Easy on the wallet, harder on other counts. Its strongest subject is cost of living — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 3.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. It also does well on safety: an average of 3.5 recorded violent incidents and 12.5 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. Residents’ health trails most towns: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 13% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Overall, that makes a B−, good for #15 of 19 in Orne. Nationally, it does better than just over half of compared French towns. Walkability is weaker too — 24% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 6% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023.
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 La Ferté-en-Ouche 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 La Ferté-en-Ouche.
History
La Ferté-en-Ouche keeps more of its old housing than Orne’s towns or compared French towns: 34% built before 1919
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Per 10,000 residents, La Ferté-en-Ouche counts 20 protected monuments, above both Orne’s towns (14) and compared French towns (2.5). The town has 6 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 3 classé, the highest protection, and 3 inscrit, the second level. The earliest of these monuments dates from prehistory.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth D
Allowing for age and care homes, La Ferté-en-Ouche sees more deaths than Orne’s towns or compared French towns: 113 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
There are 3 general practitioners in La Ferté-en-Ouche. The nearest emergency department to La Ferté-en-Ouche is Centre hospitalier de L Aigle, 7.5 mi away. 453 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 355: 27% above. Life expectancy at birth in Orne is 84.6 years for women and 79.6 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France.
+13%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw127
Adjusted113
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in La Ferté-en-Ouche · 2.1 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.5 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de L Aigle
7.5 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de L Aigle
84.6 · 79.6
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Orne, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
On foot, La Ferté-en-Ouche works less well than 86% of compared French towns
5.6% of commuters left the car at home at the census, walking, cycling or taking public transport. La Ferté-en-Ouche has 800 jobs for 1,150 working residents, 0.7 per worker. The median disposable income was €24,520 a year per consumption unit, near Orne’s towns (€23,600) and lower than compared French towns (€25,970).
6%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving84%
On foot3%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle1%
800
jobs based in La Ferté-en-Ouche, 0.7 per working resident
11.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,520
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
9%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
D
Walkability: better than 14% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living A
The middle sale price in La Ferté-en-Ouche: €1,319/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The estimated advertised rent is €9.04/m² a month, about level with Orne’s towns (€8.77/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). House rents are put at about €6.11/m² a month. Also worth knowing: la Ferté-en-Ouche recorded 144 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026.
€1,319/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
La Ferté-en-Ouche€1,319/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Orne median€1,331/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,319/m²
144
€9.04/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.22 to €11.33/m² a month)
3.9
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€6.11/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,760
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes des Pays de L'Aigle
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Crime per resident in La Ferté-en-Ouche runs lower than in 77% of compared French towns
Over 2025, La Ferté-en-Ouche logged 47 recorded offenses. In 2025, criminal damage led the graded crimes locally.
3.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearA−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage15
Family violence14
Burglary13
Other physical violence5
Armed robbery0
Fraud15
Theft without violence14
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.
3.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
12.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
47
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
12.6%
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 sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles, 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, 12.6% of the index here. That estimated share passes 10%, so treat this Safety Grade with more caution than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Who lives here
Degrees are less common in La Ferté-en-Ouche than in Orne’s towns or across compared French towns: 16% of adults
People 65 and over make up 27% of the town, lower than Orne’s towns (31%) yet higher than compared French towns (22%). La Ferté-en-Ouche has a median age of 49.4. Those aged 15 to 24 account for nearly one in ten residents.
49.4median age
La Ferté-en-OucheOrne medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
27%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma30%
CAP or BEP34%
Baccalauréat15%
Higher education16%
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About an even split. Median share of women: Orne 52.7%, France 51.8%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about La Ferté-en-Ouche
Is La Ferté-en-Ouche safe?
It grades A− for safety, #6 of 19 in Orne. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 13 burglaries and 15 acts of criminal damage.
Is La Ferté-en-Ouche expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so La Ferté-en-Ouche grades A for cost of living.
About La Ferté-en-Ouche
Commune in Orne, Normandy
La Ferté-en-Ouche is a commune of 2,938 people in the Communauté de communes des Pays de L'Aigle. 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.
