Living in Lens
In Lens, advertised rents for new lettings average €10.63 per m² a month (2025) and unemployment is 23.5% (2022).
Annual NO₂ was 8.08 µg/m³ in 2024. For Lens, gigabit broadband availability was 95.5% in March 2026. At the start of 2023, Lens had a population of 32,920. The city covered 11.7 km² in 2026. Population density was 2,813.7 people per km² in 2023. The city had 33 schools in 2026. Annual PM2.5 was 8.23 µg/m³ in 2024. The unemployment rate was 23.5% at the end of 2022.
Cheaper rent than 62% of French cities that publish it, higher unemployment than any other French city that publishes it and more recorded crime than any other French city that publishes it.
Which France-wide rules apply when you move to Lens?
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 Lens?
Average net cold rent is 10.63 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): 10.63 EUR/m²/month · static.data.gouv.fr24
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet, 60 Mbps unlimited | 42.99 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | Orange Livebox Fibre19Official · national market |
| Mobile plan, 10 GB | 19.99 EUR/month | 30 Sept 2026 | Orange 100GB mobile plan18Official · national market |
| Housing vacancy rate (legacy series) | 1,895 % | 31 Dec 2023 | INSEE8Official |
| Dwellings | 17,874 dwellings | 31 Dec 2023 | INSEE9Official |
| Main residence dwellings | 15,787 dwellings | 31 Dec 2023 | INSEE9Official |
| Average net rent (nettokalt) | 10.63 EUR/m²/monthcountry median €11.60 | 31 Dec 2025 | static.data.gouv.fr24Official |
Is Lens 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.
Worked out from these numbers
What does a 60 m² flat cost?
About 638 EUR a month in cold rent at the published average of 10.63 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.
Work and income
What is the unemployment rate in Lens?
The unemployment rate is about 23.5 % (2022).
- Unemployment rate: 23.49 % · INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune12
Lens 23.5%
Unemployment rate (%)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fibre-to-the-building availability | 94.28 % | 3 Aug 2026 | Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse)2Official |
| Gigabit broadband availability | 95.54 % | 31 Mar 2026 | 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.7Official |
| Median gross salary (regional) | 2,579 EUR/month | 31 Dec 2022 | www.insee.fr26Official |
| Unemployment rate | 23.49 %country median 11.0% | 31 Dec 2022 | INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune12Official |
Unemployment rate rose 1.3% between 2013 and 2022, from 23.2% to 23.5%.
What does a salary buy in Lens?
Take-home pay after tax, minus rent and the everyday bills this city publishes. Each line names its source.
RentInternetMobileLeft 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. | €1,967 |
| Rent, 60 m²€10.63/m² · official · static.data.gouv.fr · 2025-12-31 | − €638 |
| 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 | €1,266 |
Public employment service
No exact public employment office is currently linked to Lens. The verified national service may still offer online registration, job search or an official office finder.
France Travail — Public employment service
Country-level service information is not treated as proof of a physical office in Lens. Sources checked through 10 Aug 2026.
Family and education
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | 33 schools | 27 May 2026 | RNEE exact Code_commune; etat=OUVERT; code_nature 100-199 or 300-399; unique UAI count.22Official · commune |
| Primary schools | 20 count | 3 Aug 2026 | Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr)15Official |
| Schools | 36 count | 3 Aug 2026 | Ministère 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; Lens's school authority applies it locally.
Sources: eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu · 2025–2026.
Healthcare
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary care doctors per 100,000 residents | 69.87 per 100,000 people | 31 Dec 2024 | INSEE BPE 2024 commune equipment and PMUN denominator evidence10Official |
| Hospital beds per 100,000 residents | 1,615 beds per 100,000 | 31 Dec 2011 | DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 20114Official |
Yes — migrants can receive medical care in Lens 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 guideSafety
How safe is Lens?
Police recorded about 10,656 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
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded incidents per 100,000 residents | 10,656 incidents per 100,000country median 4,740 | 31 Dec 2025 | Base statistique communale de la délinquance enregistrée par la police et la gendarmerie nationales, 2025 (géographie 2026)3Official |
Mobility and administration
Language courses and integration
No exact city-level course record is currently published for Lens. These verified national programmes may still apply; use the official programme page to check local availability.
Contrat d’intégration républicaine (CIR) — Integration course
État français and OFII
For eligible non-EU foreign residents.
DIAN language-training offer finder — Other
Réseau des Carif-Oref and DIAN
For people seeking French-language training.
Climate and air quality
Is the air quality good in Lens?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.2 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: 8.23 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
Night-time low to daytime high
mm
hours
Within WHO 2021 guidelineAbove WHO, within EU limitAbove EU legal limitCity annual mean · µg/m³
City values from the published air-quality observations. WHO 2021 guidelines and EU limit values are published constants.
