Boulogne-sur-Mer grades low on several counts. The weak point is safety (D−) — an average of 19 recorded violent incidents and 28.3 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. With a C− overall, Boulogne-sur-Mer sits #68 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. Set against the rest, it does better than a fifth of compared French towns. Its strongest is walkability — 99% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 30% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Buying 70 m² at the median €1,638/m² takes 5 years of the median income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais. Pupils here do better than most: bac results 1.2 points above the expected rate; brevet results 5.1 points above the expected rate. Residents’ health trails most towns: after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 14% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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 Boulogne-sur-Mer 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 Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Safety
Crime per resident in Boulogne-sur-Mer runs higher than in 98% of compared French towns
In all, 1,989 offenses reached the police record in Boulogne-sur-Mer in 2025. With 22,600 jobs for 14,400 working residents, Boulogne-sur-Mer draws people in from neighbouring communes.
19recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearD−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage693
Other physical violence362
Family violence352
Theft from vehicles196
Burglary190
Sexual violence153
Vehicle theft43
Drug use694
Theft without violence407
Fraud197
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.
19
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
28.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
1,989
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.1%
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 armed robbery, 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, 0.1% 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.
Work & commuteJobs & income D
Unemployment in Boulogne-sur-Mer, 21.6%, runs above Pas-de-Calais’ towns and compared French towns
Median disposable income is €19,800 a year for each consumption unit. 2.5% of Boulogne-sur-Mer’s working residents had no journey to work at the census.
30%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving66%
On foot19%
Public transport9%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
22,600
jobs based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, 1.6 per working resident
21.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€19,800
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
2%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A+
Walkability: better than 97% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
HealthHealth D
Boulogne-sur-Mer has a higher adjusted death rate than 94% of compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Adjusted for age and care homes, Boulogne-sur-Mer records 114 deaths per 100 expected, near Pas-de-Calais’ towns (115) and higher than compared French towns (88). 4,752 deaths locally between 2016 and 2025, where France’s rates at each age predict 3,450: 38% above. Average lifespans in Pas-de-Calais: 83.5 years for women, 77.5 for men (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 nationally. There are 40 general practitioners here.
+14%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw138
Adjusted114
Median town88
Expected100
40
GPs in Boulogne-sur-Mer · 4.7 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Centre hospitalier Duchenne de Boulogne Sur Mer
1.1 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier Duchenne de Boulogne Sur Mer
83.5 · 77.5
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pas-de-Calais, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Schools around Boulogne-sur-Mer do better than those of 85% of compared French towns
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the collèges within 5 km of Boulogne-sur-Mer, 90.1% passed the brevet, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns (86.1%) and compared French towns (87.5%) alike. Ranked by results, schools here are #19 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais.
98%passed the bac (general and technological)ASchool Grade
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
HousingCost of living C+
Median price in Boulogne-sur-Mer: €1,638/m²
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses in Boulogne-sur-Mer sell for €1,596/m² and apartments for €1,667/m². 1,348 houses and apartments changed hands locally from July 2023 to June 2026. Also worth knowing: a house rents for an estimated €9.54/m² a month.
€1,638/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Boulogne-sur-Mer€1,638/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pas-de-Calais median€1,668/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,596/m²
563
Apartments
€1,667/m²
785
€11.45/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.22 to €14.23/m² a month)
5
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€9.54/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€22,740
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
A young town: 15% of people in Boulogne-sur-Mer are 15 to 24, more than in both Pas-de-Calais’ towns and compared French towns
Just over a fifth of adults hold a degree. Children under 15 make up 17%, about level with compared French towns (17%) and below Pas-de-Calais’ towns (18%). The middle age in Boulogne-sur-Mer is 39.8.
39.8median age
Boulogne-sur-MerPas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
15%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma30%
CAP or BEP24%
Baccalauréat17%
Higher education22%
Women and men · all residents
53% women, 47% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 89 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pas-de-Calais 52.0%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Pas-de-Calais median and France median: the median of compared communes
History
13 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 2005
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The earliest of these monuments dates from the 11th century. A protected historic area (site patrimonial remarquable) has covered part of the town since 2005. 6.1% of its homes were built before 1919, between Pas-de-Calais’ towns (4.2%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Château d'Aumont: Photo: Marc Ryckaert MJJR · CC BY 3.0 · Hôtel Desandrouins, dit aussi Palais Impérial: Photo: MOSSOT · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Porte des Degrés: Photo: This illustration was made by Peter Potrowl . · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Porte Gayolle: Photo: This illustration was made by Peter Potrowl . · CC BY-SA 3.0
Franck Ribéry: Sven Mandel, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Godefroy de Bouillon: Maître de Fauvel, Public domain · Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve: Bertall, Public domain · Jean-Pierre Papin: Leo Medvedev/Лев Леонидович Медведев, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Auguste Mariette: Nadar, Public domain · Stéphane Lannoy: Alfonso Jimenez from Manchester, United Kingdom, CC BY-SA 2.0
Boulogne-sur-Mer’s 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 Boulogne-sur-Mer
Is Boulogne-sur-Mer safe?
It grades D− for safety, #113 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 190 burglaries and 693 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Boulogne-sur-Mer good?
They grade A, better than 85% of compared French towns and #19 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais. The lycée stands out: 97% of 379 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général et technologique Mariette 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.
Is Boulogne-sur-Mer expensive to live in?
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €11.45/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Boulogne-sur-Mer grades C+ for cost of living.
About Boulogne-sur-Mer
Commune in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
Boulogne-sur-Mer is a commune of 40,539 people in the Communauté d'agglomération du Boulonnais. 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.
