Velaux
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 56.2/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 54 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Velaux (INSEE 13112) is in Bouches-du-Rhône (13), part of Métropole d'Aix-Marseille-Provence. Population 8,941 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Ceintures urbaines (level 4). [2]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026 · Commune website 2026-09-29 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/13112-velaux
Vitality score
Vitality score 56.2/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 54 % of the 2,743 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 | 0.38 | 25 | 9.52 |
| Social | 0.68 | 20 | 13.7 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.73 | 10 | 7.32 |
| Public & culture | 0.22 | 5 | 1.11 |
| Population trend | 0.73 | 10 | 7.31 |
| Housing mix | 0.97 | 5 | 4.87 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
3 × Bakery (boulangerie) (SABOUR EL ALAOUI MUSTAPHA · SARL JMA · L'ATELIER D'OLIVIER). [3,4]
1 × Butcher (boucherie) (BOUCHERIE DE LA FONTAINE). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (L'EPICERIE DE LA PLACE). [3,4]
2 × Supermarket (ALDI MARCHE · LIJAK). [3,4]
15 × Restaurant (LA FLAMBEE DU VILLAGE · LE POULET DORE · KROC DALL · BLOOMING DAY · SAS MILANN). [3,4]
2 × Café / bar (LE BAR DU COURS). [4]
2 × Nursery school (maternelle) (ECOL MATE JAURES (JEAN) · ECOLE MATERNELLE PUB JEAN GIONO). [3]
2 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE JEAN JAURES · ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE JEAN GIONO). [3]
1 × Collège (COLLEGE ROQUEPERTUSE). [3]
11 × GP (médecin généraliste) (BERNARD BLANC, MÉDECIN · LOUBNA SOLAIMANI, MÉDECIN · SYLVAIN MOLLARD, MÉDECIN · GAELLE HAMON, MÉDECIN · JEAN-GABRIEL TEDDE, MÉDECIN). [3]
3 × Pharmacy (SELARL PHARMACIE CALENDAL · SELARL PHARMACIE DE LA COLLINE · SELARL PHARMACIE DES OLIVIERS). [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (MÉDIATHÈQUE MUNICIPALE LES QUATRE TOURS). [3]
2 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF ALBERT CAMUS · COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE LA BASTIDE BERTIN). [3]
1 × Bank (BPPC). [3]
10 × Hairdresser (SALONCAROLINEC · ALEXANDRA COIFFURE · B ET S ART DE PLAIRE · LA COUETTE · LE BIO SALON BY MEL). [3,4]
2 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3,4]
1 × Hotel (CLOS LA VERDIERE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 1 × Fishmonger, 6 × Restaurant, 2 × Hairdresser.
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 3 | SABOUR EL ALAOUI MUSTAPHA · SARL JMA · L'ATELIER D'OLIVIER | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 1 | BOUCHERIE DE LA FONTAINE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | L'EPICERIE DE LA PLACE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Supermarket | 2 | ALDI MARCHE · LIJAK | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] | |
| Restaurant | 15 | LA FLAMBEE DU VILLAGE · LE POULET DORE · KROC DALL · BLOOMING DAY · SAS MILANN | INSEE BPE 15 / INSEE SIRENE 27 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 2 | LE BAR DU COURS | INSEE SIRENE 2 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 2 | ECOL MATE JAURES (JEAN) · ECOLE MATERNELLE PUB JEAN GIONO | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 2 | ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE JEAN JAURES · ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE JEAN GIONO | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Collège | 1 | COLLEGE ROQUEPERTUSE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 11 | BERNARD BLANC, MÉDECIN · LOUBNA SOLAIMANI, MÉDECIN · SYLVAIN MOLLARD, MÉDECIN · GAELLE HAMON, MÉDECIN · JEAN-GABRIEL TEDDE, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 11 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 3 | SELARL PHARMACIE CALENDAL · SELARL PHARMACIE DE LA COLLINE · SELARL PHARMACIE DES OLIVIERS | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | LA POSTE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | MÉDIATHÈQUE MUNICIPALE LES QUATRE TOURS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 2 | COMPLEXE SPORTIF ALBERT CAMUS · COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE LA BASTIDE BERTIN | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 1 | BPPC | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Hairdresser | 10 | SALONCAROLINEC · ALEXANDRA COIFFURE · B ET S ART DE PLAIRE · LA COUETTE · LE BIO SALON BY MEL | INSEE BPE 10 / INSEE SIRENE 13 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 2 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Hotel | 1 | CLOS LA VERDIERE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market (reported, unverified): Thursday, Saturday (seasonal). [5,6,7]
