Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Some 270 people live in this town, in Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie.
Bélesta is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents. Second homes make up 31% of its housing.
The one thing Bélesta does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Bélesta as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Église Sainte-Marie de la Rodona, in Ille-sur-Têt, 3.2 mi away.
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bélesta.
Just over a fifth of residents have reached 65. People aged 15 to 24 make up 7.9% of the town, lower than both Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (9.4%) and compared French towns (11%). Typical age in Bélesta: 46, the median.
47% women, 53% men
About 112 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Pyrénées-Orientales 52.6%, France 51.8%.
| Bélesta | Pyrénées-Orientales median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 7.9% | 9.4% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 29% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 22% | 28% | 22% |
| No diploma | 21% | 19% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 33% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Higher education | 18% | 27% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Pyrénées-Orientales median and France median: the median of compared communes
Bélesta has 50 jobs for 100 working residents, 0.6 per worker. The median disposable income was €21,050 a year per consumption unit, below Pyrénées-Orientales’ towns (€24,140) and compared French towns (€25,970) alike. No commute at all: just over a tenth of working residents locally at the census.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The market in Bélesta: 7 sales of houses and apartments between July 2023 and June 2026.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Bélesta. Best known first.
AttractionOrgues d'Ille-sur-Têt3.7 km south, in Ille-sur-TêtChâteauChâteauChâteau de Caladroyin townMonastery or conventMonastery or conventÉglise Saint-Clément de Reglella3.6 km southeast, in Ille-sur-TêtChâteauChâteauChâteau de Cuxous3.9 km northeast, in CassagnesChâteauChâteauChâteau de Montalba-le-Château4.7 km southwest, in Montalba-le-ChâteauPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
Nothing in Bélesta is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Bélesta 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bélesta | 270 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ille-sur-Têt | 5,556 | 3.4 | B− | B− | B | D |
| Millas | 4,417 | 4.8 | D | C+ | C | D |
| Saint-Féliu-d'Avall | 2,950 | 7.5 | — | C− | — | C+ |
| Pézilla-la-Rivière | 4,129 | 8.4 | D | C− | A | D |
| Thuir | 8,243 | 9.6 | C+ | C | C | C |
| Le Soler | 7,942 | 9.9 | D | C− | B− | D |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Pyrénées-Orientales, Occitanie
Bélesta is a commune of 270 people in the Communauté de communes Roussillon-Conflent. 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) · 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.