Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,013 in Nord, Hauts-de-France.
Élesmes has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its weakest subject is walkability (D−): 0% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 4% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At the median price of €1,881/m², a 70 m² home costs 6.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération Maubeuge Val de Sambre. Its strongest is health (A): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 28% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
The 2 things Élesmes does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Élesmes 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 Élesmes as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Ancienne poterie Gibon, in Ferrière-la-Petite, 4.7 mi away.
14% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Other places to visit, heritage and museums in and near Élesmes. Best known first.
FortFort de Leveau4.4 km west, in Feignies
ZooZoo de Maubeuge3.9 km southwest, in MaubeugeAttractionAttractionOuvrage de La Salmagne2.2 km northeast, in Vieux-RengFortFortOuvrage de Bersillies2.5 km north, in Villers-Sire-NicoleFortFortOuvrage des Sarts2.6 km northwest, in MairieuxPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Élesmes.
Unemployment stood at 8.0%, below both Nord’s towns (13.2%) and compared French towns (10.1%). 50 jobs are based in Élesmes, for 400 working residents (0.1 per worker). 3.5% of Élesmes’ working residents had no journey to work at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
63 deaths in Élesmes between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 88: 28% below. Life expectancy at birth in Nord is 84.5 years for women and 78.8 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. The nearest emergency department to Élesmes is Ch de Maubeuge Mco, 1.8 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 step is TownRatings’ own calculation, not an official number. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from B− to A+.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Élesmes, 86.0% passed the bac, below both Nord’s towns (90.4%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Vocational results within 5 km: 72% passed the bac pro, of 223 candidates at 3 lycées. Collège pupils travel 1.9 mi to the nearest one.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Guillaume BudéNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 116 | 85%±0 pts |
| Lycée polyvalent Pierre ForestNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 366 | 95%+3 pts |
| Collège Notre-Dame de Grâce PrivateBest against expectations: 7 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 158 | 95%+7 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.
33 sales of houses and apartments in Élesmes, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,881/m².
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,881/m² | 33 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
The under-15s are 17% of the population here. 25% of residents are 65 or over, above both Nord’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (22%). Among adults, 35% have a degree.
49% women, 51% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
| Élesmes | Nord median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 17% | 19% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 12% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 25% | 26% |
| 65+ | 25% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 12% | 23% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 27% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 22% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 35% | 26% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
Nothing in Élesmes is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Élesmes yet.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
Élesmes has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 5.9 recorded violent incidents and 9.2 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade C−, better than 16% of compared French towns. The lycée stands out: 95% of 366 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Pierre Forest in 2025, 3 points above 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 €1,881/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Élesmes grades C for cost of living.
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Élesmes is a commune of 1,013 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Maubeuge Val de Sambre. 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.