Besançon · report
Empty homes in Besançon
9.5% of the 73,009 homes counted in the 2023 census stood empty, whether for sale, to let or for other reasons.
- Empty, 2023 census
- 9.5%
- Empty homes
- 6,931
Empty homes in Besançon, census by census
Share of homes standing empty at each census, against the wider areas.
- Besançon
- Doubs
- France
Show the numbers
| Census | Besançon | Doubs | France |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9.5% | 8.5% | 7.8% |
| 2017 | 9.9% | 8.5% | 8.2% |
| 2012 | 8.4% | 7.5% | 7.6% |
| 2007 | 6.1% | 5.9% | 6.5% |
| 1999 | 8.5% | 5.9% | 6.9% |
| 1990 | 5.9% | 5.8% | 7.2% |
| 1982 | 5.4% | 7.1% | 7.6% |
| 1975 | 3.7% | 5.8% | 7.7% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | 5.4% | 6.6% |
Against the wider area
Share of homes standing empty in the 2023 census.
| Area | Empty |
|---|---|
| Besançon | 9.5% |
| Doubs | 8.5% |
| France | 7.8% |
INSEE counts a home as vacant when nobody lives in it: for sale, to let, already let or sold but not yet occupied, awaiting repair, or kept empty. Second homes are counted apart and are not included. The latest census is the rolling survey of 2021 to 2025.
Other reports for Besançon
At the median sale price, a 90 m² home costs €205,560. With 10% down and a 30-year mortgage, the payment is €800 a month. The HCSF caps it at 35% of a household's income.
- Payment, two incomes
- 21%
- Payment, one income
- 41%
Owning a 90 m² apartment costs less each month than renting it. Owning counts interest, running costs and the return the deposit could earn, at apartments' median sale price; rent is the asking rent. Repaying the loan is saving, so it is left out.
- Rent per month
- €1,159
- Owning per month
- €734
Figures for Doubs: Besançon has no reliable figures of its own.
7.6% fewer homes were licensed for construction in the last 12 months than in an average year of the past decade.
- Licensed, 12 months
- 2,788
In 2022 the population fell by 1,568 while 459 homes were started.
- Homes started, 2022
- 459
- Population change, 2022
- −1,568
In 2025, 26% of the homes authorised were in existing buildings: conversions, extensions and changes of use.
- Homes in existing buildings, 2025
- 26%
Public bodies signed €391K of housing works here in 2025, and €391K since 2024.
- Signed in 2025
- €391K
- Per resident, 2025
- €3