Trajectory
Population 8,664 (2012) → 8,941 (2023): 3.2 % over 10 years. [8,1]
Population 7,265 (1990) → 8,941 (2023): 23.1 % over 30 years. [9,1]
Dwellings (2023): 3,928, of which 1.3 % second homes and 3.1 % vacant. [10]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Velaux): 0.3 km to the east (straight line). [11]
Food shop (Velaux): 0.4 km to the north (straight line). [11]
GP (Velaux): 0.7 km to the south (straight line). [11]
Pharmacy (Velaux): 0.4 km to the north (straight line). [11]
Primary school (Velaux): 0.7 km to the north-west (straight line). [11]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 55 days a year at or above 30 °C and 23 days at or below 0 °C, over 14 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the LA FARE LES OLIVIERS weather station, 4.8 km away at 53 m; the village itself is at 72 m. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at ST CANNAT, 6.7 km away at 198 m, over 15 summers. [12]
That station sits 126 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 4.57 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [12]
An average of 494 mm of rain a year, spread over 53 days — about 9.3 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at LA FARE LES OLIVIERS, 4.8 km away at 53 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [12]
Uncertainties
The market day comes from DATAtourisme and has not been confirmed by a second source. [5,6,7]
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 13112/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2023-02— https://data.datatourisme.fr/58/23f54483-fa6a-38fb-b876-5198b422d3dd— “Marché de velaux (samedi).”(unverified)
- DATAtourisme 2021-06— https://data.datatourisme.fr/58/d1095429-2d27-3b2a-8571-f55f2579d8b5— “Marché du samedi matin.”(unverified)
- DATAtourisme 2023-02— https://data.datatourisme.fr/58/c84a8bb3-9f4c-3d3e-b6b7-2d54832460c2— “Marché de Velaux (jeudi).”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 13112/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 13112/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 13112/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 13112
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veauche | 42 | 239 km N | 8,975 | 59.8 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 26 % · winter 50 % · humidity 86 % |
| La Fare-les-Oliviers | 13 | 5.3 km NW | 9,039 | 67 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Chécy | 45 | 546 km NW | 9,083 | 52.7 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.summer 3 % · winter 57 % |
| Escaudain | 59 | 770 km N | 9,039 | 58.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 69 % · humidity 86 % |
| Lempdes | 63 | 297 km NW | 8,709 | 63.7 | Served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 21 % · winter 58 % · humidity 86 % |
| Varces-Allières-et-Risset | 38 | 176 km N | 8,542 | 56 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 44 % · winter 41 % · humidity 79 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Fare-les-Oliviers | 13 | 5.3 km NW | 9,039 | 67 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Varces-Allières-et-Risset | 38 | 176 km N | 8,542 | 56 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 44 % · winter 41 % · humidity 79 % |
| Veauche | 42 | 239 km N | 8,975 | 59.8 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 26 % · winter 50 % · humidity 86 % |
| Lempdes | 63 | 297 km NW | 8,709 | 63.7 | Served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 21 % · winter 58 % · humidity 86 % |
| Chécy | 45 | 546 km NW | 9,083 | 52.7 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.summer 3 % · winter 57 % |
| Escaudain | 59 | 770 km N | 9,039 | 58.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 69 % · humidity 86 % |
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 Velaux'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Fare-les-Oliviers | 13 | 5.3 km NW | 9,039 | 67 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Chamas | 13 | 18 km W | 8,676 | 70.6 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Hilaire-de-Brethmas | 30 | 110 km NW | 4,670 | 55.6 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 97 % · humidity 86 % |
| Solliès-Toucas | 83 | 72 km SE | 6,269 | 47 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Donzère | 26 | 111 km NW | 6,008 | 56.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 97 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Saturnin-lès-Avignon | 84 | 54 km NW | 5,206 | 59 | Partly served | 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/13112-velaux