France›Vendée›Pays de la Loire

BessayVendée

A town of 456 in Vendée, Pays de la Loire.

Population

456

INSEE, census 2023 · commune

Rent

€9.41

per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²

Median income

€25,070

a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970

Walk, cycle, transit

of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Bessay a good place to live?

Bessay is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.

Château · Classé · Photo: Spouik · CC BY-SA 4.0

Bessay’s story

Bessay in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Bessay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level).

The oldest protected part dates from prehistory; the first monument here was protected in 1947.

28% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

1983First protected: Camp retranché du Châtelard
1996Most recently protected: Logis du Coteau

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Bessay.

History

Bessay keeps more of its old housing than Vendée or compared French towns: 28% built before 1919

France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.

For Bessay, that is above both Vendée’s towns (6.3%) and compared French towns (7.4%). The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Bessay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level).

3historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé1

Inscrit2

Prehistory

oldest protected part

1947

first monument protected

Full pageBessay’s history pageOpen the page

Age of homes28% built before 1919 · Older homes Map3 historic monuments Classé1 classé · France’s highest protection Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Bessay?”

Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period

Who lives here

A town of families: 19% of people in Bessay are under 15, more than in Vendée’s towns or compared French towns

Bessay sits above both Vendée’s towns (16%) and compared French towns (17%) on this measure. Among adults, 23% have a degree.

41.8median age

BessayVendée medianFrance median

Vendée medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

11%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma18%

CAP or BEP30%

Baccalauréat24%

Higher education23%

Women and men · all residents

49% women, 51% men

About 106 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Vendée 50.9%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Bessay
	Bessay	Vendée median	France median
Under 15	19%	16%	17%
15–24	11%	9.9%	11%
25–44	25%	21%	23%
45–64	22%	27%	26%
65+	22%	23%	22%
No diploma	18%	19%	19%
CAP or BEP	30%	30%	26%
Baccalauréat	24%	19%	18%
Higher education	23%	26%	30%

Full pageBessay’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages41.8 median age · 22% are 65 or over Households190 households · 2.4 people per household Born abroad2.7% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Bessay?”

INSEE, census 2023 · Vendée median and France median: the median of compared communes

Work & commute

Fewer commuters in Bessay walk, cycle or take the bus or train than in Vendée’s towns or compared French towns: 2.0%

That puts Bessay below both Vendée’s towns (7.6%) and compared French towns (13.4%). Bessay has 50 jobs for 200 working residents, 0.3 per worker. 7.5% of the labour force are out of work.

2%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving93%

Motorbike or scooter2%

Bicycle1%

Public transport0%

On foot0%

jobs based in Bessay, 0.3 per working resident

7.5%

unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%

€25,070

median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970

worked without traveling (at or from home)

Full pageBessay’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Getting to work2% walk, cycle or take transit Jobs based here50 jobs based here · 0.3 per working resident Median income€25,070 a year · Median income per consumption unit

Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Housing

Estimated advertised rents run lower in Bessay than in Vendée’s towns or across compared French towns: €9.41/m² a month

Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.

On this, Bessay is below both Vendée’s towns (€11.32/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).

€9.41/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Bessay€9.41/m²

Median of towns€12.41/m²

Vendée median€11.32/m²

€9.41/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.07 to €12.52/m² a month)

€10.20/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Full pageBessay’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Renting€9.41/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Nearby attractions

Château de Bessay and 3 more in and around Bessay

Heritage in and near Bessay. Best known first.

All attractions →

ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Bessayin town BattlefieldBattlefieldTroisième bataille de Luçon2.6 km south, in Corpe BattlefieldBattlefieldDeuxième bataille de Luçon3.6 km south, in Corpe ChâteauChâteauChâteau Marie du Fou4.7 km west, in Mareuil-sur-Lay-Dissais

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Bessay

12pages on Bessay

The big questions

Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 5.9 mi away Work & commute50 jobs based here Housing18 sales on record, the last three years Flood & hazards

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractionsOne place to visit mapped in town ClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 41.8 History3 historic monuments Town HallFamous people

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Bessay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 2 inscrit (the second level).

All monuments →

Inscrit

Camp retranché du ChâtelardMilitary building · Prehistory

Inscrit

Logis du CoteauHouse · 16th & 18th c.

Famous people from Bessay

Wikidata places 1 person here, but the articles don’t both confirm Bessay as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.

How we find them →

Bessay’s neighbors

The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Vendée →

Mareuil-sur-Lay-DissaisSaint-Jean-d'HermineLuçonBournezeauRives de l'YonLa Chaize-le-VicomteBessay

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Bessay	456	—	—	—	—	—
Mareuil-sur-Lay-Dissais	2,808	2.9	—	B⁺	—	B⁺
Saint-Jean-d'Hermine	3,611	4.4	A⁻	A	B⁻	B⁻
Luçon	9,417	5.5	C⁺	B⁺	C⁻	C⁺
Bournezeau	3,452	6.6	A⁺	A⁻	A	B⁺
Rives de l'Yon	4,335	9.3	A⁻	B⁺	A⁺	C⁻
La Chaize-le-Vicomte	3,948	11	—	B	—	C⁺

People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.

About Bessay

Commune in Vendée, Pays de la Loire

Bessay is a commune of 456 people in the Communauté de communes Sud Vendée Littoral. 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

Population: 456 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté de communes Sud Vendée Littoral
Département: Vendée (85)
Région: Pays de la Loire
Area: 4.1 sq mi (10.7 km²)
INSEE code: 85023

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 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.