Where it does best is schools (A−): bac results a point above the expected rate; brevet results 4.4 points above the expected rate. Health is a weak point: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 8% below expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Buying 70 m² at the median €2,079/m² takes 5.6 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes des Hauts de Flandre. Its other grades sit near the middle: B for jobs & income and B− for walkability.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · employment and commuting, INSEE census 2023 · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025. Esquelbecq has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
Each subject compares Esquelbecq 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.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Esquelbecq.
Schools
Brevet results near Esquelbecq run high: 91.7% passed, above Nord’s towns and compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Vocational results within 5 km: 88% passed the bac pro, of 40 candidates. Collège pupils travel 1.6 mi to the nearest one. The nearest general lycée is 9.5 mi away.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C+
Esquelbecq records 92 deaths for every 100 its ages predict, against 105 in Nord’s towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
In Nord, life expectancy at birth reaches 84.5 years for women and 78.8 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. 241 deaths in Esquelbecq between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 212: 14% above. The nearest emergency department to Esquelbecq is Polyclinique de Grande Synthe, 10.2 mi away. 3 GPs practise in the town.
−8%deaths against expected, after care homesC+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw114
Adjusted92
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Esquelbecq · 3.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
10.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Polyclinique de Grande Synthe
10.5 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
Old homes shape Esquelbecq: 14% were built before 1919, more than in Nord’s towns or compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The oldest protected building goes back to the 15th century. Houses and mansions, 2 of the 3, make up the bulk. On the Culture ministry’s list, Esquelbecq counts 3 historic monuments: 1 classé at the top level of protection and 2 inscrit at the second.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living C+
Homes in Esquelbecq sell for a median €2,079/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Renting a house costs an estimated €9.30/m² a month. Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 63 homes in Esquelbecq. The estimated advertised rent is €12.44/m² a month, about level with compared French towns (€12.41/m²) and above Nord’s towns (€11.81/m²).
€2,079/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Esquelbecq€2,079/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,079/m²
63
€12.44/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.64 to €16.04/m² a month)
5.6
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.30/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,130
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Hauts de Flandre
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income B
Unemployment in Esquelbecq, 7.6%, runs below Nord’s towns and compared French towns
Median disposable income comes to €26,920 a year per consumption unit. Per resident in work, Esquelbecq counts 0.6 jobs (550 jobs, 950 workers). At the census, 8.5% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below both Nord’s towns (13.0%) and compared French towns (13.4%).
8%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving85%
Public transport5%
On foot2%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter0%
550
jobs based in Esquelbecq, 0.6 per working resident
7.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€26,920
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B−
Walkability: better than 55% of compared French towns
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Esquelbecq
Is Esquelbecq safe?
Esquelbecq has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 5.4 recorded violent incidents and 7.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Esquelbecq good?
They grade A−, better than 82% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Esquelbecq expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Esquelbecq grades C+ for cost of living.
About Esquelbecq
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Esquelbecq is a commune of 2,137 people in the Communauté de communes des Hauts de Flandre. 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
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.
