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Living in Chimay

In Chimay, the median rent tenants pay is €650 a month (2025).

Chimay, a city in Belgium, had a population of 9,606 at the start of 2026. For Chimay, annual NO₂ was 4.35 µg/m³ at the end of 2024. The city covered 198.6 km² in 2025. Population density was 48.4 people per km² in 2026.

Last checked 2026-09-2436 sources

Population9,606people1 Jan 2026Official source · Belgium official denominator source
Median gross salary (region)3,540EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022
Median rent650EUR/month31 Dec 2025Official source · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50
Unemployment rate13.17%country median 5.3% — 147% aboveIndependent source · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011
Recorded crime7,881offences per 100,000country median 5,167 — 53% aboveIndependent source · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025
PM2.5, annual mean4.3µg/m³country median 7.4 — 42% belowOfficial source · Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31

Higher unemployment than 89% of Belgian cities that publish it, more recorded crime than 86% of Belgian cities that publish it and cleaner air than 91% of Belgian cities that publish it.

Which Belgium-wide rules apply when you move to Chimay?

National rules stay on the country page instead of being relabelled as city data.

Housing and cost

What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Chimay recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€60
Mobile plan, 10 GB€50
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited59.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Proximus Internet Go14Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB49.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Proximus Mobile Maxi15Official · national market
Dwellings4,366 dwellings1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units20Official
Main residence dwellings4,342 dwellings31 Dec 2021Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium)18Official
Median monthly rent650 EUR/month31 Dec 2025Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP501Official

Is Chimay a good place to live?

There is no universal answer. The profile scores below show who the available published evidence may suit; they are a decision aid, not a personal recommendation.

Try your profile
Remote worker54%strong on work, weak on safety · range 46–62%
Skilled employee56%strong on work, weak on safety · range 48–64%
Student47%strong on education, weak on safety · range 40–54%
Family52%strong on family, weak on cost · range 44–60%
Retirement62%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 52–72%

Work and income

The unemployment rate was 13.2% at the start of 2011.

What is the unemployment rate in Chimay?

The unemployment rate is about 13.2 % (January 2011).

  • Unemployment rate: 13.17 % · Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201129
Unemployment across cities in BelgiumUnemployment in Chimay is 13.2%. Of 509 cities with data, 160 have unemployment of 2 to under 4%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Average gross earnings3,794 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-202216Official · regional context
Gigabit broadband availability86.76 %Jun 2025BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator.3Official
Median gross salary (regional)3,540 EUR/month31 Dec 2022Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-202217Official · regional context
Unemployment rate13.17 %country median 5.3%1 Jan 2011Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 201129Independent

What does a salary buy in Chimay?

Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.

regional median gross pay: €3,540 (Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022, 2022-12-31).
Left over each month€1,652of €2,412 take-home
  • Rent
  • Internet
  • Mobile
  • Left over
Line-by-line breakdown and sources
Each month€
Take-home payOECD Taxing Wages 2025, single, no children. Includes central and local income tax and employee social contributions.€2,412
Rentmedian rent of a whole dwelling · official · Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50 · 2025-12-31− €650
Internet€60 · official · Proximus Internet Go · 2026-09-30− €60
Mobile plan€50 · official · Proximus Mobile Maxi · 2026-09-30− €50
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€1,652
Take-home pay for other salaries and households Compare with another city Check a job offer in Chimay Salary needed to live in Chimay

Public employment service

No exact public employment office is currently linked to Chimay. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.

Country-level information

Actiris — Public employment service

Actiris Brussels public employment service

Job Search

Le Forem — Public employment service

Le Forem Walloon public employment and training service

Job SearchRegistration

Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Chimay. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Schools29 schools31 Oct 2025FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register4Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 5 to 18. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: OKAN/OKATN (onthaalonderwijs, reception education for foreign-mother-tongue newcomers). How to enrol a child (belgium.be).

A country-wide rule for Belgium; Chimay's school authority applies it locally.

Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.

Safety

How safe is Chimay?