Lens 8.2
Annual PM2.5 (µg/m³)
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| NO₂ — annual mean | 8.08 µg/m³country median 14.8 | 2024 | 2024 validated hourly NO2 station observations transformed to the exact INSEE commune centre by deterministic nearest-station selection and equal-weight aggregation.1Official |
| NO₂ — latest reading | 4.4 µg/m³ | 15 Jul 2026 | 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.14Official |
| PM10 — annual mean | 15.04 µg/m³country median 14.2 | 2024 | 2024 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 mean | 8.23 µg/m³country median 8.5 | 2024 | 2024 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 month | Jan 6.6 · Feb 7.5 · Mar 11.2 · Apr 15 · May 18.4 · Jun 21.3 · Jul 23.7 · Aug 23.7 · Sep 20.2 · Oct 15.4 · Nov 10.3 · Dec 7 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN25Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average night-time low by month | Jan 1.7 · Feb 1.9 · Mar 3.8 · Apr 5.9 · May 9.3 · Jun 12.1 · Jul 14.2 · Aug 14 · Sep 11.4 · Oct 8.4 · Nov 4.9 · Dec 2.3 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN25Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average temperature by month | Jan 4.1 · Feb 4.7 · Mar 7.5 · Apr 10.5 · May 13.8 · Jun 16.7 · Jul 18.9 · Aug 18.8 · Sep 15.8 · Oct 11.9 · Nov 7.6 · Dec 4.7 °C | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN25Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average precipitation by month | Jan 58.2 · Feb 50.8 · Mar 52.1 · Apr 45.3 · May 61.6 · Jun 63.7 · Jul 67.8 · Aug 71.3 · Sep 56.8 · Oct 64.1 · Nov 75 · Dec 73.3 mm | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN25Official · nearest-station reading |
| Average sunshine by month | Jan 62 · Feb 73 · Mar 127 · Apr 175 · May 195 · Jun 201 · Jul 209 · Aug 196 · Sep 155 · Oct 115 · Nov 61 · Dec 52 hours | 1991–2020 | WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN25Official · nearest-station reading |
Annual PM2.5 fell 54.3% between 2013 and 2024, from 18.0 to 8.2.
Similar climate. In France: Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines ±0.3 °C. Elsewhere: Ghent (Belgium) ±0.3 °C, Leuven (Belgium) ±0.5 °C, Saanich (Canada) ±0.9 °C, Werl (Germany) ±1.0 °C, Dusseldorf (Germany) ±0.7 °C. Twenty closest, compared month by month
Monthly highs and lows against the 1991–2020 station normals of the nearest station; ± is the average monthly difference.
Population and city profile
How many people live in Lens?
The published population was 32,920 people in January 2023. Source: INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune11
Foreign residents and their share come from different publications that count different groups (for example citizens of another country, or people born abroad, or of foreign origin), so 1,755 is not 3.4% of the population. Each row names its source.
By nationality
National passport94.7%
Calculated from the population and foreign-resident facts on this page.
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| City area | 11.7 km² | 31 Dec 2026 | Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte23Official |
| Foreign-resident share | 3.4 % | 31 Dec 2022 | Eurostat5Official |
| Foreign residents | 1,755 people | 2021 | Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT117Official |
| Population density | 2,814 people/km² | 31 Dec 2023 | Séries historiques en 2023 — Recensement de la population, base des principaux indicateurs, communes de France hors Mayotte23Official |
| Population | 32,920 people | 1 Jan 2023 | INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune11Official |
Foreign residents rose 16.8% between 2013 and 2022, from 5,944 to 6,943.
International community in Lens
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 group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Total | 32,920 | 100.0% |
| Français | 30,706.961 | 93.3% |
| Etranger | 2,213.039 | 6.7% |
Largest published groups; zero-count groups are omitted. Dimensions are source-native and are never merged. Official source13
Additional context
| Metric | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universities | 0 count | 3 Aug 2026 | Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr)16Official |
Alternatives for people set on Lens
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.
Vendin-le-Vieil as a Lens alternative in the same region
5 km away, better on 4 of 7 metrics measured the same way, worse on 0.
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 5,234 Vendin-le-Vieil vs 10,656 Lens−51%
- Unemployment: 13.4% Vendin-le-Vieil vs 23.5% Lens−43%
- Residents: 8,536 Vendin-le-Vieil vs 32,920 Lens−74%
- Rent: €9.86/m² Vendin-le-Vieil vs €10.63/m² Lens−7%
- Nearest airport: 20.0 km Vendin-le-Vieil vs 24.0 km Lens−17%
- Median gross pay, region: €2,579 Vendin-le-Vieil vs €2,579 Lenssame level
- Annual PM2.5: 8.2 µg/m³ Vendin-le-Vieil vs 8.2 µg/m³ Lenssame level
Sartrouville as a Lens alternative in the same country
A move, not a commute, at 172 km, better on 4 of 6 metrics measured the same way, worse on 1. Rent cannot be compared like for like.
