Health lags: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 7% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Police record more crime here than in most towns: an average of 10.1 recorded violent incidents and 16.7 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Schools are where it shines — brevet results 2.6 points above the expected rate. It is easy to get around without a car (A): 97% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 17% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At €1,932/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 5.8 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque. The overall grade lands at C+, better than just over a third of compared French towns. Its place in the ranking is #73 of 189 in Nord.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · 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 Gravelines 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.
Phare de Petit-Fort-Philippe: Photo: CH'TI du 59153 · CC BY-SA 3.0
The data
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Gravelines.
Work & commuteJobs & income C+
For walkability, Gravelines ranks above 89% of compared French towns
17%walk, cycle or take transit
Unemployment runs at 14.1%. For its 4,550 residents in work, Gravelines has 8,750 jobs: 1.9 each. Households’ median disposable income: €24,460 a year per consumption unit.
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving79%
On foot6%
Public transport6%
Bicycle5%
Motorbike or scooter1%
8,750
jobs based in Gravelines, 1.9 per working resident
14.1%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,460
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 89% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth D
More deaths than expected: Gravelines is above 88% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
+7%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
The nearest emergency department to Gravelines is Polyclinique de Grande Synthe, 7 mi away. 1,278 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 892: 43% above. Its three care homes for older people (238 places) count their residents as Gravelines’; allowing for them, deaths were 7% above expected. 8 GPs practise here.
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw143
Adjusted107
Median town88
Expected100
8
GPs in Gravelines · 2.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Polyclinique de Grande Synthe
11.1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Calais
84.5 · 78.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Nord, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in Gravelines is higher than in 72% of compared French towns
10.1recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
For 2025, the figures show 314 offenses in Gravelines. Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Gravelines (2025).
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage133
Other physical violence53
Theft from vehicles40
Family violence33
Sexual violence33
Burglary16
Vehicle theft6
Armed robbery0
Theft without violence67
Fraud48
Drug use15
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.
10.1
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
16.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
314
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.2%
of the index rests on the département’s average, used where small counts aren’t published
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
HousingCost of living C
Gravelines is graded a C for cost of living
€1,932/m²median sale price
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Apartments in Gravelines sell for €1,743/m², houses for €1,955/m². 316 sales of houses and apartments here, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,932/m². Houses accounted for 84% of sales, apartments for the rest.
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Gravelines€1,932/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,955/m²
264
Apartments
€1,743/m²
52
€12.07/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.28 to €15.70/m² a month)
5.8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.20/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,270
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Gravelines skews young, with 13% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than in Nord’s towns and across compared French towns
41.2median age
The 65-and-over age group makes up 18% of residents. Degrees are held by nearly a quarter of adults, below Nord’s towns (26%) and compared French towns (30%) alike. Also worth knowing: at 41.2, the median resident of Gravelines sits in the middle of the age range.
GravelinesNord medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
13%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma25%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
History
Gravelines has 4 historic monuments, 1 classé
4historic monuments
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes from before 1919 make up 5% of the total, below Nord’s towns (6.3%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike. Among the classé monuments in Gravelines is Vestiges anciens de la ville. The oldest protected building goes back to the 19th century.
Florian Billant: Bigmatbasket, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Charles Valentin: Archives de l'Assemblée Nationale., CC BY-SA 4.0
About Gravelines
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Gravelines is a commune of 11,430 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
11,430 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté urbaine de Dunkerque
Département
Nord (59)
Région
Hauts-de-France
Area
8 sq mi (20.8 km²)
INSEE code
59273
Gravelines’ 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 Gravelines
Is Gravelines safe?
It grades C for safety, #112 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 16 burglaries and 133 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Gravelines good?
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.
Is Gravelines expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,932/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.07/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Gravelines 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.
