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Municipality profile · department 57

Property in Bitche

The municipality has 4,966 inhabitants, a change of -2.6% ; median living standard there reaches €22,630 a year.

Population
4,966
-5.7% since 2012
Median living standard
€22,630
per year per consumption unit

Public data cross-referenced (DGFiP, INSEE, ADEME), recorded on October 2, 2026.

Rents

Reference rents (2025)

Median advertised rent per m² by property type in Bitche, 2025
Property typeMedian rent (€/m²)Range (€/m²)
Flats, all sizes9.87.8 – 12.4
Flats with 1-2 rooms11.59.2 – 14.3
Flats with 3 or more rooms8.56.7 – 10.8
Houses9.27.0 – 12.0

How to read this table. This is a predicted advertised rent, including service charges, per square metre per month — not the rent signed in the lease. The range brackets the estimate: most listings in the municipality fall within it. These estimates are recalculated every year with a new model, so two releases cannot be compared with each other.

Estimations ANIL, à partir des données du Groupe SeLoger et de leboncoin · Rent map 2025

Energy performance of the housing stock

Breakdown of homes in Bitche by energy performance certificate (EPC) band. Since the loi Climat & Résilience (Climate and Resilience Act), it is this band that determines whether a home may be let.

Breakdown of energy performance certificates in Bitche

  • A30.4%
  • B333.9%
  • C23127.1%
  • D22426.3%
  • E15017.6%
  • F13716.1%
  • G758.8%

853 homes surveyed. 24.9% of the surveyed housing stock is rated F or G — that is 212 homes already affected, or about to be, by the letting ban. Including band E, targeted for 2034, the share rises to 42.4%.

Rental ban timeline
  1. 2025Gbanned
  2. 2028Fbanned
  3. 2034Ebanned

2021 loi Climat & Résilience (Climate and Resilience Act) — applies to new leases.

Counts and shares by band, across all energy surveys recorded in the municipality.

Source: ADEME, energy performance certificate database · recorded on October 2, 2026

Change in EPC (DPE) assessments in Bitche

Change in EPC (DPE) assessments in BitcheA, B and C labels: 12 in 2022, 27 in 2025 ; F and G labels: 35 in 2022, 23 in 2025020202220232024202527%23%
A, B and C labelsF and G labels
Among the assessments carried out each year: the share of well-rated dwellings (A, B, C) and that of thermal sieves (F, G).

The share of F and G labels among assessments is falling: 34.5% in 2022, 23.4% in 2025.

View the data
Assessments carried out by year and by band
YearABCDEFGTotal
2022011229301919110
2023022163324513176
2024062936282215136
2025014551342515171
2026*22312331161612223

* current year, incomplete

Source: ADEME, energy performance certificate database · recorded on October 2, 2026

Why this breakdown matters. A dwelling rated G can no longer be let under a new lease since 1st January 2025; F will follow in 2028 and E in 2034. A commune whose stock is largely rated F or G therefore faces a wall of renovation work, or an exit from the rental market.

Note: these figures cover surveyed homes, not the entire stock. A survey is only required on sale or letting, so homes occupied for a long time are under-represented.

The trend line starts in 2022: the assessment changed its calculation method in July 2021, and earlier labels cannot be compared with later ones. It describes the dwellings assessed during the year (those being sold, let or just renovated), not an annual census of the housing stock.

Housing stock

Bitche has 2,424 dwellings at the 2023 census, of which 80.9% are main residences; the rest is split between second homes and vacant dwellings.

What are dwellings used for?

Housing categories in BitcheMain residences : 81.2%Second homes and occasional dwellings : 3.1%Vacant dwellings : 15.7%
  • Main residences81.2%
  • Second homes and occasional dwellings3.1%
  • Vacant dwellings15.7%
A vacant dwelling is one unoccupied on the census date: awaiting sale, letting or works, or simply left empty.

Source: INSEE, census

Who lives in main residences?

Housing tenure of residents of BitcheTenants : 42.7%Owner-occupiers : 55.5%Housed free of charge : 1.8%
  • Tenants1,81342.7%
  • Owner-occupiers2,35355.5%
  • Housed free of charge751.8%
Share of RESIDENTS according to whether their household owns, rents or is housed free of charge, not the share of dwellings.

