With a B+ overall, La Ferté-Bernard sits #16 of 31 in Sarthe. It comes out better than 74% of compared French towns. Cost of living is where it shines — at the median price, a 70 m² home costs 4.2 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality. Safety lags: an average of 13.5 recorded violent incidents and 16.5 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025.
Figures: prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior).
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 La Ferté-Bernard 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 La Ferté-Bernard.
Work & commuteJobs & income C
Unemployment in La Ferté-Bernard, 13.5%, runs above Sarthe’s towns and compared French towns
After tax and benefits, the median income is €23,720 a year per consumption unit. Jobs located in La Ferté-Bernard: 6,400, for 3,150 residents in work (2 each). At the census, 22.5% of commuters got to work without a car.
22%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving72%
On foot14%
Public transport5%
Bicycle3%
Motorbike or scooter2%
6,400
jobs based in La Ferté-Bernard, 2 per working resident
13.5%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,720
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
4%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
A
Walkability: better than 89% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
10 historic monuments and a protected historic area since 1994
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in La Ferté-Bernard is Château (ancien). Per 10,000 residents, La Ferté-Bernard counts 11 protected monuments, above Sarthe’s towns (3.6) and compared French towns (2.5) alike. Since 1994, part of the town has been a site patrimonial remarquable, a protected historic area.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HousingCost of living A−
A home in La Ferté-Bernard sells for €1,503/m², less than in Sarthe’s towns or compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses sell for €1,600/m² in La Ferté-Bernard, apartments for €1,290/m². Advertised rents are estimated at €9.48/m² a month, close to Sarthe’s towns (€9.64/m²) and below compared French towns (€12.41/m²). Of the homes sold, 72% were houses.
€1,503/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
La Ferté-Bernard€1,503/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Sarthe median€1,638/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€1,600/m²
243
Apartments
€1,290/m²
93
€9.48/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.41 to €12.13/m² a month)
4.2
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€8.19/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€25,110
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Perche Emeraude
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Safety
La Ferté-Bernard sees more crime per resident than four in five compared French towns
The graded crime recorded most in La Ferté-Bernard was criminal damage (2025). 286 offenses were reported in La Ferté-Bernard during 2025.
13.5recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearC−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage88
Family violence61
Sexual violence46
Other physical violence31
Theft from vehicles27
Burglary20
Vehicle theft13
Theft without violence75
Fraud56
Drug use43
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.
13.5
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
16.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
286
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.
HealthHealth A−
Fewer deaths than La Ferté-Bernard’s ages would predict, 77 per 100 expected, under Sarthe’s towns and compared French towns
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
In Sarthe, life expectancy at birth reaches 85.9 years for women and 79.9 for men (2025), next to 85.9 and 80.3 for France. France’s death rates at each age would predict 1,455 deaths in La Ferté-Bernard from 2016 to 2025; there were 1,437, 1% fewer. For a family doctor, residents of La Ferté-Bernard can choose among 5 GPs.
−23%deaths against expected, after care homesA−Health Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw99
Adjusted77
Median town88
Expected100
5
GPs in La Ferté-Bernard · 2 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
0.6 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Paul Chapron
24.8 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Clinique du Tertre Rouge Pole Sante Sud
85.9 · 79.9
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Sarthe, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
La Ferté-Bernard skews older, with 31% of residents 65 or over, more than Sarthe’s towns or compared French towns
Degrees are held by 20% of adults, below both Sarthe’s towns (22%) and compared French towns (30%). Under-15s account for 14% of the population. People aged 15 to 24 make up just over a tenth of the town.
50.4median age
La Ferté-BernardSarthe medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
31%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma34%
CAP or BEP27%
Baccalauréat13%
Higher education20%
Women and men · all residents
54% women, 46% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 86 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Sarthe 51.6%, France 51.8%. Women live longer than men, so towns with many older residents have more women.
Nicolas Edet: Laurie Beylier from France, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Aymeric Chauprade: 111Afj;dghklsjgbkijg, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pierre Delion: G.Garitan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Stéphane Arrondeau: Doc Mac, CC BY-SA 3.0
La Ferté-Bernard’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 La Ferté-Bernard
Is La Ferté-Bernard safe?
It grades C− for safety, #25 of 31 in Sarthe. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 20 burglaries and 88 acts of criminal damage.
Are schools in La Ferté-Bernard good?
They grade B−, better than 52% of compared French towns and #18 of 34 in Sarthe. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is La Ferté-Bernard expensive to live in?
Incomes are lower than in most compared French towns too, so La Ferté-Bernard grades A− for cost of living.
About La Ferté-Bernard
Commune in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire
La Ferté-Bernard is a commune of 8,740 people in the Communauté de communes du Perche Emeraude. 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.