Police recorded about 7,881 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source.

  • Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents: 7,881 offences per 100,000 · Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202526
Recorded crime across major citiesChimay highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Chimay highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Brussels24,104
Liège17,918
Charleroi14,026
Leuven12,730
Ghent12,110
Anderlecht11,116
Schaerbeek10,141
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean10,075
Hasselt9,031
Namur8,912
Brugge8,780
Chimay7,881
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents7,881 offences per 100,000country median 5,16731 Dec 2025Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 202526Independent

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Destinations from nearest airport83 count3 Aug 2026OpenFlights12Official
Nearest airportCRL3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official
Distance to nearest airport47 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports13Official

Climate and air quality

Annual PM2.5 was 4.3 µg/m³ at the end of 2024.

Is the air quality good in Chimay?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.3 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3111

Annual mean at the measuring site(s) serving the city; current-day readings differ.

Air quality vs health guidelinesAnnual means against WHO 2021 guidelines and EU legal limits

City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.

PM2.5 across cities in BelgiumAnnual PM2.5 in Chimay is 4.3 µg/m³. Of 442 cities with data, 142 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean4.35 µg/m³country median 9.031 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-319Official
PM10 — annual mean6.94 µg/m³country median 13.131 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3110Official
PM2.5 — annual mean4.3 µg/m³country median 7.431 Dec 2024Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-3111Official
Monthly extreme high temperatureJan 12.55 · Feb 16.74 · Mar 19.55 · Apr 24.96 · May 27.8 · Jun 31.96 · Jul 38.38 · Aug 35.18 · Sep 32.95 · Oct 24.32 · Nov 17.92 · Dec 13.83 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center5Official
Monthly extreme low temperatureJan -12.81 · Feb -14.99 · Mar -10.87 · Apr -4.76 · May -1.26 · Jun 2.95 · Jul 6.13 · Aug 4.98 · Sep 1.86 · Oct -4.59 · Nov -4.66 · Dec -12.13 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center5Official
Average temperature by monthJan 1.37 · Feb 1.96 · Mar 4.99 · Apr 8.82 · May 12.48 · Jun 15.83 · Jul 17.66 · Aug 17.23 · Sep 13.95 · Oct 10.08 · Nov 5.62 · Dec 2.2 °C31 Dec 2001NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center5Official
Annual PM2.5 over time11 published observations, 2014–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 38.6% between 2014 and 2024, from 7.0 to 4.3.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Chimay?

The published population was 9,606 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source2

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area198.6 km²1 Jan 2025Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2.6Official
Foreign-resident share4.65 %31 Dec 2025Statbel (Statistics Belgium)19Official
Foreign residents434 people1 Jan 2026Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row.7Official
Population density48.37 people/km²1 Jan 2026Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column.8Official
Population9,606 people1 Jan 2026Belgium official denominator source2Official

International community in Chimay

Named groups from exact city-grain official distributions. Citizenship, birthplace, language and ancestry answer different questions and stay separate.

Country of birth

All persons in Statbel Census 2021 municipality rows; the published male and female category rows are summed to total sex · 2021-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total population9,647100.0%
Born in Belgium8,68890.1%
Born in another EU member state7317.6%
Born in a non-EU country2272.4%
Not indicated10.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source24

Citizenship

All persons in Statbel Census 2021 municipality rows; the published male and female category rows are summed to total sex · 2021-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total population9,647100.0%
Belgian nationality9,21595.5%
Foreign nationality: other EU member state3313.4%
Foreign nationality: non-EU country971.0%
Not indicated40.0%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source22

