Where it does best is schools — brevet results 6.9 points above the expected rate. The weak point is health — after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 34% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €1,300/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Maubeuge Val de Sambre. Jobs and pay trail most towns: 0.2 jobs per working resident; 14.6% unemployment.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Ferrière-la-Petite 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 Ferrière-la-Petite 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.
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Ferrière-la-Petite: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level).
The oldest protected part dates from the 19th century; the first monument here was protected in 1984.
28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Philippe de Bousies, born in 1789, is the one person born in Ferrière-la-Petite before 1900 that Wikidata records.
Ancienne poterie Gibon: Photo: Chatsam · CC BY-SA 3.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ferrière-la-Petite.
HealthHealth D−
Deaths in Ferrière-la-Petite run above what its ages would predict: 134 per 100 expected, more than Nord’s towns or compared French towns
+34%deaths against expected, after care homesD−Health Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 90 residents of Ferrière-la-Petite died, against 67 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 34% more. At birth, a girl in Nord can expect 84.5 years and a boy 78.8 (2025); across France, 85.9 and 80.3. For a family doctor, residents of Ferrière-la-Petite have one GP on hand.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw134
Adjusted134
Median town88
Expected100
1
GPs in Ferrière-la-Petite · 3.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
3.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch de Maubeuge Mco
3.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch de Maubeuge Mco
84.5 · 78.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Nord, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Schools around Ferrière-la-Petite do better than those of 85% of compared French towns
86.2%passed the brevetASchool Grade
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
General-bac pupils go 3.3 mi to the nearest lycée. The closest collège is 1.6 mi off. At the collèges within 5 km of Ferrière-la-Petite, 86.2% passed the brevet, close to both Nord’s towns (85.9%) and compared French towns (87.5%).
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income D−
Ferrière-la-Petite has higher unemployment than Nord’s towns or compared French towns: 14.6%
6%walk, cycle or take transit
Median disposable income comes to €23,320 a year per consumption unit. 6.0% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below Nord’s towns (13.0%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving89%
Public transport3%
On foot2%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter1%
100
jobs based in Ferrière-la-Petite, 0.2 per working resident
14.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,320
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
C
Walkability: better than 33% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for France
42.1median age
18% of residents are 65 or over, about level with Nord’s towns (19%) and below compared French towns (22%). Children under 15 make up 19% of residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up just over a tenth of the town.
Ferrière-la-PetiteNord medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma17%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat22%
Higher education27%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living C+
Ferrière-la-Petite’s grade for cost of living: a C+
€1,300/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
31 sales of houses and apartments in Ferrière-la-Petite, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,300/m². Estimated advertised rent for houses: €7.71/m² a month. Advertised rents are estimated at €11.54/m² a month, about level with Nord’s towns (€11.81/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Ferrière-la-Petite€1,300/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,300/m²
31
€11.54/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.00 to €14.80/m² a month)
4.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€7.71/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€20,580
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération Maubeuge Val de Sambre
Ferrière-la-Petite is a commune of 1,024 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
Population
1,024 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté d'agglomération Maubeuge Val de Sambre
Département
Nord (59)
Région
Hauts-de-France
Area
2.1 sq mi (5.4 km²)
INSEE code
59231
Ferrière-la-Petite’s neighbors
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Ferrière-la-Petite
Is Ferrière-la-Petite safe?
Ferrière-la-Petite has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 7.3 recorded violent incidents and 13 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Are schools in Ferrière-la-Petite good?
They grade A, better than 85% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Ferrière-la-Petite expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,300/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Ferrière-la-Petite grades C+ for cost of living.
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.
