Méru grades D− overall: better than 4% of compared French towns, and #51 of 56 in Oise. At the median price of €2,376/m², a 70 m² home costs 6.3 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté de communes des Sablons. Its strongest is walkability (A): 88% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 28% 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 Méru 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 Méru.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
More people in Méru are out of work than in Oise’s towns or across compared French towns: 17.7%
Méru sits above both Oise’s towns (10.8%) and compared French towns (10.1%) on this measure. 28.3% of commuters went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport at the census.
28%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving68%
Public transport19%
On foot8%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle1%
5,600
jobs based in Méru, 1.1 per working resident
17.7%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,160
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 94% of compared French towns
INSEE, census 2023 · Oise median and France median: the median of compared communes
HealthHealth C−
Méru’s death rate, adjusted for age and care homes, is higher than in 78% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Adjusted for age and care homes, Méru records 100 deaths per 100 expected, close to Oise’s towns (97) and above compared French towns (88). From 2016 to 2025, 1,238 residents of Méru died, against 926 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 34% more. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic.
−0%deaths against expected, after care homesC−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw134
Adjusted100
Median town88
Expected100
4
GPs in Méru · 1.5 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
9.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital Novo site Beaumont Ex Carnelle Porte de L Oise
8.9 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Clinique Conti
84.5 · 79.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Oise, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €14.47/m² a month, close to Oise’s towns (€13.79/m²) and above compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €2,376/m², comes from 368 sales of houses and apartments in Méru from July 2023 to June 2026. In Méru, houses go for €2,513/m² and apartments for €2,158/m².
€2,376/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Méru€2,376/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Oise median€2,311/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€2,513/m²
258
Apartments
€2,158/m²
110
€14.47/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€11.97 to €17.49/m² a month)
6.3
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€12.71/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€26,310
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Sablons
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Méru has more crime per resident than 69% of compared French towns
Police and gendarmerie recorded 346 offenses in the graded categories in Méru 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.
12.1recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearCSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage99
Family violence64
Sexual violence52
Other physical violence49
Vehicle theft29
Theft from vehicles28
Burglary25
Fraud83
Theft without violence59
Drug use41
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.
12.1
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
14
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
346
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
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Méru
Is Méru safe?
It grades C for safety, #38 of 56 in Oise. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 25 burglaries and 99 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Méru good?
They grade D, better than 14% of compared French towns and #39 of 55 in Oise. 89% of 283 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Condorcet 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 Méru expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns, so Méru grades C− for cost of living.
About Méru
Commune in Oise, Hauts-de-France
Méru is a commune of 13,897 people in the Communauté de communes des Sablons. 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.
