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Living in Bourges

In Bourges, rent averages €10.10 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 14.3% (2022).

The city covered 68.7 km² in 2026. Population density was 933.8 people per km² in 2023. The unemployment rate was 14.3% at the end of 2022. For Bourges, annual PM2.5 was 7.12 µg/m³ in 2024.

Last checked 2026-09-2429 sources

Population64,186people1 Jan 2023Official source · INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Bourges (commune 18033)
Median gross salary (region)2,597EUR/month31 Dec 2022Official source · www.insee.fr
Average net rent10.1EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60 — 13% belowOfficial source · static.data.gouv.fr
Unemployment rate14.33%country median 11.0% — 31% aboveOfficial source · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune
Recorded crime7,305incidents per 100,000country median 4,740 — 54% aboveOfficial source · Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)
PM2.5, annual mean7.12µg/m³country median 8.5 — 16% belowOfficial source · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.

Cheaper rent than 71% of French cities that publish it, higher unemployment than 75% of French cities that publish it and more recorded crime than 89% of French cities that publish it.

Which France-wide rules apply when you move to Bourges?

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

Housing and cost

How much does it cost to rent in Bourges?

Average net cold rent is 10.1 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges.

Published average over existing tenancies; a specific flat can sit either side of it. Asking-rent series, where present, are separate rows in the table.

  • Average net rent (nettokalt): 10.1 EUR/m²/month · static.data.gouv.fr22
What recurs every month2 published recurring costs, € per month
Bourges recurring monthly costs, € per month

€ / month

Internet, 60 Mbps€43
Mobile plan, 10 GB€20
Net rent across major citiesBourges highlighted among comparable cities
Net rent across major cities with Bourges highlighted

net rent, € / m² / month

Paris€26.30
Nice€20.43
Lyon€16.57
Marseille€16.30
Toulouse€13.98
Bourges€10.10
Show the other 6 cities
Bordeaux€15.99
Lille€15.76
Strasbourg€15.57
Montpellier€15.49
Rennes€14.87
Nantes€14.50
MetricValuePeriodSource
Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited42.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Orange Livebox Fibre19Official · national market
Mobile plan, 10 GB19.99 EUR/month30 Sept 2026Orange 100GB mobile plan18Official · national market
G02 Vacancy Rate Pct4,463 %31 Dec 2023INSEE8Official
Dwellings38,401 dwellings31 Dec 2023INSEE9Official
G05 Main Residential Dwellings32,713 dwellings31 Dec 2023INSEE9Official
Average net rent (nettokalt)10.1 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.6031 Dec 2025static.data.gouv.fr22Official

Is Bourges 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 worker53%strong on work, weak on safety · range 45–61%
Skilled employee61%strong on work, weak on safety · range 53–69%
Student63%strong on education, weak on safety · range 56–70%
Family54%strong on family, weak on cost · range 47–61%
Retirement51%strong on air quality, weak on admin · range 42–60%

Worked out from these numbers

What does a 60 m² flat cost?

About 606 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 10.1 EUR/m² per month, before heating and operating charges.

Heating, water and operating charges come on top, and a specific flat can sit either side of an average.

Source period: 2025-Q3

Work and income

What is the unemployment rate in Bourges?

The unemployment rate is about 14.3 % (2022).

  • Unemployment rate: 14.33 % · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune11
Unemployment across cities in FranceUnemployment in Bourges is 14.3%. Of 2,240 cities with data, 898 have unemployment of 5 to under 10%.

Unemployment rate (%)

MetricValuePeriodSource
Fibre-to-the-building availability97.62 %3 Aug 2026Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse)2Official
Gigabit broadband availability97.62 %31 Mar 2026Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage.7Official
Median gross salary (regional)2,597 EUR/month31 Dec 2022www.insee.fr24Official
Unemployment rate14.33 %country median 11.0%31 Dec 2022INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune11Official
Unemployment rate over time10 published observations, 2013–2022

Unemployment rate fell 12.0% between 2013 and 2022, from 16.3% to 14.3%.

What does a salary buy in Bourges?

