Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 31% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Grand-Fort-Philippe’s overall grade of C+ puts it better than nearly two fifths of compared French towns, #68 of 189 in Nord. Jobs and pay trail most towns: 0.3 jobs per working resident; 13.8% unemployment. Its standout strength is schools: brevet results 2.6 points above the expected rate. Homes sell for a median €1,753/m²: 70 m² comes to 5.3 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque. It is strong on walkability as well: 100% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 13% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas. The overall grade uses the other six subjects.
Each subject compares Grand-Fort-Philippe 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 2 things Grand-Fort-Philippe does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Grand-Fort-Philippe as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Vestiges anciens de la ville, in Gravelines, 1.2 mi away.
4.2% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Nothing in Grand-Fort-Philippe is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Grand-Fort-Philippe.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Grand-Fort-Philippe is Polyclinique de Grande Synthe, 8 mi away. France’s death rates at each age would predict 399 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 525, 31% more. In Nord, women can expect to live 84.5 years and men 78.8 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. For a family doctor, residents of Grand-Fort-Philippe can choose among 7 GPs.
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 · Care-home places are adjusted for by TownRatings, using a model rather than an official statistic.
13.8% of the labour force were unemployed, near Nord’s towns (13.2%) and higher than compared French towns (10.1%). Bus, tram or train carried 5.4% of working residents in Grand-Fort-Philippe to work at the census.
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.
There is no general lycée within 5 km; one lies 8.5 mi away. School results put the town #31 of 195 in Nord. For collège, the closest is 1.1 mi away.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Saint-Joseph PrivateNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 68 | 93%+2 pts |
| Collège Pierre et Marie CurieBest against expectations: 3 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 107 | 90%+3 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, above Nord’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (22%) alike. Young adults of 15 to 24 account for just over a tenth of the town. The middle age in Grand-Fort-Philippe is 46.3.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
| Grand-Fort-Philippe | Nord median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 19% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 11% | 12% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 25% | 26% |
| 65+ | 24% | 19% | 22% |
| No diploma | 29% | 23% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 31% | 26% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 16% | 26% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
Recorded offenses in Grand-Fort-Philippe came to 84 in 2025. Violence against people averaged 8.5 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 11.6. Of the graded crimes in the town, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
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 · For burglary, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, 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, 6.1% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
155 sales of houses and apartments in Grand-Fort-Philippe, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,753/m². Houses were 99% of what sold.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,763/m² | 154 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Museums, heritage and other places to visit in and near Grand-Fort-Philippe. Best known first.
MuseumMusée du Dessin et de l'Estampe originale de Gravelines1.9 km southeast, in GravelinesMuseumMuseumMusée du sauvetagein townFortFortEnceinte de Gravelines2 km southeast, in GravelinesAttractionAttractionBeffroi de Gravelines1.9 km southeast, in GravelinesMuseumMuseumMaison de l'Islandais2.5 km east, in GravelinesPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
2 notable people were born in Grand-Fort-Philippe.
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Grand-Fort-Philippe is a commune of 4,887 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand-Fort-Philippe | 4,887 | — | C+ | B− | B | D− |
| Gravelines | 11,430 | 1.1 | C+ | C | C | D |
| Oye-Plage Pas-de-Calais | 5,780 | 3 | C+ | B− | A− | D |
| Loon-Plage | 5,952 | 4.9 | C | B− | B+ | D− |
| Bourbourg | 6,931 | 5.4 | C+ | B− | C | D− |
| Marck Pas-de-Calais | 10,467 | 7.8 | C | C− | A− | C− |
| Audruicq Pas-de-Calais | 5,309 | 8.3 | B | B+ | B | D |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades B for safety, #60 of 189 in Nord.
They grade A−, better than 82% of compared French towns and #31 of 195 in Nord. 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 €1,753/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Grand-Fort-Philippe grades B− for cost of living.
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 November 8, 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.