

School GradeBetter than 52% of compared French towns Collèges85.2% passed the brevet · 16 collèges within 5 km Lycées90.6% passed the bac · 12 lycées within 5 km Vs. the neighborsAhead of 3 of its 6 graded neighbors

Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte

Who lives here

A typical mix of ages for France

12% of residents are 15 to 24 and 23% are 65 or over, against 12% and 19% in the median compared commune of Nord. 26% of adults who have left education hold a higher-education diploma (Nord 26%, France 30%).

43.7median age

DunkerqueNord medianFrance median

Nord medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

12%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma24%

CAP or BEP25%

Baccalauréat18%

Higher education26%

Women and men · all residents

52% women, 48% men

About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Dunkerque
	Dunkerque	Nord median	France median
Under 15	16%	19%	17%
15–24	12%	12%	11%
25–44	24%	24%	23%
45–64	26%	25%	26%
65+	23%	19%	22%
No diploma	24%	23%	19%
CAP or BEP	25%	26%	26%
Baccalauréat	18%	18%	18%
Higher education	26%	26%	30%

Full pageDunkerque’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages43.7 median age · 23% are 65 or over Households42,250 households · 2 people per household Born abroad7.1% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Dunkerque?”

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Dunkerque

15pages on Dunkerque

The big questions

SafetyC⁻12.9 recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year Cost of livingC⁻Median €2,060/m² · rent €13.50/m² a month Housing2,999 sales on record, the last three years SchoolsB⁻16 collèges and 12 lycées within 5 km HealthD73 GPs · nearest emergency department 1.2 mi away Work & commuteC⁻45,300 jobs based here Flood & hazards

Out and about

Outdoors1% of the commune is protected nature Attractions23 places to visit mapped in town ClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 43.7 History31 historic monuments Town HallFamous people148 notable people born here

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 31 historic monuments in Dunkerque: 4 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 27 inscrit (the second level).

All monuments →

Tour du LeughenaerLighthouse · 16th c.

Phare du RisbanLighthouse · 19th & 20th c.

Classé

Ruines de la vieille écluse de MardyckEngineering work

Hôtel de villeTown hall · 17th–20th c.

Photo credits

Tour du Leughenaer: Photo: Pierre André Leclercq · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Phare du Risban: Photo: Alain.Darles · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hôtel de ville: Photo: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0

Famous people from Dunkerque

148 notable people were born in Dunkerque.

See all 148 →

Kristina MladenovicFrench and Serbian tennis player · born 1993

Yannick KamananFrench footballer (born 1981)

Auguste AngellierFrench educator (1848–1911)

Sébastien BosquetFrench handball player · born 1979

Robert PrigentFrench politician (1910–1995)

Robert MalmFrench and Togolese footballer · born 1973

Photo credits

Kristina Mladenovic: Hameltion, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Yannick Kamanan: חן שטיין, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Auguste Angellier: Velvet, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Sébastien Bosquet: Steindy 18:09, 17 March 2010 (UTC), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Robert Prigent: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain

Dunkerque’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 Nord →

Coudekerque-BrancheCappelle-la-GrandeTéteghem-Coudekerque-VillageLeffrinckouckeGrande-SyntheBerguesDunkerque

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Dunkerque	86,263	—	D	C⁻	C⁻	D
Coudekerque-Branche	20,787	1.2	C⁻	C	B⁻	D
Cappelle-la-Grande	7,839	2.5	C⁻	C⁺	B⁺	D
Téteghem-Coudekerque-Village	8,247	2.8	B⁻	D	A	D
Leffrinckoucke	4,078	3.3	B⁻	C⁻	A	D
Grande-Synthe	20,239	3.4	D	B⁻	C	D⁻
Bergues	3,525	5.3	B	C	B	D

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

Questions about Dunkerque

Is Dunkerque safe?

It grades C− for safety, #142 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 202 burglaries and 1,019 acts of criminal damage.

Are schools in Dunkerque good?

They grade B−, better than 52% of compared French towns and #106 of 195 in Nord. 89% of 62 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Vauban in 2025, 6 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.

Is Dunkerque expensive to live in?

Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,060/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Dunkerque grades C− for cost of living.

About Dunkerque

Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France

Dunkerque is a commune of 86,263 people in the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque. 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: 86,263 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque
Département: Nord (59)
Région: Hauts-de-France
Area: 16.3 sq mi (42.2 km²)
INSEE code: 59183

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.