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

regional median gross pay: €2,597 (insee.fr, 2022-12-31).
Left over each month€1,312of €1,981 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.€1,981
Rent, 60 m²€10.10/m² · official · static.data.gouv.fr · 2025-12-31− €606
Internet€43 · official · Orange Livebox Fibre · 2026-09-30− €43
Mobile plan€20 · official · Orange 100GB mobile plan · 2026-09-30− €20
Other everyday billsnot published for this city: public transport pass, utilities—
Left overbefore the bills this city does not publish€1,312
Take-home pay for other salaries and households

Public employment service

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

Country-level information

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

Family and education

MetricValuePeriodSource
Primary School Count37 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)15Official
School Count76 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)15Official

School for children who move here. School is compulsory from age 3 to 16. Newly arrived pupils get support in the school language: UPE2A (unités pédagogiques pour élèves allophones nouvellement arrivés) + UPE2A-NSA variant. How to enrol a child (education.gouv.fr).

A country-wide rule for France; Bourges's school authority applies it locally.

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

Healthcare

MetricValuePeriodSource
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents798.7 beds per 100,00031 Dec 2011DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 20114Official

Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Bourges 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
Hospital beds per 100,000 residents798.7 beds per 100,000Verified 2026-08-03
Country rule verified 2026-08-03.

Safety

How safe is Bourges?

Police recorded about 7,305 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)3

Recorded crime across major citiesBourges highlighted among comparable cities
Recorded crime across major cities with Bourges highlighted

recorded incidents per 100k residents

Lille13,488
Lyon13,026
Bordeaux12,429
Marseille11,857
Paris10,987
Montpellier9,636
Toulouse8,875
Rennes8,241
Strasbourg7,791
Nantes7,704
Nice7,577
Bourges7,305
MetricValuePeriodSource
Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents7,305 incidents per 100,000country median 4,74031 Dec 2025Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)3Official

Mobility and administration

MetricValuePeriodSource
Nearest airportBOU3 Aug 2026OurAirports20Official
Distance to nearest airport3 km3 Aug 2026OurAirports20Official

Language courses and integration

No exact city-level course record is currently published for Bourges. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.

Country-level information

Contrat d’intégration républicaine (CIR) — Integration course

État français and OFII

For eligible non-EU foreign residents.

FrenchIn Person

DIAN language-training offer finder — Other

Réseau des Carif-Oref and DIAN

For people seeking French-language training.

FrenchIn Person, Online
National programme information is not treated as proof of a course location in Bourges.

Find courses near Bourges

Climate and air quality

Average high temperatures were 7.4°C in January and 26.2°C in July. Monthly precipitation was 58 mm in January and 63.5 mm in July.

Is the air quality good in Bourges?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³.

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

  • PM2.5 — annual mean: 7.12 µg/m³ · 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1
Temperature through the yearAverage daytime high and night-time low, °C
Rainfall through the yearAverage monthly precipitation, mm
Sunshine through the yearAverage monthly sunshine, hours
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 FranceAnnual PM2.5 in Bourges is 7.1 µg/m³. Of 1,975 cities with data, 626 have annual PM2.5 of 8 to under 9 µg/m³.

Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)

