Orcières
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Served 72.1/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 100 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Orcières (INSEE 05096) is in Hautes-Alpes (05), part of CC Champsaur-Valgaudemar. Population 651 (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/05096-orcieres
Vitality score
Vitality score 72.1/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 100 % of the 16,738 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 | 0.9 | 25 | 22.59 |
| Social | 1 | 20 | 20 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0.75 | 10 | 7.48 |
| Public & culture | 0.43 | 5 | 2.16 |
| Population trend | 0.27 | 10 | 2.74 |
| Housing mix | 0 | 5 | 0 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
2 × Bakery (boulangerie) (LA BOULANGE · BOULANGERIE RICOU). [3,4]
2 × Butcher (boucherie) (LES CAVES · JME BOUCHERIE MERLETTE). [3,4]
4 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (SPAR · VIVAL - GROUPE CASINO · COMPTOIR DES SAVEURS - BONBONS ET DELICES · JUGA). [3,4]
25 × Restaurant (LA MARMITE · LE CHRISTINIA IV · HOLDING INVESTISSEMENT HMV · LE CROUSTIFEUILLE · LA PAUSE GOURMANDE). [3,4]
11 × Café / bar (L'ALPAKA · LE CAFE MERLETTOIS · AUBERGE PRAPICOISE · THE NEW GUEST PUB · LE YETI). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE ORCIERES). [3]
2 × GP (médecin généraliste) (STEPHANE DONON, MÉDECIN · JEAN-PIERRE MOUREN, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE D'ORCIERES). [3,4]
2 × Post office / agence postale (ORCIERES MERLETTE AP · LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Cinema (POOM). [3]
3 × Hotel (LE RELAIS DE MERLETTE · HOTEL LES GARDETTES · CATREMS-JUJAL). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (AIRE NATURELLE LA CASSE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 8 × Restaurant, 1 × Hairdresser, 1 × Hotel.
Not found in the commune: Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), Library. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 2 | LA BOULANGE · BOULANGERIE RICOU | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 2 | LES CAVES · JME BOUCHERIE MERLETTE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 4 | SPAR · VIVAL - GROUPE CASINO · COMPTOIR DES SAVEURS - BONBONS ET DELICES · JUGA | INSEE BPE 4 / INSEE SIRENE 5 [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 | 25 | LA MARMITE · LE CHRISTINIA IV · HOLDING INVESTISSEMENT HMV · LE CROUSTIFEUILLE · LA PAUSE GOURMANDE | INSEE BPE 25 / INSEE SIRENE 39 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 11 | L'ALPAKA · LE CAFE MERLETTOIS · AUBERGE PRAPICOISE · THE NEW GUEST PUB · LE YETI | INSEE SIRENE 11 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE ORCIERES | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 2 | STEPHANE DONON, MÉDECIN · JEAN-PIERRE MOUREN, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE D'ORCIERES | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 2 | ORCIERES MERLETTE AP · LA POSTE | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Library | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Cinema | 1 | POOM | INSEE BPE 1 [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] | |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Hotel | 3 | LE RELAIS DE MERLETTE · HOTEL LES GARDETTES · CATREMS-JUJAL | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 12 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 1 | AIRE NATURELLE LA CASSE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 725 (2012) → 651 (2023): -10.2 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 841 (1990) → 651 (2023): -22.6 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 4,152, of which 89.4 % second homes and 2.7 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Orcières): 1.3 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Orcières): 0.1 km to the east (straight line). [8]
GP (Orcières): 1.4 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Orcières): 1.4 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Primary school (Orcières): 0.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 0 days a year at or above 30 °C and 94 days at or below 0 °C, over 15 complete years in 1995–2024. [9]
Measured at the ORCIERES-NIVOSE weather station, 3.9 km away at 2,280 m; the village itself is at 1,440 m. [9]
The village sits 840 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.21 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [9]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [9]
Humidity measured at ORCIERES-NIVOSE, 3.9 km away at 2,280 m, over 16 summers. [9]
That station sits 840 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 4.57 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [9]
An average of 1,229 mm of rain a year, spread over 109 days — about 11.3 mm on a day it rains. [9]
Rainfall measured at CHAMPOLEON, 6.5 km away at 1,275 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [9]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05096/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05096/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05096/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 05096/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 05096
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer | 83 | 170 km S | 639 | 62.3 | Served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 0 % · winter 27 % · humidity 50 % |
| Uvernet-Fours | 04 | 43 km SE | 499 | 69.6 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Avanchers-Valmorel | 73 | 89 km N | 724 | 66 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 57 % · humidity 100 % |
| Hauteluce | 73 | 120 km N | 734 | 74.7 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 73 % · humidity 100 % |
| Montvalezan | 73 | 111 km N | 734 | 75.5 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 69 % · winter 58 % · humidity 100 % |
| Peisey-Nancroix | 73 | 102 km N | 632 | 66.9 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 90 % · winter 72 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uvernet-Fours | 04 | 43 km SE | 499 | 69.6 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Avanchers-Valmorel | 73 | 89 km N | 724 | 66 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 57 % · humidity 100 % |
| Peisey-Nancroix | 73 | 102 km N | 632 | 66.9 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 90 % · winter 72 % |
| Montvalezan | 73 | 111 km N | 734 | 75.5 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 69 % · winter 58 % · humidity 100 % |
| Hauteluce | 73 | 120 km N | 734 | 74.7 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 73 % · humidity 100 % |
| Rayol-Canadel-sur-Mer | 83 | 170 km S | 639 | 62.3 | Served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 0 % · winter 27 % · humidity 50 % |
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 Orcières'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flumet | 73 | 127 km N | 799 | 68.8 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 95 % · humidity 100 % |
| La Clusaz | 74 | 136 km N | 1,623 | 65.6 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 85 % · humidity 100 % |
| Mont-Dore | 63 | 293 km W | 1,163 | 62.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 88 % · humidity 100 % |
| Allanche | 15 | 274 km W | 773 | 62.4 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 99 % · humidity 100 % |
| Besse-et-Saint-Anastaise | 63 | 282 km W | 1,442 | 61.8 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 99 % · humidity 100 % |
| Lalouvesc | 07 | 149 km W | 388 | 50.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · 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/05096-orcieres