Ancestry or ethnicity

All persons in the Statbel 2021-01-01 municipal origin publication · 2021-01-01

Published groupPeopleShare
Total Belgian with foreign origin1,53916.0%
Total population9,647100.0%
Total population — born in Belgium8,68890.1%
Belgian of Belgian origin — total7,67679.6%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born in Belgium7,37776.5%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born in Belgium1,24312.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — total1,00810.4%
Total population — born outside Belgium9599.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born in Belgium9229.6%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — total4444.6%
Non-Belgian — total4324.5%
Show 10 more groups
Published groupPeopleShare
Non-Belgian — born outside Belgium3643.8%
Belgian of Belgian origin — born outside Belgium2993.1%
Total Belgian with foreign origin — born outside Belgium2963.1%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born in Belgium2472.6%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality foreign — born outside Belgium1972.0%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — total870.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, one parent foreign — born outside Belgium860.9%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born in Belgium740.8%
Non-Belgian — born in Belgium680.7%
Foreign-origin Belgian, first nationality Belgian, two parents foreign — born outside Belgium130.1%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source23

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Residents born abroad9.93 %1 Jan 2021Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace21Official
Median age45 years31 Dec 2026Population by place of residence, nationality, marital status, age and sex — 1 January 202619Official

Alternatives for people set on Chimay

Three places for the three reasons people leave a city on the shortlist: stay in the region, stay in the country, or keep the budget and change the country. A percentage appears only where both cities publish that metric from the same source, period and grain. Distances are straight lines — travel times are not collected yet.

Beaumont as a Chimay alternative in the same region

22 km away, better on 3 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1.

  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,969 Beaumont vs 7,881 Chimay−24%
  • Nearest airport: 29.0 km Beaumont vs 47.0 km Chimay−38%
  • Unemployment: 12.0% Beaumont vs 13.2% Chimay−9%
  • Residents: 7,104 Beaumont vs 9,606 Chimay−26%
  • Foreign residents: 4.1% Beaumont vs 4.7% Chimay−12%
  • Annual PM2.5: 4.4 µg/m³ Beaumont vs 4.3 µg/m³ Chimaysame level
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,540 Beaumont vs €3,540 Chimaysame level

Lokeren as a Chimay alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 119 km, better on 5 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.

  • Residents: 50,897 Lokeren vs 9,606 Chimay+430%
  • Unemployment: 5.3% Lokeren vs 13.2% Chimay−59%
  • Foreign residents: 8.7% Lokeren vs 4.7% Chimay+88%
  • Nearest airport: 21.0 km Lokeren vs 47.0 km Chimay−55%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 7,285 Lokeren vs 7,881 Chimay−8%
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,711 Lokeren vs €3,540 Chimay+5%

Cities near Chimay

Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.

Momignies 11.0 km away
Rent
605 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
Couvin 12.8 km away
Rent
655 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
Cerfontaine 15.0 km away
Rent
747.5 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
Viroinval 17.1 km away
Rent
584.3 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
Fourmies France · 19.2 km away
Rent
7.9 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Beaumont 21.6 km away
Rent
644.8 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31
Hirson France · 21.8 km away
Rent
7.61 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Philippeville 23.0 km away
Rent
690 EUR/monthMedian monthly rent · 2025-12-31

Alternative cities in Belgium

Other cities in Belgium to compare with Chimay, nearest in population first.

All Belgium cities

How does Chimay compare?

Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Chimay's.

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Chimay when the national insurance or residence conditions are met.

Healthcare access follows the country-wide insurance rules; local capacity facts remain city data and are not used as proof of eligibility.

Open the official coverage guide
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Common questions

Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.

How many people live in Chimay?

The published population was 9,606 people in January 2026. Source: Belgium official denominator source.

Is the air quality good in Chimay?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 4.3 µg/m³ (2024) — within the WHO 2021 guideline. Source: Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31.

How safe is Chimay?

Police recorded about 7,881 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025.

What is the unemployment rate in Chimay?

The unemployment rate is about 13.2 % (January 2011). Source: Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011.

What is the typical salary around Chimay?

The median gross salary is 3,540 EUR/month. Source: Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022.

How many foreign residents live in Chimay?

434 residents hold a foreign nationality. Source: Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row..

Is Chimay a good place to live?

Chimay may suit different people for different reasons. The page's profile scores compare published cost, work, housing, safety, healthcare and other available factors; they are a decision aid, not a universal recommendation.

