Valbelle
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink.
Few services 22.9/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 65 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Valbelle (INSEE 04229) is in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04), part of CC Jabron-Lure-Vançon-Durance. Population 238 (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/04229-valbelle
Vitality score
Vitality score 22.9/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 65 % of the 16,971 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 | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Housing mix | 0.31 | 5 | 1.55 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE VALBELLE). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE VALBELLE). [3]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Restaurant, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Post office / agence postale. [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) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE VALBELLE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE DE VALBELLE | 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 | 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 SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 233 (2012) → 238 (2023): 2.1 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 156 (1990) → 238 (2023): 52.6 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 197, of which 34.5 % second homes and 4.1 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Noyers-sur-Jabron): 4.8 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Sisteron): 6.7 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Sisteron): 7 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Sisteron): 6.7 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Valbelle): 0.2 km to the east (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 58 days a year at or above 30 °C and 108 days at or below 0 °C, over 21 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the BEVONS weather station, 2.6 km away at 520 m; the village itself is at 559 m. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at SISTERON, 9 km away at 500 m, over 26 summers. [11]
That station sits 59 m below the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 4.57 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [11]
An average of 1,061 mm of rain a year, spread over 81 days — about 13.1 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at BEVONS, 2.6 km away at 520 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 — 04229/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 04229/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 04229/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 04229/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 04139
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 04209
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 04229
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rehaupal | 88 | 447 km N | 210 | 20.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 30 % · humidity 93 % |
| Cerzat | 43 | 221 km NW | 220 | 19.7 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 21 % · winter 84 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Chavannes-en-Maurienne | 73 | 142 km N | 220 | 18.1 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 36 % · winter 61 % · humidity 100 % |
| Vissac-Auteyrac | 43 | 210 km NW | 302 | 17.5 | No daily shops | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 93 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Geniès-de-Varensal | 34 | 236 km W | 202 | 17.4 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 26 % · winter 0 % · humidity 79 % |
| Cuzac | 46 | 301 km W | 238 | 19.6 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 36 % · winter 3 % · humidity 71 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Les Chavannes-en-Maurienne | 73 | 142 km N | 220 | 18.1 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 36 % · winter 61 % · humidity 100 % |
| Vissac-Auteyrac | 43 | 210 km NW | 302 | 17.5 | No daily shops | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 93 % · humidity 100 % |
| Cerzat | 43 | 221 km NW | 220 | 19.7 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 21 % · winter 84 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Geniès-de-Varensal | 34 | 236 km W | 202 | 17.4 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 26 % · winter 0 % · humidity 79 % |
| Cuzac | 46 | 301 km W | 238 | 19.6 | No daily shops | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 36 % · winter 3 % · humidity 71 % |
| Rehaupal | 88 | 447 km N | 210 | 20.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 30 % · humidity 93 % |
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 Valbelle'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bevons | 04 | 2.8 km N | 260 | 23.8 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Noyers-sur-Jabron | 04 | 4.8 km NW | 525 | 48.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/04229-valbelle