Strong in places, weak in others. Ardres’s overall B puts it #15 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. Nationally, it does better than 62% of compared French towns. Its best grade is for schools — brevet results 3.2 points above the expected rate. Recorded crime is low: an average of 8 recorded violent incidents and 8.3 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 (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 18% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €1,968/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes Pays d'Opale. It lags on jobs & income as well (C−): 0.8 jobs per working resident; 14.1% unemployment.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · employment, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
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 Ardres 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 Ardres.
HealthHealth D−
Allowing for age and care homes, Ardres sees more deaths than Pas-de-Calais’ towns or compared French towns: 118 per 100 expected
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Average lifespans in Pas-de-Calais: 83.5 years for women, 77.5 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. 553 deaths in Ardres between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 396: 40% above. The nearest emergency department to Ardres is Centre hospitalier de Calais, 6.4 mi away. There are 4 general practitioners here.
+18%deaths against expected, after care homesD−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw140
Adjusted118
Median town88
Expected100
4
GPs in Ardres · 1.4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
6.4 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier de Calais
6.4 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Calais
83.5 · 77.5
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pas-de-Calais, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Brevet results near Ardres run high: 96.7% passed, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns and compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
The closest lycée for the general bac is 7.4 mi off. Its collèges and lycées rank #12 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais on results. Also worth knowing: the town’s pupils have a collège 1.1 mi away.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Safety
Ardres sees less crime per resident than 75% of compared French towns
The 2025 count: 79 offenses in Ardres. The commonest graded crime in the town was criminal damage (2025).
8recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearA−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage32
Family violence28
Other physical violence19
Armed robbery0
Fraud20
Drug use15
Theft without violence11
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.
8
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
8.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
79
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
10.3%
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 · Small counts of sexual violence, burglary, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 10.3% 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.
History
4 historic monuments in Ardres, 2 classé
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Homes from before 1919 make up nearly a tenth of the total. Among the classé monuments in Ardres is Bastion Condette aussi dénommé bastion Royal. The earliest of these monuments dates from the 16th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Work & commuteJobs & income C−
Ardres has higher unemployment than Pas-de-Calais’ towns or compared French towns: 14.1%
Half of residents lived on more than €24,410 a year per consumption unit, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns (€22,665) but below compared French towns (€25,970). No commute at all: 4.7% of working residents in Ardres at the census.
9%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving85%
On foot6%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle1%
1,250
jobs based in Ardres, 0.8 per working resident
14.1%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€24,410
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 58% of compared French towns
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A typical mix of ages for France
Nearly a quarter of adults hold a degree, between Pas-de-Calais’ towns (22%) and compared French towns (30%). Young adults of 15 to 24 are a tenth of the population. The age that splits Ardres in two is 45.2.
45.2median age
ArdresPas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
10%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma23%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education24%
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%.
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Ardres
Is Ardres safe?
It grades A− for safety, #22 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais.
Are schools in Ardres good?
They grade A, better than 94% of compared French towns and #12 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Ardres expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,968/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Ardres grades B− for cost of living.
About Ardres
Commune in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
Ardres is a commune of 4,389 people in the Communauté de communes Pays d'Opale. 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.
