The picture is mixed. Safety is its strong suit — an average of 6.9 recorded violent incidents and 8.1 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. With a B overall, Hondschoote sits #28 of 189 in Nord. On that grade it does better than 63% of compared French towns. Jobs and pay trail most towns: 0.5 jobs per working resident; 10.8% unemployment. At €1,743/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 4.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes des Hauts de Flandre. Health lags (D): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 4% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns.
Figures: recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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 Hondschoote 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 Hondschoote.
HealthHealth D
Hondschoote’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 86% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Adjusted mortality in Hondschoote: 104 deaths for every 100 expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 401 deaths locally from 2016 to 2025; there were 628, 57% more. The nearest emergency department to Hondschoote is Centre hospitalier de Dunkerque, 9.2 mi away. Average lifespans in Nord: 84.5 years for women, 78.8 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally.
+4%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw157
Adjusted104
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Hondschoote · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
9.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Dunkerque
9.2 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
Crime per resident in Hondschoote runs lower than in 82% of compared French towns
All told, Hondschoote had 48 recorded offenses in 2025. Of the graded crimes locally, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
6.9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearA−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage21
Family violence11
Sexual violence10
Other physical violence6
Armed robbery0
Fraud19
Theft without violence8
Drug use8
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.
6.9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
8.1
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
48
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
12.2%
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 · For burglary, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, the count isn’t published when it’s small (five or fewer in a year of the last three), so the index uses the département’s average, 12.2% of the index here. Because that share is over 10%, this Safety Grade is less sure than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
On foot, Hondschoote works better than four in five compared French towns
The median disposable income was €23,730 a year per consumption unit, near Nord’s towns (€23,900) and lower than compared French towns (€25,970). Unemployment stands at 10.8%. At the census, 3.7% of working residents in Hondschoote went to work by public transport.
12%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving84%
On foot6%
Public transport4%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
800
jobs based in Hondschoote, 0.5 per working resident
10.8%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,730
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 81% of compared French towns
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
3 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 1991
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Before 1919: that is when 13% of homes were built. Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 1991. The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Hondschoote: 2 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). Among the classé monuments here is Église Saint-Vaast.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in Hondschoote than in Nord’s towns or across compared French towns: 21% of adults
Children are nearly a fifth of the town. The median resident of Hondschoote is 43 years old. 12% of residents are 15 to 24, close to Nord’s towns (12%) and above compared French towns (11%).
43median age
HondschooteNord medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
12%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma25%
CAP or BEP26%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education21%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 94 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Nord 51.9%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Nord median and France median: the median of compared communes
HousingCost of living B−
Hondschoote gets a B− for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €1,743/m², comes from 132 sales of houses and apartments in Hondschoote from July 2023 to June 2026. Estimated advertised rent for houses: €9.94/m² a month. Advertised rents are estimated at €12.46/m² a month, above Nord’s towns (€11.81/m²) and close to compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
€1,743/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Hondschoote€1,743/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,743/m²
132
€12.46/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.72 to €15.99/m² a month)
4.7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.94/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,130
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Hauts de Flandre
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Hondschoote
Is Hondschoote safe?
It grades A− for safety, #14 of 189 in Nord.
Are schools in Hondschoote good?
They grade A−, better than 75% of compared French towns and #48 of 195 in Nord. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Hondschoote expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,743/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Hondschoote grades B− for cost of living.
About Hondschoote
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Hondschoote is a commune of 3,957 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.
