Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
It is a town of 3,417 residents in Territoire de Belfort, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Where it does best is safety: an average of 2.1 recorded violent incidents and 10.1 recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025. With a B+ overall, Essert sits #2 of 10 in Territoire de Belfort. That leaves it better than nearly two thirds of compared French towns. It is strong on walkability as well — 78% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 13% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Schools lag: bac results 4 points below the expected rate; brevet results 4 points below the expected rate. At €1,833/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 5.1 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté d'agglomération Grand Belfort.
Figures: recorded crime, SSMSI (Ministry of the Interior) · amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi.
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 Essert 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.
How TownRatings grades French towns →
The one thing Essert does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Essert as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Gare de Belfort, in Belfort, 1.5 mi away.
4.3% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Nothing in Essert is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Essert.
Essert ranks first of the 10 compared towns in Territoire de Belfort on the Safety Grade. 34 offenses were reported in Essert during 2025. Of the graded crimes in the town, criminal damage came up most often (2025).
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.
Source: SSMSI (Interior Ministry), recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Licence Ouverte · When family violence, other physical violence, sexual violence, vehicle theft and theft from vehicles number five or fewer in a recent year, the figure is withheld, and the index uses the département’s average instead (17.9% of the index here). That estimated share passes 10%, so treat this Safety Grade with more caution than most. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
89.6% of candidates passed the bac at the lycées within 5 km of Essert, about level with Territoire de Belfort’s towns (89.6%) and below compared French towns (92.9%). Vocational results within 5 km: 80% passed the bac pro, of 335 candidates at 3 lycées. A collège lies 0.9 mi away.
| School | Level | Candidates | Passed, 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collège Simone SignoretNearest collègeCollège | Collège | 69 | 83%+12 pts |
| Lycée général et technologique Raoul FollereauNearest lycéeGeneral lycée | General lycée | 339 | 86%−8 pts |
| Lycée général et technologique privé Notre-Dame des Anges PrivateBest against expectations: 5 points above the expected rateGeneral lycée | General lycée | 51 | 98%+5 pts |
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
For its 1,300 residents in work, Essert has 450 jobs: 0.4 each. 11.4% of the labour force were unemployed, lower than Territoire de Belfort’s towns (14.1%) yet higher than compared French towns (10.1%). 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
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
From 2016 to 2025, 277 residents of Essert died, against 344 expected from France’s death rates at each age: 19% fewer. In Territoire de Belfort, women can expect to live 85 years and men 79.4 (2025), against 85.9 and 80.3 across France. There is one general practitioner in the town.
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 adjustment for care homes is TownRatings’ own modeling, not an official figure.
Just over a quarter of residents have reached 65. The 15-to-24 age group: 8.6%, below Territoire de Belfort’s towns (11%) and compared French towns (11%) alike. Under-15s account for 19% of the population.
52% women, 48% men
About 94 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Territoire de Belfort 51.3%, France 51.8%.
| Essert | Territoire de Belfort median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.6% | 11% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 22% | 23% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 25% | 26% |
| 65+ | 26% | 23% | 22% |
| No diploma | 14% | 22% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 24% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 18% | 18% |
| Higher education | 40% | 28% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Territoire de Belfort median and France median: the median of compared communes
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses sell for €1,801/m² in Essert, apartments for €1,857/m². Only one of the 11 towns in Territoire de Belfort costs more to buy into than Essert, whose median sale is €1,833/m². Sales in the town from July 2023 to June 2026: 121 houses and apartments.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,801/m² | 83 |
| Apartments | €1,857/m² | 38 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage, museums and other places to visit in and near Essert. Best known first.
ChâteauCitadelle de Belfort3.2 km east, in Belfort
MuseumTour 463 km east, in Belfort
Art galleryMusées de Belfort3.2 km east, in BelfortCathedralCathedralCathédrale Saint-Christophe de Belfort3.2 km east, in BelfortFortFortFort du Salbert2.9 km north, in BelfortPhotos from Wikimedia Commons, each under its own licence (our copy, resized).
2 notable people were born in Essert.
Commune in Territoire de Belfort, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Essert is a commune of 3,417 people in the Communauté d'agglomération Grand Belfort. 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
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
It grades A for safety, #1 of 10 in Territoire de Belfort. In 2025 police and gendarmerie recorded 9 burglaries and 25 acts of criminal damage.
They grade D, better than 13% of compared French towns and #4 of 11 in Territoire de Belfort. 86% of 339 candidates passed the bac at Lycée général et technologique Raoul Follereau in 2025, 8 points below the expected rate given its pupils’ backgrounds. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Estimated advertised apartment rents are €12.37/m² a month, charges included. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Essert grades C+ for cost of living.
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 November 9, 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.