La Petite-Marche
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink.
No daily shops 13.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 36 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
La Petite-Marche (INSEE 03206) is in Allier (03), part of CA Montluçon Communauté. Population 167 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Rural à habitat très dispersé (level 7). [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/03206-la-petite-marche
Vitality score
Vitality score 13.6/100 — No daily shops (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 36 % of the 14,851 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 | 25 | 0 |
| Social | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.32 | 5 | 1.58 |
| Population trend | 0.3 | 10 | 2.95 |
| Housing mix | 0.14 | 5 | 0.7 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Nursery school (maternelle) (ECOLE MATERNELLE). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA PETITE MARCHE AP). [3]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Restaurant, Café / bar, Primary school (élémentaire), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Library. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 1 | ECOLE MATERNELLE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | LA PETITE MARCHE AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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 196 (2012) → 167 (2023): -14.8 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 210 (1990) → 167 (2023): -20.5 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 158, of which 43 % second homes and 2.5 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Marcillat-en-Combraille): 5.3 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Évaux-les-Bains): 6.9 km to the west (straight line). [9]
GP (Marcillat-en-Combraille): 5.4 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Évaux-les-Bains): 6.8 km to the west (straight line). [9]
Primary school (La Petite-Marche): 0 km to the west (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 19 days a year at or above 30 °C and 57 days at or below 0 °C, over 29 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the DURDAT-LAREQUILLE weather station, 11.7 km away at 500 m; the village itself is at 474 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at MONTLUCON, 18.1 km away at 229 m, over 23 summers. [11]
That station sits 245 m below the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [11]
An average of 867 mm of rain a year, spread over 136 days — about 6.4 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at MARCILLAT-EN-COMBRAILLES, 5.9 km away at 494 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03206/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03206/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03206/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 03206/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 03161
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 23076
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 03206
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bassignac-le-Haut | 19 | 116 km S | 160 | 2.7 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 77 % · humidity 100 % |
| Sommant | 71 | 158 km NE | 184 | 15 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 58 % · humidity 93 % |
| Champagnac-la-Prune | 19 | 122 km SW | 150 | 7.5 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 77 % · winter 62 % · humidity 93 % |
| Charbonnat | 71 | 136 km NE | 216 | 14.4 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 80 % · humidity 86 % |
| Sauveterre | 82 | 237 km SW | 154 | 11.9 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 67 % · winter 58 % · humidity 71 % |
| Avèze | 63 | 66 km S | 158 | 3.2 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 74 % · humidity 100 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avèze | 63 | 66 km S | 158 | 3.2 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 74 % · humidity 100 % |
| Bassignac-le-Haut | 19 | 116 km S | 160 | 2.7 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 77 % · humidity 100 % |
| Champagnac-la-Prune | 19 | 122 km SW | 150 | 7.5 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 77 % · winter 62 % · humidity 93 % |
| Charbonnat | 71 | 136 km NE | 216 | 14.4 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 80 % · humidity 86 % |
| Sommant | 71 | 158 km NE | 184 | 15 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 58 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sauveterre | 82 | 237 km SW | 154 | 11.9 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 67 % · winter 58 % · 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 La Petite-Marche'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chalais | 36 | 112 km W | 152 | 4.3 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Cirgues-la-Loutre | 19 | 129 km S | 188 | 16.5 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Priest | 23 | 21 km SW | 149 | 3 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 91 % · humidity 93 % |
| Olmet | 63 | 100 km SE | 192 | 14 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Brévainville | 41 | 219 km NW | 159 | 5.7 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 99 % · humidity 93 % |
| Marnhagues-et-Latour | 12 | 260 km S | 147 | 20.7 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/03206-la-petite-marche