Source: INSEE, census

Between 2012 and 2023, the housing stock grew by +0.3% while the population changed by -5.7%: homes are being built faster than the commune gains residents, a sign of smaller households, second homes or rising vacancy.

Dwellings (2023)2,424
Households1,962
Housing: Bitche compared with its département, its region and France
BitcheMoselleGrand EstFrance
Main residences202381.2%−1.2 pt vs France88.7%86.8%82.4%
Second homes20233.1%−6.7 pts vs France2.3%4.0%9.8%
Vacant dwellings202315.7%+7.9 pts vs France9.0%9.2%7.8%
Residents who own their home55.5%−5.3 pts vs France63.5%62.2%60.8%
Tenant residents42.7%+5.3 pts vs France34.3%35.9%37.4%

Under each value for the municipality: its gap with France. For a rate, the gap is in percentage points (12.4% vs 7.8% = +4.6 pts); for an amount or a ratio, as a percentage of the national value.

Long-term empty dwellings

Private dwellings vacant for more than two years (2025)223
Share of private housing stock10.0%

Why vacancy of more than two years. A dwelling that stands empty for a few months is waiting for a buyer, a tenant or the end of building work: that is the normal breathing of the market. Empty for more than two years, it has left the market — a run-down property, a blocked inheritance, an owner who will neither let nor sell. We do not publish total vacancy from the same file: its national level varies by a third from one year to the next without the housing stock having changed, which rules out any comparison.

Source: LOVAC (Cerema, DGFiP), vacant dwellings in the private housing stock · recorded on October 2, 2026

Dwellings authorised for construction in Bitche

Dwellings for which a building permit has been granted, by year of authorisation. An authorised dwelling is not yet built: allow two to three years before delivery.
View the data
Dwellings authorised by year
YearFlats (multi-dwelling buildings)Detached housesTotal
2021022
2022033
2023033
2024044
2025011
2026*01515

Source: Sit@del, ministry responsible for housing · recorded on October 2, 2026

Sources: INSEE (census), Sit@del · recorded on October 2, 2026

Population and households

Population4,966
Households1,962
People per household2.53

Change in the population of Bitche

Population trendPopulation: 5,004 in 1968, 4,966 in 20235,0005,500196819821999201220234,966 inhab.
Municipal population at each census. INSEE does not publish a population every year: the points are the census years available.

Between 2012 and 2023, the population changed by -5.7%.

Source: INSEE, population census · recorded on October 2, 2026

Age breakdown

Age breakdown of the population of BitcheUnder 18 : 16.3%18 to 24 : 13.9%25 to 29 : 7.8%30 and over : 62.0%
  • Under 1879616.3%
  • 18 to 2467913.9%
  • 25 to 293837.8%
  • 30 and over3,03062.0%
Population aged 2 and over, 2023 census.

Source: INSEE

What do people aged 15 and over do?

Employment status of residents aged 15 and over in BitcheEmployed workers : 49.3%Unemployed : 6.9%Retired people : 29.3%Pupils and students : 5.7%Other economically inactive : 8.8%
  • Employed workers2,10549.3%
  • Unemployed2936.9%
  • Retired people1,24929.3%
  • Pupils and students2425.7%
  • Other economically inactive3778.8%
Each resident aged 15 or over is counted once, 2023 census.

Source: INSEE

Bitche compared with its département, its region and France
BitcheMoselleGrand EstFrance
Population trend2012-2023-5.7%−10.1 pts vs France+0.5%+0.3%+4.4%
Median age202340.9 years−1.6 yr vs France43.4 years43.3 years42.5 years
Share aged under 25202331.3%+2.5 pts vs France27.2%28.1%28.8%
Share aged 65 and over202323.5%+2.2 pts vs France21.1%21.6%21.3%
People per household20232.5+17% vs France2.22.22.2

Under each value for the municipality: its gap with France. For a rate, the gap is in percentage points (12.4% vs 7.8% = +4.6 pts); for an amount or a ratio, as a percentage of the national value.

