Hem grades C overall: better than 31% of compared French towns, and #83 of 189 in Nord. Its weakest subject is cost of living (D): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 8 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Its strongest is walkability (A): 99% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 15% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
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 Hem 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 Hem.
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
More people in Hem are out of work than in Nord’s towns or across compared French towns: 15.5%
Hem sits above both Nord’s towns (13.2%) and compared French towns (10.1%) on this measure. Hem has 5,250 jobs for 7,150 working residents, 0.7 per worker.
15%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving81%
Public transport7%
On foot4%
Bicycle4%
Motorbike or scooter1%
5,250
jobs based in Hem, 0.7 per working resident
15.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€25,750
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
HousingCost of living D
Renting in Hem costs more than in Nord’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €14.00/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
That puts Hem above both Nord’s towns (€11.81/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €2,778/m², comes from 463 sales of houses and apartments in Hem from July 2023 to June 2026.
€2,778/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Hem€2,778/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,775/m²
435
€14.00/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.27 to €17.39/m² a month)
8
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€12.63/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€24,430
median annual income per consumption unit, Métropole Européenne de Lille
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Allowing for age and care homes, Hem sees fewer deaths than Nord’s towns or compared French towns: 80 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
On this, Hem is below both Nord’s towns (105) and compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 1,537 residents of Hem died, against 1,715 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 10% fewer. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−20%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw90
Adjusted80
Median town88
Expected100
31
GPs in Hem · 6.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
1.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Victor Provo Roubaix
1.4 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Victor Provo Roubaix
84.5 · 78.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Nord, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Hem has more crime per resident than 68% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 473 offenses in the graded categories in Hem in 2025. For armed robbery, 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, 0.2% of the index here.
6recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage137
Vehicle theft114
Burglary67
Other physical violence53
Theft from vehicles52
Family violence30
Sexual violence20
Fraud95
Theft without violence55
Drug use40
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.
6
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
19.8
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
473
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
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
History
2 historic monuments, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Hem: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). 3.8% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Hem
Is Hem safe?
It grades C for safety, #105 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 67 burglaries and 137 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Hem good?
They grade B−, better than 47% of compared French towns and #116 of 195 in Nord. 89% of 178 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Maxence Van Der Meersch in 2025, a point below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Hem expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,778/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Hem grades D for cost of living.
About Hem
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Hem is a commune of 18,582 people in the Métropole Européenne de Lille. 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.
