Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, home to 10,051 people.
Homes are affordable here, though not without reasons. Health outcomes fall short of most towns: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 21% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. On schools it is strong — bac results 5.9 points above the expected rate; brevet results 3.5 points above the expected rate. At €1,056/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 3.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération de Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane. Walkability is another plus: four in five residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 11% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Put together, the subjects come to a C overall, ranking #48 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. It comes out better than 31% of compared French towns.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · 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.
The 2 things Auchel does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Auchel 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’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Auchel; none is classé, France’s top protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 20th century; the first monument here was protected in 2009.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Auchel.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
For a family doctor, residents of Auchel can choose among 8 GPs. Life expectancy at birth in Pas-de-Calais is 83.5 years for women and 77.5 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. 1,293 deaths here between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 955: 35% above.
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 · The care-home figures behind this are our own model (TownRatings), not official statistics.
Recorded offenses in Auchel came to 295 in 2025. Violence against people ran at 14.2 per 1,000 residents a year and the graded property crimes at 17.1 (2023–2025 average). Also worth knowing: of the graded crimes here, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
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.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Half of residents lived on more than €19,120 a year per consumption unit, below Pas-de-Calais’ towns (€22,665) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. At the census, 5.0% of working residents in Auchel went to work by public transport.
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 2 vocational lycées within 5 km, 91% of 232 candidates passed the bac pro. By results, schools here place #35 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège LavoisierNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 84 | 80%±0 pts |
| Lycée général et technologique LavoisierNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 166 | 93%+2 pts |
| Collège Fréderic Joliot CurieBest against expectations: 13 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 76 | 91%+13 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €1,056/m², comes from 333 sales of houses and apartments in Auchel from July 2023 to June 2026. A house in Auchel goes for €1,064/m², an apartment for €973/m². The sales split: 90% houses, the rest apartments.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,064/m² | 301 |
| Apartments | €973/m² | 32 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The pre-1919 share of homes is 8.2%. Its heritage reaches back to the 20th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Aged 15 to 24: 13% of residents. Children under 15 make up 21%, higher than both Pas-de-Calais’ towns (18%) and compared French towns (17%). Auchel has a median age of 40 years.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pas-de-Calais 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Auchel | Pas-de-Calais median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 13% | 12% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 20% | 20% | 22% |
| No diploma | 31% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 30% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 12% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Pas-de-Calais median and France median: the median of compared communes
The Culture ministry’s list holds 2 historic monuments in Auchel; none is classé, France’s top protection.
Ancienne goutte de lait de la compagnie des mines de Marles: Photo: Felouch Kotek · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monument aux morts de la première guerre mondiale: Photo: Felouch Kotek · CC BY-SA 3.0
15 notable people were born in Auchel.
Fred Personne: Bierologue59, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Angela Behelle: Théodore Roux, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marc Prin: MahautRenard, CC BY-SA 4.0
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auchel | 10,051 | — | C | B+ | C− | D− |
| Cauchy-à-la-Tour | 2,593 | 0.9 | B− | B | A− | D− |
| Marles-les-Mines | 5,411 | 1.3 | C− | B | C+ | D− |
| Calonne-Ricouart | 5,369 | 1.5 | C | B+ | C+ | D− |
| Burbure | 2,834 | 1.9 | B | B+ | A | D− |
| Allouagne | 2,823 | 2.4 | — | B | — | D |
| Lapugnoy | 3,481 | 2.9 | B− | B | A | C |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
It grades C− for safety, #89 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 13 burglaries and 136 acts of criminal damage.
They grade A−, better than 77% of compared French towns and #35 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais. The lycée stands out: 93% of 166 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général et technologique Lavoisier in 2025, 2 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,056/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Auchel grades B+ for cost of living.
Commune in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
Auchel is a commune of 10,051 people in the Communauté d'agglomération de Béthune-Bruay, Artois-Lys Romane. 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 November 4, 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.