A town of contrasts. Its weakest subject is health: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 1% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At B− overall, Orchies ranks #56 of 189 in Nord. Set against the rest, it does better than 45% of compared French towns. Safety is weaker too — an average of 13.7 recorded violent incidents and 15.7 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Schools do well: bac results 1.6 points above the expected rate; brevet results 2.1 points above the expected rate. It also does well on walkability: 93% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 22% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Buying 70 m² at the median €2,235/m² takes 5.3 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes Pévèle-Carembault.
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 Orchies 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 Orchies.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
Orchies is easier to get around on foot than nine in ten compared French towns
At the census, 22.2% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, above Nord’s towns (13.0%) and compared French towns (13.4%) alike. 3,800 jobs are based in Orchies, for 3,650 working residents (1 per worker). The typical income here, after tax and benefits, is €24,880 a year per consumption unit.
22%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving74%
Public transport13%
On foot6%
Bicycle3%
Motorbike or scooter1%
3,800
jobs based in Orchies, 1 per working resident
13.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,880
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 93% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Schools
Brevet results near Orchies run high: 96.2% passed, above Nord’s towns and compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Orchies, 97.7% passed the bac, higher than both Nord’s towns (90.4%) and compared French towns (92.9%). Results rank its schools #6 of 195 in Nord.
99%passed the bac (general and technological)ASchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C−
Orchies has a higher adjusted death rate than four in five compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Its care home for older people (140 places) counts its residents as Orchies’; allowing for it, deaths were 1% above expected. 882 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 726: 21% above. The nearest emergency department to Orchies is Centre hospitalier de Seclin, 11.2 mi away. For a family doctor, residents of Orchies can choose among 12 GPs.
+1%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw121
Adjusted101
Median town88
Expected100
12
GPs in Orchies · 5.9 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
11.2 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Seclin
11.2 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Douai Dechy
84.5 · 78.8
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Nord, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Crime per resident in Orchies runs higher than in 80% of compared French towns
Of the graded crimes in Orchies, family violence came up most often (2025). 276 offenses were reported in Orchies during 2025.
13.7recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Family violence72
Criminal damage61
Sexual violence45
Other physical violence42
Vehicle theft29
Theft from vehicles14
Burglary13
Drug use237
Theft without violence60
Fraud51
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.
13.7
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
15.7
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
276
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.4%
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, 0.4% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Who lives here
Orchies skews young, with 13% of residents aged 15 to 24, more than in Nord’s towns and across compared French towns
16% are under 15, below both Nord’s towns (19%) and compared French towns (17%). Those 65 and older account for 18% of residents. Half of Orchies is older than 41.6, half younger.
41.6median age
OrchiesNord medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
13%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma23%
CAP or BEP25%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education29%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 88 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
History
2 historic monuments, 1 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Orchies is Tour à diables. The protected list starts in the 13th century. 3.8% of its homes were built before 1919, below both Nord’s towns (6.3%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living B−
Renting in Orchies costs more than in Nord’s towns and across compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €13.89/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
271 sales of houses and apartments in Orchies, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €2,235/m². The split here: €2,265/m² for houses, €2,200/m² for apartments. Houses made up 83% of the homes sold; apartments the rest.
€2,235/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Orchies€2,235/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,265/m²
226
Apartments
€2,200/m²
45
€13.89/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.21 to €17.22/m² a month)
5.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.17/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€29,620
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes Pévèle-Carembault
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Orchies
Is Orchies safe?
It grades C− for safety, #131 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 13 burglaries and 61 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Orchies good?
They grade A, better than 92% of compared French towns and #6 of 195 in Nord. The lycée stands out: 99% of 86 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Notre-Dame de la Providence in 2025, 2 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Orchies expensive to live in?
Prices are close to the median of compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €2,235/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Orchies grades B− for cost of living.
About Orchies
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Orchies is a commune of 8,396 people in the Communauté de communes Pévèle-Carembault. 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.
