Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France, home to 1,724 people.
Helfaut’s strongest subject is schools (A) — bac results a point above the expected rate; brevet results 6.5 points above the expected rate. Health outcomes fall short of most towns (D−): after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 34% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns. Getting around depends on the car (C+): 69% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 7% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. At the median price of €1,732/m², a 70 m² home costs 5.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays de Saint-Omer.
Figures: brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025) · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi. Helfaut has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
Hazard risk isn’t graded in France yet: national flood maps cover only some areas.
The 3 things Helfaut does most differently from other towns.
Each subject compares Helfaut 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.
Helfaut has subject grades but no overall grade: French towns get one from 2,500 residents.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The Culture ministry’s list holds 1 historic monument in Helfaut; none is classé, France’s top protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 19th century; the first monument here was protected in 1985.
Explore the history →Heritage and other places to visit in and near Helfaut. Best known first.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Helfaut.
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 336 residents of Helfaut died, against 250 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 34% more. 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. This Pas-de-Calais town has 5 family doctors.
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.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
At the lycées within 5 km of Helfaut, 98.8% passed the bac, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns (90.7%) and compared French towns (92.9%) alike. The town’s pupils have a collège 1.4 mi away.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège René CassinNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 87 | 99%+12 pts |
| Lycée général La Malassise PrivateNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 181 | 100%+1 pt |
| Collège Blaise PascalBest against expectations: 7 points above the expected rateCollège | Collège | 98 | 91%+7 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Children under 15 make up 16%, below both Pas-de-Calais’ towns (18%) and compared French towns (17%). Retirement age and beyond: 28% of residents are 65 or older. 29% of adults hold a degree.
52% women, 48% men
About 93 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pas-de-Calais 52.0%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
| Helfaut | Pas-de-Calais median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 16% | 18% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.4% | 12% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 28% | 20% | 22% |
| No diploma | 20% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 30% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 17% | 19% | 18% |
| Higher education | 29% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Pas-de-Calais median and France median: the median of compared communes
1,800 jobs are based in Helfaut, for 700 working residents (2.7 per worker). Half of residents lived on more than €26,060 a year per consumption unit, above Pas-de-Calais’ towns (€22,665) and close to compared French towns (€25,970). No commute at all: 3.4% of working residents in the town at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The protected list starts in the 19th century. 6.6% of its homes were built before 1919, between Pas-de-Calais’ towns (4.2%) and compared French towns (7.4%).
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
51 sales of houses and apartments in Helfaut, from July 2023 to June 2026, give the median of €1,732/m². The estimated advertised rent is €10.70/m² a month, about level with Pas-de-Calais’ towns (€11.26/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Houses are advertised at an estimated €8.22/m² a month.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,732/m² | 51 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Helfaut has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Helfaut yet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Helfaut | 1,724 | — | — | B− | — | D− |
| Wizernes | 3,321 | 1.2 | B | B− | A | D− |
| Blendecques | 4,859 | 1.8 | C+ | B− | B− | D |
| Longuenesse | 10,548 | 2.8 | C− | C+ | D | D |
| Arques | 9,431 | 3.4 | C− | B− | C− | D− |
| Saint-Omer | 14,382 | 3.8 | C− | B− | D− | D |
| Saint-Martin-lez-Tatinghem | 5,843 | 3.9 | A− | C+ | A− | C+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Helfaut has no Safety Grade: over a quarter of its index would rest on the département’s average. Recorded figures: an average of 6.5 recorded violent incidents and 5.7 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
They grade A, better than 93% of compared French towns. The lycée stands out: 100% of 181 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général La Malassise 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.
Homes cost less than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €1,732/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Helfaut grades B− for cost of living.
Commune in Pas-de-Calais, Hauts-de-France
Helfaut is a commune of 1,724 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
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 October 30, 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.