Mérens-les-Vals
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Few services 30.2/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 92 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Mérens-les-Vals (INSEE 09189) is in Ariège (09), part of CC de la Haute Ariège. Population 166 (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/09189-merens-les-vals
Vitality score
Vitality score 30.2/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 92 % of the 14,814 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 | 0.21 | 25 | 5.27 |
| Social | 0.32 | 20 | 6.32 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.32 | 5 | 1.58 |
| Population trend | 0.61 | 10 | 6.14 |
| 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]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (TENDRE COMME UN AGNEAU). [3,4]
1 × Restaurant (LA GARE DES VALS). [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (MERENS LES VALS AP). [3]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING MUNICIPAL VILLE DE BAU). [3,4]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), 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) | 1 | TENDRE COMME UN AGNEAU | 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 | 1 | LA GARE DES VALS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE | INSEE BPE 1 [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 | MERENS LES VALS 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 | 1 | CAMPING MUNICIPAL VILLE DE BAU | 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 178 (2012) → 166 (2023): -6.7 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 149 (1990) → 166 (2023): 11.4 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 279, of which 65.6 % second homes and 2.2 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Ax-les-Thermes): 6.9 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Mérens-les-Vals): 2.7 km to the south (straight line). [9]
GP (Ax-les-Thermes): 6.8 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Ax-les-Thermes): 6.9 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Primary school (Mérens-les-Vals): 0 km to the west (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 15 days a year at or above 30 °C and 136 days at or below 0 °C, over 14 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the SAVIGNAC weather station, 8 km away at 680 m; the village itself is at 1,061 m. [10]
The village sits 381 m above the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.7 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [10]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [10]
Humidity measured at ASTON, 14.1 km away at 1,781 m, over 20 summers. [10]
That station sits 720 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.26 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [10]
An average of 1,168 mm of rain a year, spread over 128 days — about 9.1 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at ORLU, 7 km away at 908 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [10]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 09189/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 09189/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 09189/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 09189/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 09032
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 09189
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barre-des-Cévennes | 48 | 229 km NE | 200 | 32.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 5 % · humidity 100 % |
| Mont-Louis | 66 | 29 km SE | 153 | 32.2 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 54 % · humidity 100 % |
| Pied-de-Borne | 48 | 266 km NE | 208 | 36.8 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 51 % · winter 0 % · humidity 93 % |
| La Llagonne | 66 | 28 km SE | 230 | 33.8 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Tolla | 2A | 591 km E | 120 | 30.3 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 36 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Lama | 2B | 600 km E | 155 | 24.8 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 77 % · winter 0 % · humidity 71 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Llagonne | 66 | 28 km SE | 230 | 33.8 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Mont-Louis | 66 | 29 km SE | 153 | 32.2 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 54 % · humidity 100 % |
| Barre-des-Cévennes | 48 | 229 km NE | 200 | 32.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 74 % · winter 5 % · humidity 100 % |
| Pied-de-Borne | 48 | 266 km NE | 208 | 36.8 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 51 % · winter 0 % · humidity 93 % |
| Tolla | 2A | 591 km E | 120 | 30.3 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 36 % · winter 0 % · humidity 100 % |
| Lama | 2B | 600 km E | 155 | 24.8 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 77 % · winter 0 % · 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 Mérens-les-Vals'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Apollinaire | 05 | 421 km NE | 209 | 19.2 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Ignaux | 09 | 8.2 km N | 126 | 11.8 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 89 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Julien-du-Verdon | 04 | 405 km E | 179 | 11.9 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 96 % · humidity 100 % |
| Moriez | 04 | 402 km NE | 238 | 17.2 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 96 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Just | 63 | 349 km NE | 144 | 13.3 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 96 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Martin-des-Olmes | 63 | 356 km NE | 313 | 28.9 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/09189-merens-les-vals