Why the number of people per household matters. A household is everyone who shares the same dwelling. The fewer people it has, the more demand shifts towards small homes — studios and one-bedroom flats, sought by people living alone, students and retirees; the more it has, the more demand shifts towards family homes with three or more rooms.

In Bitche, a household has 2.53 people on average, compared with 2.17 in France: more families, so demand leans more towards larger homes.

Source: INSEE, population census · recorded on October 2, 2026

Income and employment

Income and employment: Bitche compared with its département, its region and France
BitcheMoselleGrand EstFrance
Median living standard (per year)2023€22,630−13% vs France€26,030€25,850€25,920
Poverty rate202322.0%+6.1 pts vs France16.6%15.9%15.9%
Unemployment rate (aged 15-64)202312.1%+1.1 pt vs France10.9%11.3%11.0%
Activity rate (aged 15-64)202376.0%≈ France74.9%75.3%75.7%
Share of retired people (aged 15 and over)202329.3%+1.2 pt vs France27.6%28.6%28.1%
Share of pupils and students (aged 15 and over)20235.7%−1.9 pt vs France6.6%7.2%7.6%

Under each value for the municipality: its gap with France. For a rate, the gap is in percentage points (12.4% vs 7.8% = +4.6 pts); for an amount or a ratio, as a percentage of the national value.

How to read these figures. The standard of living is a household's disposable income (salaries, pensions and benefits, after tax) divided by its number of consumption units: the first adult counts as 1, other people aged 14 or over as 0.5, and each child as 0.3. It allows a single person and a family to be compared.

The poverty rate is the share of residents whose standard of living is below 60% of the national median. INSEE does not publish it for small communes, for reasons of statistical confidentiality: its absence is not a zero.

The unemployment rate here is the census one: people who declare themselves without work and looking for it, among the economically active aged 15 to 64. It is higher than INSEE's quarterly rate, which follows a stricter international definition.

Sources: INSEE (census, Filosofi) · recorded on October 2, 2026

Economic fabric

Number of businesses located in Bitche

Number of businesses located in BitcheBusinesses: 300 in 2014, 328 in 2024280300320201420162018202020222024328
Businesses in market activities, excluding agriculture, located in the commune and counted at 31 December each year. This is a stock: it shows the size of the local economy, not how much it is being renewed.

328 businesses in 2024, compared with 300 in 2014: +9.3% over the period.

View the data
Number of businesses by year
YearBusinesses
2014300
2015305
2016293
2017285
2018285
2019294
2020294
2021308
2022310
2023312
2024328

Source: INSEE, business demography information system · recorded on October 2, 2026

Businesses: Bitche compared with its département, its region and France
BitcheMoselleGrand EstFrance
Number of businesses202432869,116425,3156,437,729
Change in the number of businesses2019-2024+11.6%−13.4 pts vs France+23.7%+23.2%+25.0%
Businesses per 1,000 inhabitants202466.0−32% vs France65.776.497.3

Under each value for the municipality: its gap with France. For a rate, the gap is in percentage points (12.4% vs 7.8% = +4.6 pts); for an amount or a ratio, as a percentage of the national value.

In what form do businesses operate?

Legal forms of businesses in BitcheSole traders : 46.6%SAS and SASU : 16.9%SARL and EURL : 13.8%Civil companies, including SCI : 19.8%Other forms : 2.9%
  • Sole traders32046.6%
  • SAS and SASU11616.9%
  • SARL and EURL9513.8%
  • Civil companies, including SCI13619.8%
  • Other forms202.9%
Businesses with an open establishment in Bitche, by legal form. A sole trader operates in their own name — this is the status of micro-entrepreneurs; an SCI most often holds property assets rather than running an activity. This count is broader than the INSEE one above, which only includes market businesses with an economic activity.

Sources: INSEE (SIRENE register), INPI (national business register) · recorded on October 2, 2026

Registrations and insolvency proceedings

* current year, incomplete

On one side, announcements of registrations, business creations and takeovers; on the other, court-ordered safeguard, recovery and liquidation proceedings. Legal notices published under postcode 57230. A postcode may cover several communes: in a village, these figures describe the wider catchment area, not the commune alone.

