A good place to live, if you can afford it. Households here earn well: 1.3 jobs per working resident; 9.2% unemployment. Buying in is costly (D−): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 10.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Overall, that makes a B+, good for #23 of 189 in Nord. On that grade it does better than two thirds of compared French towns.
Figures: employment, INSEE census 2023 · 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 Marcq-en-Barœul 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 Marcq-en-Barœul.
HousingCost of living D−
Homes in Marcq-en-Barœul cost more than in both Nord’s towns and compared French towns, with a median sale of €3,723/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In Marcq-en-Barœul, houses go for €4,167/m² and apartments for €3,370/m². The town is the second most expensive of the 200 towns in Nord, at €3,723/m². The estimated advertised rent is €15.53/m² a month, above both Nord’s towns (€11.81/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
€3,723/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Marcq-en-Barœul€3,723/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€4,167/m²
946
Apartments
€3,370/m²
702
€15.53/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€12.71 to €18.97/m² a month)
10.7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€14.63/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
Work & commuteJobs & income A
Incomes in Marcq-en-Barœul run higher than in both Nord’s towns and compared French towns: a median €33,330 a year per consumption unit
The census found 30.8% of commuters going to work on foot, by bike or by public transport. Nearly a tenth of the labour force were unemployed, below both Nord’s towns (13.2%) and compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 3.9% of working residents in Marcq-en-Barœul didn’t travel to work at all.
31%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving64%
Public transport18%
Bicycle7%
On foot6%
Motorbike or scooter1%
23,650
jobs based in Marcq-en-Barœul, 1.3 per working resident
9.2%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€33,330
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 96% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth B+
Fewer deaths than Marcq-en-Barœul’s ages would predict, 82 per 100 expected, under Nord’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Marcq-en-Barœul has 55 family doctors. Life expectancy at birth in Nord is 84.5 years for women and 78.8 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. 3,651 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 3,877: 6% below.
−18%deaths against expected, after care homesB+Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw94
Adjusted82
Median town88
Expected100
55
GPs in Marcq-en-Barœul · 5.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
3.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Etablissement de Sante Saint Vincent Lille
2.8 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Hopital Prive de Villeneuve D Ascq
84.5 · 78.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Nord, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
90.1% of candidates passed the brevet at the 26 collèges within 5 km, 1.1 points above the expected rate
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The bac pass rate near Marcq-en-Barœul is 93.4%, above Nord’s towns (90.4%) and close to compared French towns (92.9%). The closest collège is 0.7 mi off. For exam results, it comes #65 of 195 in Nord.
97%passed the bac (general and technological)B+School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
Marcq-en-Barœul has 3 historic monuments, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The protected list starts in the 16th century. Among the classé monuments in Marcq-en-Barœul is Chapelle octogonale. This Nord town has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 2 inscrit, the second level. 2.5% of its homes were built before 1919, below Nord’s towns (6.3%) and compared French towns (7.4%) alike.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Who lives here
More people in Marcq-en-Barœul hold a degree than in Nord’s towns or compared French towns: 58%
People aged 15 to 24 make up just over a tenth of the town, about level with Nord’s towns (12%) and above compared French towns (11%). Ages in Marcq-en-Barœul split evenly at 41.4: half are older, half younger. Under-15s account for 18% of the population.
41.4median age
Marcq-en-BarœulNord medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma12%
CAP or BEP12%
Baccalauréat14%
Higher education58%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 91 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
Safety
Crime per resident in Marcq-en-Barœul is higher than in 57% of compared French towns
Jobs outnumber working residents in Marcq-en-Barœul (23,650 to 17,850): it draws people in from around. 897 offenses were reported in Marcq-en-Barœul during 2025. Violence against people ran at 5.4 per 1,000 residents a year and the graded property crimes at 17.6 (2023–2025 average). Also worth knowing: more of the graded crimes locally were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
5.4recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC+Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage299
Burglary158
Theft from vehicles137
Vehicle theft90
Family violence82
Other physical violence75
Sexual violence56
Theft without violence321
Fraud289
Drug use37
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.
5.4
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
17.6
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
897
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.1%
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 armed robbery, 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, 0.1% of the index here. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Gustave Mesureur: Agence de presse Meurisse, Public domain · Thomas Devaux: Thomas Devaux, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pierre-Étienne Heymann: Rionmagerma, CC BY-SA 4.0
Marcq-en-Barœul’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 Marcq-en-Barœul
Is Marcq-en-Barœul safe?
It grades C+ for safety, #80 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 158 burglaries and 299 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Marcq-en-Barœul good?
They grade B+, better than 66% of compared French towns and #65 of 195 in Nord. 92% of 247 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Yves Kernanec in 2025, 5 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Marcq-en-Barœul expensive to live in?
Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Marcq-en-Barœul grades D− for cost of living.
About Marcq-en-Barœul
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Marcq-en-Barœul is a commune of 40,184 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.
