The data are hard on it. Incomes are on the low side (D−): 0.5 jobs per working resident; 15.5% unemployment. At the median price of €1,918/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.5 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Métropole Européenne de Lille. All told, that adds up to a D overall and a rank of #150 of 189 in Nord. It comes out better than 9% of compared French towns. Crime runs high (D): an average of 10 recorded violent incidents and 26.8 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior).
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 Wattrelos 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 Wattrelos.
Safety
Wattrelos has more crime per resident than 93% of compared French towns
Recorded offenses in Wattrelos came to 1,401 in 2025. More of the graded crimes here were criminal damage than anything else (2025).
10recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage406
Vehicle theft299
Theft from vehicles205
Family violence171
Other physical violence122
Burglary113
Sexual violence85
Fraud191
Theft without violence146
Drug use100
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
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
26.8
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,401
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
under 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, 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, under 0.1% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Work & commuteJobs & income D−
Money is tighter in Wattrelos than in Nord’s towns or compared French towns: the median disposable income is €21,660 a year per consumption unit
15.5% of the labour force were unemployed, higher than both Nord’s towns (13.2%) and compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 15.7% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.
16%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving81%
Public transport9%
On foot4%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
8,350
jobs based in Wattrelos, 0.5 per working resident
15.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€21,660
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 90% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth C
Allowing for age and care homes, deaths in Wattrelos run higher than in 75% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Its five care homes for older people (525 places) count their residents as Wattrelos’; allowing for them, deaths were 2% below expected. France’s death rates at each age would predict 2,872 deaths here from 2016 to 2025; there were 3,407, 19% more. In Nord, life expectancy at birth reaches 84.5 years for women and 78.8 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. Also worth knowing: 32 GPs practise in the town.
−2%deaths against expected, after care homesCHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw119
Adjusted98
Median town88
Expected100
32
GPs in Wattrelos · 4.3 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Victor Provo Roubaix
2.5 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
Children make up 20% of Wattrelos, above Nord’s towns and compared French towns
17% of residents have reached 65. The 15-to-24 age group: 13%, above both Nord’s towns (12%) and compared French towns (11%). The middle age in Wattrelos is 39.1.
39.1median age
WattrelosNord medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
13%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma30%
CAP or BEP26%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education20%
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
HousingCost of living C
Renting in Wattrelos costs more than in Nord’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €14.01/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses in Wattrelos sell for €1,920/m² and apartments for €1,911/m². The median price, €1,918/m², comes from 1,168 sales of houses and apartments here from July 2023 to June 2026. Of the homes sold, 87% were houses.
€1,918/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Wattrelos€1,918/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Nord median€1,810/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,920/m²
1,018
Apartments
€1,911/m²
150
€14.01/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.44 to €17.15/m² a month)
5.5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€10.25/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
History
3 historic monuments in Wattrelos, none of them classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Public buildings, 2 of the 3, make up the bulk. Its oldest listed monument dates from the 19th century. Homes from before 1919 make up 6% of the total, close to Nord’s towns (6.3%) and below compared French towns (7.4%).
Hector Tiberghien: Agence de presse Meurisse, Public domain · Charles Deruyter: Inconnu, Public domain · Stéphanie Loeuillette: Cornilleau, CC BY 3.0 · Victor Provo: Assemblée nationale, CC BY-SA 4.0
Wattrelos’ 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 Wattrelos
Is Wattrelos safe?
It grades D for safety, #166 of 189 in Nord. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 113 burglaries and 406 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Wattrelos good?
They grade B, better than 57% of compared French towns and #94 of 195 in Nord. The lycée stands out: 82% of 140 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Émile Zola 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 Wattrelos expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,918/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Wattrelos grades C for cost of living.
About Wattrelos
Commune in Nord, Hauts-de-France
Wattrelos is a commune of 40,847 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.
