Grenay grades D− overall: behind almost every compared French town, and #118 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. Its weakest subject is health (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 46% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. At the median price of €1,434/m², a 70 m² home costs 4.7 times the median annual income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size) in the Communauté d'agglomération de Lens - Liévin. Its strongest is walkability (A−): 90% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 12% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work.
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 Grenay 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 Grenay.
HealthHealth D−
More deaths than Grenay’s ages would predict, 146 per 100 expected, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
At birth, a girl in Pas-de-Calais can expect 83.5 years and a boy 77.5 (2025); across France, 85.9 and 80.3. France’s death rates at each age would predict 419 deaths in Grenay from 2016 to 2025; there were 611, 46% more. The town has 6 family doctors.
+46%deaths against expected, after care homesD−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw146
Adjusted146
Median town88
Expected100
6
GPs in Grenay · 4 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
2.9 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Hopital de Riaumont
3.3 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Centre hospitalier de Lens
83.5 · 77.5
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Pas-de-Calais, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Crime per resident in Grenay runs higher than in 92% of compared French towns
All told, Grenay had 211 recorded offenses in 2025. Per 1,000 residents a year, there were 17.1 cases of violence against people and 19.3 graded property crimes (2023–2025 average). The commonest graded crime here was burglary (2025).
17.1recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearDSafety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Burglary57
Family violence44
Criminal damage36
Other physical violence25
Sexual violence21
Theft from vehicles18
Vehicle theft10
Fraud38
Theft without violence28
Drug use20
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.
17.1
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
19.3
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
211
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
0.4%
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 · When armed robbery number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (0.4% of the index here). The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Who lives here
Fewer people in Grenay hold a degree than in Pas-de-Calais’ towns or compared French towns: 10%
14% of residents are 65 or over. Children under 15 make up 22%, above both Pas-de-Calais’ towns (18%) and compared French towns (17%). On top of that, people aged 15 to 24 are 13% of the population.
36.5median age
GrenayPas-de-Calais medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
13%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma30%
CAP or BEP34%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education10%
Women and men · all residents
52% women, 48% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 94 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
Work & commuteJobs & income D−
Unemployment in Grenay, 21.3%, runs above Pas-de-Calais’ towns and compared French towns
Half of residents lived on more than €19,200 a year per consumption unit, lower than both Pas-de-Calais’ towns (€22,665) and compared French towns (€25,970). 1,750 jobs are based in Grenay, for 2,250 working residents (0.8 per worker). 2.6% of the town’s working residents had no journey to work at the census.
12%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving84%
On foot5%
Public transport5%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
1,750
jobs based in Grenay, 0.8 per working resident
21.3%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€19,200
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A−
Walkability: better than 82% of compared French towns
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
History
Old homes shape Grenay: 13% were built before 1919, more than in Pas-de-Calais’ towns or compared French towns
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The protected list starts in the 20th century. The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Grenay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living B−
Grenay gets a B− for cost of living
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The median price, €1,434/m², comes from 84 sales of houses and apartments in Grenay from July 2023 to June 2026. The estimated advertised rent is €10.73/m² a month, about level with Pas-de-Calais’ towns (€11.26/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses accounted for nearly four in five sales, apartments for the rest.
€1,434/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Grenay€1,434/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Pas-de-Calais median€1,668/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,459/m²
66
€10.73/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€9.00 to €12.78/m² a month)
4.7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.71/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€21,190
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté d'agglomération de Lens - Liévin
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Grenay
Is Grenay safe?
It grades D for safety, #100 of 120 in Pas-de-Calais. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 57 burglaries and 36 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in Grenay good?
They grade C−, better than 23% of compared French towns and #118 of 123 in Pas-de-Calais. The lycée stands out: 98% of 134 candidates passed the bac at Lycée polyvalent Léo Lagrange in 2025, 5 points above the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Grenay expensive to live in?
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,434/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so Grenay grades B− for cost of living.
About Grenay
Commune in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
Grenay is a commune of 6,644 people in the Communauté d'agglomération de Lens - Liévin. 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.
