Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town in Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, home to 341 people.
Bessans has no grades yet: French towns are graded from 1,000 residents up. Second homes make up 78% of its housing. The median sale price is €5,322/m². 30% of residents are 65 or over.
The 3 things Bessans does most differently from other towns.
On the Culture ministry’s list, Bessans counts 3 historic monuments: 1 classé at the top level of protection and 2 inscrit at the second.
The oldest protected part dates from the 15th century; the first monument here was protected in 1897.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bessans.
8% of the population is aged 15 to 24, lower than both Savoie’s towns (10%) and compared French towns (11%). Half the people of Bessans are older than 52.7. Graduates make up just over a third of adults.
48% women, 52% men
About 107 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Savoie 51.5%, France 51.8%.
| Bessans | Savoie median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8% | 10% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 24% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 27% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 30% | 22% | 22% |
| No diploma | 14% | 14% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 25% | 24% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 21% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 34% | 37% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Savoie median and France median: the median of compared communes
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Among the classé monuments in Bessans is Chapelle Saint-Antoine. On the Culture ministry’s list, Bessans counts 3 historic monuments: 1 classé at the top level of protection and 2 inscrit at the second. The oldest protected building goes back to the 15th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Per resident in work, Bessans counts 0.8 jobs (150 jobs, 150 workers). Of those in the labour force, 1.2% are unemployed. Half of residents lived on more than €27,790 a year per consumption unit, near Savoie’s towns (€28,360) and higher than compared French towns (€25,970).
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.
From July 2023 to June 2026, 39 homes were sold in Bessans. Among the homes sold, 5% were houses. That is the middle of 39 sales of houses and apartments here from July 2023 to June 2026, against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns and €3,542/m² for the median of compared towns in Savoie.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Apartments | €5,322/m² | 37 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
On the Culture ministry’s list, Bessans counts 3 historic monuments: 1 classé at the top level of protection and 2 inscrit at the second.
Chapelle Saint-Antoine: Photo: MOSSOT · CC BY-SA 3.0
One notable person was born in Bessans.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
Commune in Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Bessans is a commune of 341 people in the Communauté de communes Haute Maurienne Vanoise. 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.