Which cities are near Chimay?

Momignies, Couvin, Cerfontaine, Viroinval, Fourmies are near Chimay. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people born in Born in Belgium live in Chimay?

The official country of birth distribution records 8,688 people (90.1%) in the source-defined population for 2021-01-01. This is a country of birth measure, not a general estimate of ethnicity or migration status.

Cite this page

Open a format to select or copy this ImmigrationDB compilation citation. The native disclosure and text fallback work without JavaScript.

APA citation
ImmigrationDB. (2026, October 16). Chimay, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version d5cbff3aabf3b4c050ed503ce011d450]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/chimay/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_chimay-belgium-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_c44ff2277ffc,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Chimay, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-10-16},
  version = {d5cbff3aabf3b4c050ed503ce011d450},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/chimay/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Chimay, Belgium: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/be/chimay/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version d5cbff3aabf3b4c050ed503ce011d450; retrieved 2026-10-16; built 2026-10-16.

This citation identifies the ImmigrationDB compilation/page. Underlying source publishers and datasets retain their own terms; inspect the Sources section and cite those records separately. View the underlying source records.

Sources

JSON Markdown
  1. Baux immobiliers – version annuelle / Real Estate Rents Annual; MunicipalityWideRealEstateRentsAnnual; RentP50 opendata.fin.belgium.be · checked 2026-09-23
  2. Belgium official denominator source statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-14
  3. BIPT/IBPT fixed broadband Atlas municipality row: H_rate_1000 is the share of households with access to fixed broadband at a maximum attainable speed of at least 1,000 Mbps; availability, not subscribed plan or measured speed. H_1000 is the covered-household count and total_households is the denominator. bipt-data.be · checked 2026-07-15
  4. FASE 2025/26 official school establishment register odwb.be · checked 2026-07-16
  5. NASA POWER / NASA Langley Research Center power.larc.nasa.gov · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Official cadastral total area by municipality; 2025 superficie totale (ha), converted to km2. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2025-01-01
  7. Official population by nationality at municipality grain; foreign population is TOTAL minus Belgique in the TOTAL row. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  8. Official resident population by Belgian municipality on 1 January 2026; Total column. statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-01-01
  9. Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 11055; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
  10. Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 13019; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
Show 26 more sources
  1. Official RIO v2025 annual mean derived from daily population-weighted municipality concentrations for NIS5 62093; period 2024-01-01..2024-12-31 ftp.irceline.be · checked 2024-12-31
  2. OpenFlights raw.githubusercontent.com · checked 2026-08-03
  3. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  4. Proximus Internet Go proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15
  5. Proximus Mobile Maxi proximus.be · checked 2026-09-15
  6. Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022 bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-09-23
  7. Salaires mensuels bruts moyens des salariés employés à temps plein 2000-2022 bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-09-23
  8. Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics — Statistics Belgium) Statbel (Directorate-general Statistics · statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-07
  9. Statbel (Statistics Belgium) statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-03
  10. Statbel Census 2021 municipality housing units statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  11. Statbel Census 2021 municipality population by birthplace statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-16
  12. Statbel, Belgian statistical office statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-30
  13. Statbel, Belgian statistical office ancestry or ethnicity statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  14. Statbel, Belgian statistical office country of birth statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-08-29
  15. static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
  16. Belgian Federal Police — recorded total offences by municipality, Q4 2025 Belgian Federal Police · police.be · checked 2026-07-26
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  19. Statbel be.STAT — unemployment rate of 15–64-year-olds by municipality, Census 2011 Statbel be.STAT · bestat.statbel.fgov.be · checked 2026-07-26
  20. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q326771 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  21. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q650239 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  22. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q650261 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  23. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q668187 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  24. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q715474 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  25. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q95100 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05
  26. Wikidata identity and coordinates — Q95380 Wikidata identity and coordinates · wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-05

Spotted a number that looks wrong? Every value here carries its source and date — tell us what you found and we will re-check it against the source.