MetricValuePeriodSource
NO₂ — annual mean7.67 µg/m³country median 14.820242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
NO₂ — latest reading11.05 µg/m³15 Jul 2026Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata.13Official
PM10 — annual mean10.74 µg/m³country median 14.220242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
PM2.5 — annual mean7.12 µg/m³country median 8.520242024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official
Average daytime high by monthJan 7.4 · Feb 8.9 · Mar 13.1 · Apr 16.3 · May 20.1 · Jun 23.8 · Jul 26.2 · Aug 26.2 · Sep 22.1 · Oct 17.2 · Nov 11.2 · Dec 7.9 °C31 Dec 2020Météo-France climate normal — mean monthly maximum air temperature, BOURGES, 1991-202014Official
Average night-time low by monthJan 1.6 · Feb 1.4 · Mar 3.7 · Apr 5.8 · May 9.5 · Jun 13 · Jul 14.8 · Aug 14.7 · Sep 11.3 · Oct 8.5 · Nov 4.6 · Dec 2.2 °C31 Dec 2020Météo-France climate normal — mean monthly minimum air temperature, BOURGES, 1991-202014Official
Average temperature by monthJan 4.5 · Feb 5.1 · Mar 8.4 · Apr 11.1 · May 14.8 · Jun 18.4 · Jul 20.5 · Aug 20.5 · Sep 16.7 · Oct 12.9 · Nov 7.9 · Dec 5 °C1991–2020WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BOURGES23Official · nearest-station reading
Average precipitation by monthJan 58 · Feb 51 · Mar 52.8 · Apr 62 · May 75.9 · Jun 58.4 · Jul 63.5 · Aug 53.5 · Sep 56.7 · Oct 74.2 · Nov 69.3 · Dec 67.4 mm31 Dec 2020Météo-France climate normal — mean monthly precipitation, BOURGES, 1991-202014Official
Average sunshine by monthJan 65.47 · Feb 93.48 · Mar 155.9 · Apr 185.6 · May 215.6 · Jun 227.4 · Jul 248.6 · Aug 239.8 · Sep 194 · Oct 127 · Nov 76.6 · Dec 59.48 hours31 Dec 2020Météo-France climate normal — mean monthly sunshine duration, BOURGES, 1991-202014Official
Annual PM2.5 over time4 published observations, 2021–2024

Annual PM2.5 fell 20.9% between 2021 and 2024, from 9.0 to 7.1.

Population and city profile

How many people live in Bourges?

The published population was 64,186 people in 2023. Source: INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Bourges (commune 18033)10

Who lives hereResidents by nationality, % of population

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

MetricValuePeriodSource
City area68.74 km²31 Dec 2026Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte21Official
Foreign-resident share9.1 %31 Dec 2022Eurostat5Official
Foreign residents5,354 people2021Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT117Official
Population density933.8 people/km²31 Dec 2023Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte21Official
Population64,186 people1 Jan 2023INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Bourges (commune 18033)10Official
Population over time14 published observations, 2010–2023

Population fell 3.3% between 2010 and 2023, from 66,381 to 64,186.

Foreign residents over time10 published observations, 2013–2022

Foreign residents rose 67.3% between 2013 and 2022, from 3,511 to 5,874.

International community in Bourges

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

Citizenship

Population resident in France excluding Mayotte; INSEE RP2023 NAT; total age and sex · 2023 Census

Published groupPeopleShare
Total64,186100.0%
Français58,201.5790.7%
Etranger5,984.439.3%

Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source12

Additional context

MetricValuePeriodSource
Universities0 count3 Aug 2026Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr)16Official

Alternatives for people set on Bourges

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.

Mehun-sur-Yèvre as a Bourges alternative in the same region

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

  • Nearest airport: 15.0 km Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs 3.0 km Bourges+400%
  • Rent: €7.84/m² Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs €10.10/m² Bourges−22%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,269 Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs 7,305 Bourges−42%
  • Unemployment: 9.3% Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs 14.3% Bourges−35%
  • Residents: 6,380 Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs 64,186 Bourges−90%
  • Median gross pay, region: €2,597 Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs €2,597 Bourgessame level
  • Annual PM2.5: 7.1 µg/m³ Mehun-sur-Yèvre vs 7.1 µg/m³ Bourgessame level

Clichy as a Bourges alternative in the same country

A move, not a commute, at 203 km, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 2. Rent cannot be compared like for like.

  • Nearest airport: 12.0 km Clichy vs 3.0 km Bourges+300%
  • Hospital beds, per 100k: 1,674.0 Clichy vs 798.7 Bourges+110%
  • Median gross pay, region: €3,317 Clichy vs €2,597 Bourges+28%
  • Rent: €26.22/m² Clichy vs €10.10/m² Bourgesno percentage
  • Annual PM2.5: 9.6 µg/m³ Clichy vs 7.1 µg/m³ Bourges+35%
  • Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,804 Clichy vs 7,305 Bourges−21%
  • Unemployment: 12.5% Clichy vs 14.3% Bourges−13%

Cities near Bourges

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

Saint-Doulchard Commuting Zone · 2.9 km away
Rent
11.41 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Saint-Florent-sur-Cher Commuting Zone · 14.4 km away
Rent
10.62 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Mehun-sur-Yèvre Commuting Zone · 15.5 km away
Rent
7.84 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31

Alternative cities in France

Other cities in France to compare with Bourges, nearest in population first.

