FR Cette page existe en français : Essay en français → Votre navigateur est réglé en français. Votre choix est retenu pour les prochaines pages. La Chapelle-près-Sées Larré Hauterive EssayOrne A town of 556 in Orne, Normandy.
Is Essay a good place to live? Essay is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
Essay’s grade
Overall Not graded
Why Too small to grade
Chapelle des ducs d'Alençon · Inscrit · Photo: Pradigue · CC BY-SA 3.0
Essay’s story
Essay in pictures
The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Essay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1975.
Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2002.
32% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
1975 First protected: Chapelle des ducs d'Alençon 2002 The protected historic area is created 2008 Most recently protected: Domaine de Beaufossé (également sur commune de Boitron) Explore the history →
The data Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Essay.
Who lives here
Few people in Essay are 65 or over: 19%, below Orne’s towns and compared French towns Essay sits below both Orne’s towns (31%) and compared French towns (22%) on this measure. Young adults of 15 to 24 are 13% of the population.
42.5 median age
Ages · share of residents Under 15 15–24 25–44 45–64 65+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education No diploma 19%
CAP or BEP 33%
Baccalauréat 18%
Higher education 26%
Women and men · all residents 49% women, 51% men
Men
About 105 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Orne 52.7%, France 51.8%.
Ages and diplomas in Essay Essay Orne median France median Under 15 18% 14% 17% 15–24 13% 9.4% 11% 25–44 23% 19% 23% 45–64 27% 26% 26% 65+ 19% 31% 22% No diploma 19% 30% 19% CAP or BEP 33% 30% 26% Baccalauréat 18% 15% 18% Higher education 26% 19% 30%
INSEE, census 2023 · Orne median and France median: the median of compared communes
History
Old homes shape Essay: 32% were built before 1919, more than in Orne’s towns or compared French towns France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
That puts Essay above both Orne’s towns (21%) and compared French towns (7.4%). Part of the town has been a protected historic area, a site patrimonial remarquable, since 2002. The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Essay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
2 historic monuments
Monuments by protection · Mérimée Classé 0
Inscrit 2
12th c.
oldest protected part
1975
first monument protected
2002
protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable)
32%
of homes built before 1919 · median town 7.4%
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commute
Only 6.6% of commuters in Essay go to work without a car, fewer than in Orne’s towns and compared French towns On this, Essay is below both Orne’s towns (14.4%) and compared French towns (13.4%). Essay has 100 jobs for 250 working residents, 0.3 per worker.
7% walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023 Driving 86%
On foot 4%
Public transport 1%
Bicycle 1%
Motorbike or scooter 0%
100
jobs based in Essay, 0.3 per working resident
11.2%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,880
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Housing
Renting in Essay costs less than in Orne’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €7.54/m² a month Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
In the comparison, Essay comes below both Orne’s towns (€8.77/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).
€7.54/m² estimated apartment rent a month
Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month Essay €7.54/m²
Median of towns €12.41/m²
Orne median €8.77/m²
€7.54/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€5.70 to €9.97/m² a month)
€7.77/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Nearby attractions Château de Villiers and 4 more in and around Essay Other places to visit and heritage in and near Essay. Best known first.
All attractions → Keep exploring
Everything we know about Essay 12 pages on Essay
Landmarks The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Essay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
All monuments → Photo credits Chapelle des ducs d'Alençon: Photo: Pradigue · CC BY-SA 3.0
Famous people from Essay Wikidata places 4 people here, but for none of them do the articles confirm Essay as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.
How we find them →
How the neighbors grade
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
About Essay Commune in Orne, Normandy
Essay is a commune of 556 people in the Communauté de communes des Sources de l'Orne. 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
Population 556 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality Communauté de communes des Sources de l'Orne
Département Orne (61)
Région Normandy
Area 6.2 sq mi (16 km²)
INSEE code 61156 Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated October 30, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
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.
