Saint-Hilaire-le-Château
A food shop and a school, but nowhere to eat or drink.
Few services 23.3/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 68 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Hilaire-le-Château (INSEE 23202) is in Creuse (23), part of CC Creuse Sud Ouest. Population 224 (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 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/23202-saint-hilaire-le-chateau
Vitality score
Vitality score 23.3/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 68 % of the 16,663 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 | 20 | 0 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.26 | 10 | 2.57 |
| Housing mix | 0.5 | 5 | 2.51 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop and a school, but nowhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (EPICERIE DE SAINT-HILAIRE). [3,4]
1 × Nursery school (maternelle) (ECOLE MATERNELLE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (ST HILAIRE LE CHATEAU RP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE DE SAINT HILAIRE LE CHÂTEAU). [3]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING MUNICIPAL LES TILLEULS). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Hotel.
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Restaurant, Café / bar, Primary school (élémentaire), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [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 | EPICERIE DE SAINT-HILAIRE | 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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 1 | ECOLE MATERNELLE PUBLIQUE | 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 | ST HILAIRE LE CHATEAU RP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE DE SAINT HILAIRE LE CHÂTEAU | 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] | |
| Campsite | 1 | CAMPING MUNICIPAL LES TILLEULS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
Market and village life
A market is recorded here, but no source gives the day. [5]
Trajectory
Population 247 (2012) → 224 (2023): -9.3 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 296 (1990) → 224 (2023): -24.3 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 225, of which 24.9 % second homes and 20.9 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Pontarion): 4 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Saint-Hilaire-le-Château): 0.2 km to the west (straight line). [10]
GP (Pontarion): 3.9 km to the north-west (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Saint-Georges-la-Pouge): 5.7 km to the east (straight line). [11]
Primary school (Saint-Hilaire-le-Château): 0.1 km to the east (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 15 days a year at or above 30 °C and 83 days at or below 0 °C, over 27 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the PONTARION_SAPC weather station, 3.8 km away at 455 m; the village itself is at 455 m. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 1 day a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at BOURGANEUF, 14 km away at 513 m, over 30 summers. [12]
That station sits 58 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 5.46 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [12]
An average of 1,159 mm of rain a year, spread over 142 days — about 8.2 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at PONTARION_SAPC, 3.8 km away at 455 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [12]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 23202/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2026-04— https://data.datatourisme.fr/23/506a0c66-cc11-300b-a175-bccd5500c7f9— “Marché de producteurs - Produits d'Ici -”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 23202/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 23202/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 23202/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 23155
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 23202
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 23197
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Chapelle-Laurent | 15 | 138 km SE | 234 | 15.1 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 43 % · humidity 93 % |
| Viplaix | 03 | 65 km NE | 293 | 24.8 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 65 % · humidity 100 % |
| Louroux-Bourbonnais | 03 | 95 km NE | 205 | 18.2 | No daily shops | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 86 % |
| Target | 03 | 96 km E | 244 | 24.6 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 58 % · humidity 100 % |
| Auriac-Lagast | 12 | 211 km S | 228 | 9.1 | No daily shops | Similar summers, milder winters.summer 97 % · winter 46 % |
| Benayes | 19 | 61 km SW | 224 | 15.2 | No daily shops | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 95 % · winter 58 % · humidity 71 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Benayes | 19 | 61 km SW | 224 | 15.2 | No daily shops | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 95 % · winter 58 % · humidity 71 % |
| Viplaix | 03 | 65 km NE | 293 | 24.8 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 65 % · humidity 100 % |
| Louroux-Bourbonnais | 03 | 95 km NE | 205 | 18.2 | No daily shops | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 86 % |
| Target | 03 | 96 km E | 244 | 24.6 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 58 % · humidity 100 % |
| La Chapelle-Laurent | 15 | 138 km SE | 234 | 15.1 | No daily shops | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 43 % · humidity 93 % |
| Auriac-Lagast | 12 | 211 km S | 228 | 9.1 | No daily shops | Similar summers, milder winters.summer 97 % · winter 46 % |
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 Saint-Hilaire-le-Château'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-Didier-sur-Arroux | 71 | 195 km NE | 232 | 9.5 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
| Charbonnat | 71 | 192 km NE | 216 | 14.4 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
| Domeyrot | 23 | 36 km NE | 229 | 10.5 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 91 % · humidity 100 % |
| Glère | 25 | 417 km NE | 176 | 25.1 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 99 % · humidity 93 % |
| La Comelle | 71 | 197 km NE | 248 | 12.2 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 97 % · humidity 93 % |
| Theneuille | 03 | 100 km NE | 340 | 9.7 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 88 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/23202-saint-hilaire-le-chateau