All France cities

How does Bourges compare?

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

Common questions

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

How many people live in Bourges?

The published population was 64,186 people in 2023. Source: INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Bourges (commune 18033).

How much does it cost to rent in Bourges?

Average net cold rent is 10.1 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 707 EUR a month before utilities. Source: static.data.gouv.fr.

Is the air quality good in Bourges?

The annual PM2.5 mean is about 7.1 µg/m³ (2024) — above the WHO 2021 guideline of 5 µg/m³ but within the EU limit of 25 µg/m³. Source: 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation..

How safe is Bourges?

Police recorded about 7,305 incidents per 100,000 (2025). This counts all offences, so it is not comparable with a violent-crime-only rate from another source. Source: Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026).

What is the unemployment rate in Bourges?

The unemployment rate is about 14.3 % (2022). Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune.

What is the typical salary around Bourges?

The median gross salary is 2,597 EUR/month. Source: www.insee.fr.

Is Bourges a good place to live?

Bourges 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 Bourges?

Saint-Doulchard, Saint-Germain-du-Puy, Saint-Florent-sur-Cher, Mehun-sur-Yèvre are near Bourges. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.

How many people are in the Total citizenship group in Bourges?

The official citizenship distribution records 64,186 people (100.0%) in the source-defined population for 2023 Census. This is a citizenship 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, September 29). Bourges, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living [ImmigrationDB compilation; version 64bc4d2080b011c0fa8a4debffc39104]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/bourges/ Retrieved 2026-09-29. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_bourges-france-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living_185ff51b461e,
  author = {ImmigrationDB},
  title = {Bourges, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living},
  publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
  year = {2026},
  date = {2026-09-29},
  version = {64bc4d2080b011c0fa8a4debffc39104},
  url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/bourges/},
  note = {Retrieved 2026-09-29. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}
Markdown citation
[Bourges, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/bourges/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version 64bc4d2080b011c0fa8a4debffc39104; retrieved 2026-09-29; built 2026-09-29.

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. 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation. air.discomap.eea.europa.eu · checked 2026-07-15
  2. Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse) data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  3. Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026) static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-09-23
  4. DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 2011 data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  5. Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
  6. GISCO Urban Audit 2021 — Functional Urban Areas (URAU_RG_100K_2021_4326_FUA) GISCO Urban Audit 2021 · gisco-services.ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-09-19
  7. Independent ARCEP municipal count of premises eligible for the >=1 Gbit/s fixed advertised-speed class, divided by the ARCEP type=all municipal premises denominator. This is availability/eligibility, not adoption, measured speed, FTTH-only coverage or mobile coverage. data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-03-31
  8. INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
  9. INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
  10. INSEE — Populations légales 2023, Bourges (commune 18033) INSEE · insee.fr · checked 2026-08-13
Show 19 more sources
  1. INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune INSEE RP2022 ACT1 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
  2. Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France api.insee.fr · checked 2026-08-30
  3. Latest valid NO2 hourly station observation on the official LCSQA E2 current-day extract, mapped to the exact INSEE centre through an exact normalized station-name crosswalk to EEA station metadata. files.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-07-15
  4. Météo-France climate normal — mean monthly maximum air temperature, BOURGES, 1991-2020 Météo-France climate normal · meteofrance.com · checked 2026-07-27
  5. Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr) data.education.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  6. Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr) data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
  7. Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Nationalité en 2021 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-15
  8. Orange 100GB mobile plan boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
  9. Orange Livebox Fibre boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
  10. OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
  11. Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte Séries historiques en 2023 · insee.fr · checked 2026-09-24
  12. static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
  13. WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station BOURGES WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
  14. www.insee.fr insee.fr · checked 2026-08-27
  15. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  16. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  17. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  18. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
  19. Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06

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