- Recorded crime, per 100k: 4,581 Sartrouville vs 10,656 Lens−57%
- Unemployment: 10.5% Sartrouville vs 23.5% Lens−55%
- Median gross pay, region: €3,317 Sartrouville vs €2,579 Lens+29%
- Rent: €20.51/m² Sartrouville vs €10.63/m² Lensno percentage
- Residents: 52,763 Sartrouville vs 32,920 Lens+60%
- Annual PM2.5: 9.7 µg/m³ Sartrouville vs 8.2 µg/m³ Lens+18%
- Nearest airport: 18.0 km Sartrouville vs 24.0 km Lens−25%
Cities near Lens
Published cities within 25 km, nearest first. Distances are straight-line.
- Rent
- 10.29 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 9.77 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 5.86 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2021-01-01
- Rent
- 9.49 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 10.08 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 9.96 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 9.95 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
- Rent
- 9.86 EUR/m²/monthAverage net rent (nettokalt) · 2025-12-31
Alternative cities in France
Other cities in France to compare with Lens, nearest in population first.
How does Lens compare?
Pick a city. The answer appears here and the address bar keeps it, so the comparison can be shared; the page stays Lens's.
Common questions
Answered from the published values on this page, each with its source and date.
How many people live in Lens?
The published population was 32,920 people in January 2023. Source: INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune.
How much does it cost to rent in Lens?
Average net cold rent is 10.63 EUR/m² per month (2025-Q3), excluding heating and operating charges. For a 70 m² flat that is about 744 EUR a month before utilities. Source: static.data.gouv.fr.
Is the air quality good in Lens?
The annual PM2.5 mean is about 8.2 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 Lens?
Police recorded about 10,656 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 Lens?
The unemployment rate is about 23.5 % (2022). Source: INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune.
What is the typical salary around Lens?
The median gross salary is 2,579 EUR/month. Source: www.insee.fr.
Is Lens a good place to live?
Lens 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 Lens?
Avion, Sallaumines, Loison-sous-Lens, Noyelles-sous-Lens, Méricourt are near Lens. Typed relationship labels are shown where published; other rows use straight-line distance from admitted coordinates.
How many people are in the Français citizenship group in Lens?
The official citizenship distribution records 30,706.961 people (93.3%) 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, October 16). Lens, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs [ImmigrationDB compilation; version f2c7cc872c8d2e2c54548cbca78c21c3]. ImmigrationDB. https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/lens/ Retrieved 2026-10-16. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/BibTeX citation
@misc{immigrationdb_immigrationdb_lens-france-population-rent-salary-cost-of-living-jobs_f37639b78bc6,
author = {ImmigrationDB},
title = {Lens, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs},
publisher = {ImmigrationDB},
year = {2026},
date = {2026-10-16},
version = {f2c7cc872c8d2e2c54548cbca78c21c3},
url = {https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/lens/},
note = {Retrieved 2026-10-16. ImmigrationDB compilation. Compilation license: CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/},
}Markdown citation
[Lens, France: population, rent, salary, cost of living, jobs](https://immigrationdb.com/cities/fr/lens/) — ImmigrationDB; ImmigrationDB; version f2c7cc872c8d2e2c54548cbca78c21c3; 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
- 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
- Arcep (Autorité de régulation des communications électroniques, des postes et de la distribution de la presse) data.arcep.fr · checked 2026-08-03
- 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
- DREES / DGOS – Statistique Annuelle des Établissements de Santé (SAE) 2011 data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
- Eurostat ec.europa.eu · checked 2026-08-02
- 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
- 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
- INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
- INSEE insee.fr · checked 2026-08-07
- INSEE BPE 2024 commune equipment and PMUN denominator evidence insee.fr · checked 2026-07-16
Show 25 more sources
- INSEE populations légales 2023 par commune insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
- INSEE RP2022 ACT1 — population active by type of activity, commune INSEE RP2022 ACT1 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-26
- Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (INSEE), France api.insee.fr · checked 2026-08-30
- 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
- Ministère de l'Éducation nationale (data.education.gouv.fr) data.education.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
- Ministère de l'Enseignement supérieur et de la Recherche (data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr) data.enseignementsup-recherche.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-03
- Nationalité en 2021 — Base des tableaux détaillés — NAT1 Nationalité en 2021 · insee.fr · checked 2026-07-15
- Orange 100GB mobile plan boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
- Orange Livebox Fibre boutique.orange.fr · checked 2026-09-15
- OurAirports davidmegginson.github.io · checked 2026-08-03
- Répertoire des logements locatifs des bailleurs sociaux (RPLS) 2021 — données communales Répertoire des logements locatifs des bailleurs sociaux (RPLS) 2021 · static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-09-18
- RNEE exact Code_commune; etat=OUVERT; code_nature 100-199 or 300-399; unique UAI count. data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-07-16
- 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
- static.data.gouv.fr static.data.gouv.fr · checked 2026-08-27
- WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 — station LILLE-LESQUIN WMO Climatological Normals 1991-2020 · ncei.noaa.gov · checked 2026-07-31
- www.insee.fr insee.fr · checked 2026-08-27
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
- Coordinate identity evidence wikidata.org · checked 2026-09-06
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.