Overall, Houdan earns a C−: better than nearly a quarter of compared French towns, and #73 of 91 in Yvelines. Where it falls short is schools — brevet results 17 points below the expected rate. Walkability is its strong suit: 95% of residents live within 800 m of a bakery, and 30% of working residents walk, cycle or take public transport to work. Jobs & income is a strength too (A): 1.5 jobs per working resident; 8.9% unemployment. At €3,208/m², the median price, 70 m² costs 7 times the median annual income per consumption unit in the Communauté de communes du Pays Houdanais (CCPH). It lags on health as well — after allowing for care homes, deaths from 2016 to 2025 were 4% above expected, against 12% below for the median of compared French towns.
Figures: amenities, INSEE BPE 2025 · commuting and employment, INSEE census 2023 · brevet and bac results, Ministry of Education · prices, DVF · income per consumption unit (an income adjusted for household size), INSEE Filosofi · deaths, INSEE (by commune of residence, 2016–2025).
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 Houdan 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.
Ministry of Education (DEPP) · brevet and bac 2025, value added (IVAC, IVAL) · Licence Ouverte
Work & commuteJobs & income A
For walkability, Houdan ranks above 97% of compared French towns
The median disposable income was €27,990 a year per consumption unit, lower than Yvelines’ towns (€32,600) yet higher than compared French towns (€25,970). On foot, by bike or by bus and train: that was how 30.2% of commuters travelled at the census. Unemployment stands at 8.9%.
30%walk, cycle or take transit
How working residents got to work · census 2023
Driving65%
Public transport20%
On foot9%
Bicycle1%
Motorbike or scooter1%
2,650
jobs based in Houdan, 1.5 per working resident
8.9%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,990
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 97% of compared French towns
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
History
More protected monuments for its size in Houdan than in Yvelines or compared French towns: 19 per 10,000 residents
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
On the Culture ministry’s list, Houdan counts 7 historic monuments: 2 classé at the top level of protection and 5 inscrit at the second. Among the classé monuments in the town is Château fort. Protection here reaches back to the 12th century.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
HealthHealth D
More deaths than expected: Houdan is above 85% of compared French towns once ages and care homes are allowed for
Care access and life expectancy are shown for context, not graded.
Ages and care homes taken into account, deaths in Houdan come to 104 per 100 predicted. France’s death rates at each age would predict 482 deaths in the town from 2016 to 2025; there were 678, 41% more. The nearest emergency department to Houdan is Ch Dreux, 10.7 mi away. The town has 3 family doctors.
+4%deaths against expected, after care homesDHealth Grade
Deaths per 100 expected · 2016–2025
Raw141
Adjusted104
Median town88
Expected100
3
GPs in Houdan · 2 GP consultations a year per resident within reach (APL)
10.7 mi
to the nearest emergency department, Ch Dreux
10.7 mi
to the nearest maternity unit, Ch Dreux
86.8 · 82.3
years of life expectancy at birth, women · men, Yvelines, 2025 (provisional) · France 85.9 · 80.3
Renting in Houdan costs an estimated advertised €16.10/m² a month, against €18.40/m² in Yvelines’ towns and €12.41/m² in compared French towns
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
Houses in Houdan sell for €3,160/m² and apartments for €3,219/m². The median price, €3,208/m², comes from 145 sales of houses and apartments in the town from July 2023 to June 2026. The sales split: 47% houses, the rest apartments.
€3,208/m²median sale price
Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026
Houdan€3,208/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Yvelines median€3,717/m²
By type
Median per m²
Sales
Houses
€3,160/m²
68
Apartments
€3,219/m²
77
€16.10/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€13.37 to €19.38/m² a month)
7
times the median annual income per consumption unit in the intercommunality, for 70 m² at the median price
€13.72/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
€31,970
median annual income per consumption unit, Communauté de communes du Pays Houdanais (CCPH)
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Who lives here
Fewer children live in Houdan than in Yvelines’ towns or compared French towns: 15% are under 15
Just over a third of adults hold a degree, between Yvelines’ towns (49%) and compared French towns (30%). Those 65 and older account for nearly a quarter of residents. People aged 15 to 24 make up 11% of the town.
43.7median age
HoudanYvelines medianFrance median
Ages · share of residents
11%
Under 1515–2425–4445–6465+
Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education
No diploma18%
CAP or BEP21%
Baccalauréat21%
Higher education35%
Women and men · all residents
55% women, 45% men
WomenFrance medianMen
About 83 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Yvelines 51.6%, France 51.8%.
INSEE, census 2023 · Yvelines median and France median: the median of compared communes
Safety
Houdan ranks below 50% of compared French towns for crime per resident
Jobs outnumber working residents in Houdan (2,650 to 1,750): it draws people in from around. Its tally for 2025: 68 recorded offenses. Violence against people averaged 9 per 1,000 residents a year over 2023–2025; graded property crimes averaged 12.5. Also worth knowing: the graded crime recorded most locally was criminal damage (2025).
9recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a yearB−Safety Grade
Recorded by type · 2025
Criminal damage22
Other physical violence14
Family violence11
Sexual violence11
Vehicle theft10
Drug use42
Fraud34
Theft without violence19
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.
9
recorded violent incidents per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
12.5
recorded burglaries, vehicle thefts, thefts from vehicles and acts of criminal damage per 1,000 residents a year, 2023–2025 average
68
offenses recorded in the graded categories in 2025
6.5%
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 · Small counts of armed robbery, burglary and theft from vehicles go unpublished (five or fewer in at least one of the last three years); the département’s average stands in, 6.5% of the index here. Crimes are counted in the commune where they happen, then divided by its residents, so a town that draws people in from around can look higher. The count covers the offense categories the Safety Grade uses.
Château fort: Photo: ℍenry Salomé · CC BY 2.5 · Église Saint-Jacques-le-Majeur et Saint-Christophe: Photo: Houdan_Église2.jpg : ℍenry derivative work: Coyau · CC BY 2.5 · Maison de bois: Photo: Pierre Poschadel · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Maison du 16s: Photo: Lionel Allorge · CC BY-SA 3.0
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Questions about Houdan
Is Houdan safe?
It grades B− for safety, #56 of 91 in Yvelines.
Are schools in Houdan good?
They grade D−, better than 1% of compared French towns. Primary schools aren’t graded: France doesn’t publish their results by school.
Is Houdan expensive to live in?
Homes cost more than in most compared French towns: the median sale price from July 2023 to June 2026 was €3,208/m², against €2,430/m² for the median of compared French towns. Incomes are higher than in most compared French towns, so Houdan grades C− for cost of living.
About Houdan
Commune in Yvelines, Île-de-France
Houdan is a commune of 3,721 people in the Communauté de communes du Pays Houdanais (CCPH). 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.
