Sault-Brénaz
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Few services 37.1/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 53 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Sault-Brénaz (INSEE 01396) is in Ain (01), part of CC de la Plaine de l'Ain. Population 1,021 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Rural à habitat dispersé (level 6). [2]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/01396-sault-brenaz
Vitality score
Vitality score 37.1/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 53 % of the 14,187 communes of a similar size.
Compare this with communes of a similar size. The score measures how well a place is served relative to its own size band, and larger communes score higher as a rule — so it reads meaningfully against another village, and misleadingly against a town.
Measured but not scored in this model: Market. See the methodology for why.
| Component | Value (0–1) | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily food | 0.26 | 25 | 6.56 |
| Social | 0.39 | 20 | 7.77 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.2 | 10 | 1.97 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.51 | 10 | 5.07 |
| Housing mix | 0.86 | 5 | 4.28 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (AU PANIER BUGISTE). [3,4]
3 × Restaurant (KARASTANO · LE SAULT BRENAZ). [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × Pharmacy. [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (SAULT BRENAZ AP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHEQUE MUNICIPALE). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (COIFFURE PRIVEE · PACAP COIFFURE · ARMONIE COIFFURE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 1 × Restaurant, 1 × Pharmacy, 2 × Hairdresser.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] | |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | AU PANIER BUGISTE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Supermarket | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 3 | KARASTANO · LE SAULT BRENAZ | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 5 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | SAULT BRENAZ AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHEQUE MUNICIPALE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 3 | COIFFURE PRIVEE · PACAP COIFFURE · ARMONIE COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 1,029 (2012) → 1,021 (2023): -0.8 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 1,014 (1990) → 1,021 (2023): 0.7 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 559, of which 7.2 % second homes and 8.6 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Porcieu-Amblagnieu): 2.5 km to the south (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Sault-Brénaz): 0.2 km to the south-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Saint-Sorlin-en-Bugey): 4 km to the north-west (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Montalieu-Vercieu): 4.6 km to the south (straight line). [11]
Primary school (Sault-Brénaz): 0 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 23 days a year at or above 30 °C and 54 days at or below 0 °C, over 26 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the BENONCES weather station, 6.1 km away at 944 m; the village itself is at 201 m. [12]
The village sits 743 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 6.06 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 5 days a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at ST RAMBERT CG01, 11.2 km away at 296 m, over 13 summers. [12]
That station sits 95 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [12]
An average of 1,717 mm of rain a year, spread over 137 days — about 12.5 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at BENONCES, 6.1 km away at 944 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [12]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01396/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01396/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01396/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 01396/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 38320
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01396
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 01386
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 38247
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
Villages like this one
Matched on size, density, second homes and which everyday shops and services are present — not on the score, so a village of the same kind that is doing better or worse shows up rather than being hidden.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnétage | 25 | 179 km NE | 987 | 51.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 59 % · winter 0 % · humidity 64 % |
| Thiel-sur-Acolin | 03 | 159 km NW | 1,027 | 34.8 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 91 % · humidity 71 % |
| Villeneuve-la-Comtesse | 17 | 457 km W | 743 | 45.2 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 80 % · humidity 86 % |
| Monestiés | 81 | 328 km SW | 1,381 | 35.4 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 44 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Hilaire-des-Landes | 35 | 582 km NW | 1,037 | 37.9 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 59 % · winter 65 % · humidity 71 % |
| Baron | 60 | 420 km NW | 729 | 45.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 72 % · winter 84 % · humidity 71 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thiel-sur-Acolin | 03 | 159 km NW | 1,027 | 34.8 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 91 % · humidity 71 % |
| Bonnétage | 25 | 179 km NE | 987 | 51.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 59 % · winter 0 % · humidity 64 % |
| Monestiés | 81 | 328 km SW | 1,381 | 35.4 | Few services | Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 44 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Baron | 60 | 420 km NW | 729 | 45.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 72 % · winter 84 % · humidity 71 % |
| Villeneuve-la-Comtesse | 17 | 457 km W | 743 | 45.2 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 80 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Hilaire-des-Landes | 35 | 582 km NW | 1,037 | 37.9 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 59 % · winter 65 % · humidity 71 % |
Sort and compare these on the full list →
…and in much the same climate
The same match on size and services, narrowed to communes whose summers, winters and summer humidity are all close to Sault-Brénaz's. All three are required, so this section is absent for the 11.8 % of communes with no humidity station near enough to measure: two temperature axes alone cannot tell a muggy coast from a dry one.
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ville-sous-la-Ferté | 10 | 256 km N | 906 | 37.4 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 92 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Parize-le-Châtel | 58 | 204 km NW | 1,227 | 30.6 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 96 % · humidity 86 % |
| Montpont-en-Bresse | 71 | 80 km N | 1,077 | 42.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
| Charnay | 69 | 57 km W | 1,023 | 34.5 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Dignac | 16 | 399 km W | 1,362 | 39.1 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 86 % · humidity 86 % |
| Chalandray | 86 | 425 km W | 784 | 50.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/01396-sault-brenaz