Some subjects shine; others lag. Health is its weak spot — after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 9% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Work and incomes lag: 1.5 jobs per working resident; 15.5% unemployment. Pupils here do better than most (A−): bac results 1.9 points above the expected rate; brevet results 0.7 points above the expected rate. Cost of living is a strength too: at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.4 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. The overall grade lands at C+, better than 39% of compared French towns. That places it #36 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment, 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 Aire-sur-la-Lys 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 Aire-sur-la-Lys.
History
More protected monuments for its size in Aire-sur-la-Lys than in Pas-de-Calais or compared French towns: 24 per 10,000 residents
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Since 1988, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area. On the Culture ministry’s list, Aire-sur-la-Lys counts 23 historic monuments: 5 classé at the top level of protection and 18 inscrit at the second. Among the classé monuments in the town is Église Saint-Pierre. The protected list starts in the 10th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth D
Aire-sur-la-Lys records 109 deaths for every 100 its ages predict, against 115 in Pas-de-Calais’ towns and 88 in compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
1,361 deaths in Aire-sur-la-Lys between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 976: 40% above. In Pas-de-Calais, life expectancy at birth reaches 83.5 years for women and 77.5 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. Also worth knowing: for a family doctor, residents of Aire-sur-la-Lys can choose among 8 GPs. The nearest emergency department to Aire-sur-la-Lys is Centre hospitalier de la Region de Saint Omer, 7.9 mi away.
+9%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw140
Adjusted109
Median town88
Expected100
8
GPs in Aire-sur-la-Lys · 4.2 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
7.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de la Region de Saint Omer
7.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de la Region de Saint Omer
83.5 · 77.5
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pas-de-Calais, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Bac results near Aire-sur-la-Lys run high: 98.4% passed, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns and compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Near Aire-sur-la-Lys, 91.3% of collège pupils passed the brevet, higher than both Pas-de-Calais’ towns (86.1%) and compared French towns (87.5%). At the vocational lycée within 5 km, 95% of 37 candidates passed the bac pro. Its schools’ results rank #24 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais.
99%passed the bac (general and technological)A−School Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
For crime per resident, Aire-sur-la-Lys sits above 76% of compared French towns
The police record for Aire-sur-la-Lys lists 293 offenses in 2025. The town has 5,150 jobs for 3,450 working residents, so people come in from nearby communes to work. Violence against people averaged 15.5 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 13. Criminal damage topped the graded crimes in Aire-sur-la-Lys (2025).
15.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage105
Family violence64
Other physical violence62
Sexual violence28
Burglary25
Vehicle theft9
Armed robbery0
Fraud64
Theft without violence48
Drug use32
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.
15.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
13
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
293
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.9%
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 theft from vehicles, 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, 0.9% of the index here. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher.
HousingCost of living B+
Estimated advertised rents run lower in Aire-sur-la-Lys than in Pas-de-Calais’ towns or across compared French towns: €10.05/m² a month
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
308 sales of houses and apartments in Aire-sur-la-Lys, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,462/m². Of the homes sold, 93% were houses.
€1,462/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Aire-sur-la-Lys€1,462/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pas-de-Calais median€1,668/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,495/m²
285
€10.05/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€8.01 to €12.61/m² a month)
4.4
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€7.93/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€23,440
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Aire-sur-la-Lys has higher unemployment than Pas-de-Calais’ towns or compared French towns: 15.5%
Households’ median disposable income: €23,150 a year per consumption unit. At the census, 2.2% of working residents in Aire-sur-la-Lys went to work by public transport.
11%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving84%
On foot6%
Bicycle2%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
5,150
jobs based in Aire-sur-la-Lys, 1.5 per working resident
15.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,150
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
5%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
B
Walkability: better than 60% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for France
23% of adults hold a degree, about level with Pas-de-Calais’ towns (22%) and below compared French towns (30%). The middle age in Aire-sur-la-Lys is 45.5. People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town.
45.5median age
Aire-sur-la-LysPas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
22%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma25%
CAP or BEP29%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education23%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 92 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pas-de-Calais 52.0%, France 51.8%.
Michault Taillevent: Unknown author Unknown author, Public domain · Jacques-Vincent: Achille Lemot, Public domain · José Barbara: User:Philippe Truwant, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Maurice Berger: Agence de presse Meurisse, Public domain · Arthur Guillemin: Fratelli d'Alessandri, Public domain
Aire-sur-la-Lys’ 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 Aire-sur-la-Lys
Is Aire-sur-la-Lys safe?
It grades C− for safety, #70 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 25 burglaries and 105 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Aire-sur-la-Lys good?
They grade A−, better than 83% of compared French towns and #24 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais. The lycée stands out: 99% of 213 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Vauban in 2025, a point above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Aire-sur-la-Lys expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,462/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Aire-sur-la-Lys grades B+ for cost of living.
About Aire-sur-la-Lys
Commune in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
Aire-sur-la-Lys is a commune of 9,598 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer. 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.