From 2021 to 2025, 195 registrations for 117 insolvency proceedings.

View the data
Registrations and insolvency proceedings
YearRegistrationsInsolvency proceedings
20213820
20223014
20233714
20244429
20254640
2026*4027

Source: BODACC, official bulletin of civil and commercial announcements · recorded on October 2, 2026

Sources: INSEE, BODACC · recorded on October 2, 2026

Local taxation

In 2024, the overall property tax rate on built properties is 34.77% in Bitche.

Rate voted by the commune32.70%
Intercommunal body, syndicates and special taxes2.07%
Overall rate on built properties (total)34.77%
Household waste collection tax (TEOM)18.00%
Overall rate on undeveloped land126.50%
Worked example

A dwelling with a cadastral rental value of €3,000 has a tax base of €1,500: the law sets it at half the rental value. In Bitche, its property tax (taxe foncière) is €1,500 × 34.77% = €522 a year.

On top of this comes the household waste collection tax (TEOM), calculated on the same base: €1,500 × 18.00% = €270. A landlord can recover it from their tenant; the property tax (taxe foncière), by contrast, remains payable by the owner.

These amounts are before the collection charges retained by the State. Your property's rental value is shown on your property tax (taxe foncière) notice.

Property tax rate by year
YearCommunal rateOverall rate on built propertiesHousehold waste
202132.70%34.77%18.00%
202232.70%34.74%18.00%
202332.70%34.78%18.00%
202432.70%34.77%18.00%

The overall rate remained stable between 2021 and 2024.

How to read these rates. Property tax (taxe foncière) is calculated by multiplying the property's tax base by the overall rate: this is the figure to compare between communes, not the communal rate alone. Since 2021, départements no longer collect property tax on buildings; their former share is included in the communal rate.

A high rate does not mean a high tax. The cadastral rental value is not the market rent: it is an administrative estimate based on 1970 rents, revalued each year by a national coefficient. In a town with old, low rental values, a 50% rate can cost less than a 25% rate elsewhere.

Source: DGFiP, local taxation for individuals (2024 scale) · recorded on October 2, 2026

Living environment

Services and shops in the commune

Health
General practitionerPharmacyDentistNurseAnalysis laboratoryEmergency departmentHousing for older people
Shops
BakeryGrocery or convenience storeSupermarketHypermarketButcher'sPetrol station
Education and early years
Nursery or early-years childcareNursery or primary schoolCollège (lower secondary school)Lycée (upper secondary school)
Services and transport
Post office or postal pointBankFrance servicesPolice or gendarmerie

How to read this list. It shows the services for which at least one establishment is recorded in the commune. A service that does not appear is not necessarily absent: INSEE does not locate every facility with the same precision, and the list only includes the main ones.

Source: INSEE, permanent facilities database 2024

Public transport

12 public transport stops are located in the municipality, or 2.4 stops per 1,000 inhabitants.

Public transport stops in Bitche

Map of public transport stops in Bitche
  • Stops12

Outline of the commune, north at the top.

Each dot is a bus, tram, metro or train stop. The map shows where the network is dense: it says nothing about frequency of service.

Source: transport.data.gouv.fr, scheduled timetables of networks · recorded on October 2, 2026

Stops by network

  • Agrégat des réseaux urbains et interurbains du Grand Est8
  • Réseau SNCF TGV, Intercités et TER4

Collèges (lower secondary schools)

Establishments1
Average exam pass rate92.0%
Average index of social position92.4
See the establishments
Establishments in the commune
EstablishmentTypeSuccess rateSocial position
COLLEGE JEAN-JACQUES KIEFFERCollège (lower secondary school)92.0%92.4

How to read these figures. The pass rate is that of the brevet for a collège and of the baccalauréat for a lycée. The index of social position summarises pupils' social background: the national average is close to 100, and a higher index indicates more advantaged families. Nursery and primary schools are not covered.

