Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 1,827 in Orne, Normandy.
Messei has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents. Its weakest subject is walkability (C): 62% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 4% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Its strongest is cost of living (A): at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 3.9 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
The 2 things Messei does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Messei 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.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Messei, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 11th century; the first monument here was protected in 1975.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Messei.
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
That is the middle of 70 sales of houses and apartments in Messei from July 2023 to June 2026, against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns and €1,331/m² for the median of compared towns in Orne.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,334/m² | 70 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
9.6% of residents are 15 to 24 and 30% are 65 or over, against 9.4% and 31% in the median compared commune of Orne. 20% of adults who have left education hold a higher-education diploma (Orne 19%, France 30%).
51% women, 49% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Orne 52.7%, France 51.8%.
| Messei | Orne median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 14% | 14% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 9.6% | 9.4% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 19% | 19% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 30% | 31% | 22% |
| No diploma | 24% | 30% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 35% | 30% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 16% | 15% | 18% |
| Higher education | 20% | 19% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Orne median and France median: the median of compared communes
Messei sits below both Orne’s towns (14.4%) and compared French towns (13.4%) on this measure. 8.1% of the labour force are out of work. Messei has 500 jobs for 750 working residents, 0.7 per worker.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Messei, 93.6% passed the bac, close to both Orne’s towns (94.2%) and compared French towns (92.9%).
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Jean MonnetNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 88 | 74%−5 pts |
| Lycée Jean GuéhennoNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 206 | 92%−3 pts |
| Lycée Saint-Thomas d'Aquin PrivateBest against expectations: 6 points above the expected rateVocational lycée | Vocational lycée | 38 | 100%+6 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Messei, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 177 residents of Messei died, against 203 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 13% fewer. The adjustment lowers most towns’ figures, so the comparison is what counts: the median of compared French towns is 12% below expected. The care-home adjustment is a TownRatings modeling step, not an official statistic. A less sure grade: it could be anywhere from C to A−.
Source: INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025; DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage, museums and family days out in and near Messei. Best known first.
MuseumMusée du château de Flers4.9 km northwest, in FlersChâteauChâteauChâteau de Flers5 km northwest, in FlersMuseumMuseumMusée du Château de Flers5 km northwest, in FlersWater parkWater parkCentre Aquatique Cap Fl'o3.9 km northwest, in FlersChâteauChâteauChâteau du Hazé4.3 km northwest, in FlersPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Messei has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Vestiges de l'ancien château avec ses deux mottes féodales: Photo: Auteur inconnu Unknown author · Public domain
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Messei yet.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Messei | 1,827 | — | — | A | — | B− |
| Flers | 14,432 | 2.4 | B− | A | C | C+ |
| Saint-Georges-des-Groseillers | 3,173 | 3.7 | A | A | A+ | B |
| Athis-Val de Rouvre | 4,201 | 6.5 | A+ | A | A+ | B+ |
| Tinchebray-Bocage | 4,813 | 8.9 | A+ | A+ | A+ | B |
| Domfront en Poiraie | 4,113 | 9.9 | A+ | A | A− | B− |
| Condé-en-Normandie Calvados | 5,985 | 10 | C+ | A | C | C− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Messei has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 2.8 recorded violent incidents and 2.9 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade C+, better than 37% of compared French towns. 92% of 206 candidates passed the bac at Lycée Jean Guéhenno in 2025, 3 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €7.91/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Messei grades A for cost of living.
Commune in Orne, Normandy
Messei is a commune of 1,827 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Flers Agglo. 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
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · 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.