Source: Ministry of National Education · recorded on October 2, 2026

Fixed internet

  • Dwellings and premises connectable to fibre93.5%
    2,964 connectable out of 3,171

Connectable means that optical fibre reaches the building or the street and a subscription can be taken out, not that the dwelling is already subscribed.

Source: ARCEP, fibre rollout · situation as at June 2026

Electric cars

Of the 71 passenger cars registered in the commune in 2024:

  • Electric cars16.9%
  • Plug-in hybrids5.6%

Why this share may look high. These are cars registered during the year, not all those on the road: electric vehicles weigh far more in recent purchases than in the overall fleet. Company and rental vehicles are also registered at the company's address, which inflates the share in communes that host head offices or rental firms.

Source: Ministry of Ecological Transition, passenger car registrations · recorded on October 2, 2026

Natural and technological risks

The risks identified by the State in the territory of Bitche, what they mean, and what they change for a property.

Seismicity

Moderatelevel 3 out of 5

France is divided into five seismicity zones, from 1 (very low) to 5 (high, in the Antilles).

For a property: From zone 3, new houses must comply with earthquake-resistant building rules. For an older property, no upgrading is required.

Radon potential

Low potentiallevel 1 out of 3

Radon is a natural radioactive gas that rises from granitic and volcanic soils and can build up in poorly ventilated rooms, especially on ground floors and in basements.

For a property: At this level, no particular information is required when selling or letting.

Classified installations (ICPE)

17in the commune

A classified installation is an activity that the law subjects to declaration or authorisation because it may cause nuisance: factory, warehouse, livestock farm, petrol station, waste recycling centre, boiler room.

For a property: Their number mainly reflects the commune's economic activity: most pose no danger to neighbours. What matters is their nature and their distance from the property.

Underground cavities

4in the commune

Former quarries, cellars, galleries or military works recorded beneath the commune.

For a property: A cavity can cause localised subsidence or collapse of the ground. Before buying, check whether the plot is close to a known cavity.

Installations and cavities recorded in Bitche

Map of classified installations and underground cavities in BitcheClassified installations — LEICHTNAM ScierieClassified installations — FRANCKClassified installations — Syndicat de Communes Pays de BitcheClassified installations — SYDEMEClassified installations — Entreprise Générale Jung Léon et FilsClassified installations — BETON ET TRAVAUXClassified installations — BOUR AdrienClassified installations — Déchetterie de Bitche (Communauté de Communes du Pays de Bitche)Classified installations — SARL René GREBIL et CieClassified installations — Charpentes Schumacher BoisClassified installations — SLG POLYMERSClassified installations — GREBIL Site de valorisationClassified installations — Pressing du ParcClassified installations — Régie d'électricité de Bitche - chaufferieClassified installations — ANGERMULLER MATERIAUXClassified installations — Régie d'électricité de Bitche - centrale électrogèneClassified installations — Stockage de bois Udo SartorisUnderground cavities — RamsteinUnderground cavities — FreudenbergUnderground cavities — SchiesseckUnderground cavities — Le Grand Otterbuehl
  • Classified installations17
  • Underground cavities4

Outline of the commune, north at the top.

Location of known classified installations, Seveso sites and underground cavities.

Source: Géorisques, Ministry of Ecological Transition · recorded on October 2, 2026

A prevention plan is not a bad sign in itself. It shows that the risk is mapped and regulated; it is its absence for a known hazard that should raise questions.

This page describes the commune, not an address. Before a sale or a letting, the seller or landlord must provide a risk statement drawn up for the property. You can obtain one free of charge for any address at georisques.gouv.fr.

Source: Géorisques, Ministry of Ecological Transition · recorded on October 2, 2026

Frequently asked questions — Bitche

How many inhabitants does Bitche have?
Bitche has 4,966 inhabitants, with a change of -2.6% (INSEE census).
What share of energy-inefficient homes are there in Bitche?
42.4% of surveyed homes are rated E, F or G on the energy certificate (source ADEME).
What is the property tax rate in Bitche?
The overall property tax rate on built properties is 34.8%, of which 32.7% is voted by the commune (source DGFiP).

The same data, put to work.

What the observatory publishes, the five MORYA tools put to use.