Saou
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 59.1/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 98 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saou (INSEE 26336) is in Drôme (26), part of CC du Val de Drôme en Biovallée. Population 590 (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 · Commune website 2026-10-24 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/26336-saou
Vitality score
Vitality score 59.1/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 98 % of the 17,186 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 | 0.42 | 25 | 10.54 |
| Social | 0.97 | 20 | 19.49 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.32 | 5 | 1.58 |
| Population trend | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Housing mix | 0.46 | 5 | 2.28 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (LA PETITE BOULANGE). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (L EPICERIE DE SAOU). [3,4]
7 × Restaurant (ROUTE 26 · CHEZ JUJU · CERISE ET VINAIGRETTE · LE SAINT THIERS · TONI LA PASTA). [3,4]
3 × Café / bar (ZIG ZAG CAFE · GAZOLINE PALACE). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PUBLIQUE SAOU). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (ALEX COIFFURE · LE SALON D'EMMA). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (AIRE NATURELLE DE CAMPING LA BRIANCE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 3 × Restaurant, 1 × Campsite.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Library. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | LA PETITE BOULANGE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | L EPICERIE DE SAOU | 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 | 7 | ROUTE 26 · CHEZ JUJU · CERISE ET VINAIGRETTE · LE SAINT THIERS · TONI LA PASTA | INSEE BPE 7 / INSEE SIRENE 12 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 3 | ZIG ZAG CAFE · GAZOLINE PALACE | INSEE SIRENE 3 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PUBLIQUE SAOU | 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 | LA POSTE | 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 | 3 | ALEX COIFFURE · LE SALON D'EMMA | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [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 | AIRE NATURELLE DE CAMPING LA BRIANCE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market: Saturday de 7h00 à 13h00 dans le centre du village. [5,6]
Confirmed by two independent sources: Commune website and DATAtourisme.
Trajectory
Population 520 (2012) → 590 (2023): 13.5 % over 10 years. [7,1]
Population 378 (1990) → 590 (2023): 56.1 % over 30 years. [8,1]
Dwellings (2023): 408, of which 27.2 % second homes and 5.1 % vacant. [9]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saou): 3.4 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Food shop (Saou): 0.2 km to the south-west (straight line). [10]
GP (Aouste-sur-Sye): 7.9 km to the north (straight line). [11]
Pharmacy (Aouste-sur-Sye): 7.9 km to the north (straight line). [11]
Primary school (Saou): 0 km to the south-west (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 44 days a year at or above 30 °C and 35 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the PUY-ST-MARTIN weather station, 7.6 km away at 211 m; the village itself is at 330 m. [12]
The village sits 119 m above the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 6.06 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 3 days a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at PUY-ST-MARTIN, 7.6 km away at 211 m, over 24 summers. [12]
That station sits 119 m below the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [12]
An average of 872 mm of rain a year, spread over 83 days — about 10.5 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at PIEGROS, 6.1 km away at 260 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 — 26336/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- Commune website 2026-10— https://www.saou.fr/— “Toute l'année, le marché vous accueille le samedi matin, de 7h00 à 13h00 , dans le centre du village.”
- DATAtourisme 2024-10— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/ed150a04-651f-3639-aca9-152e446c86b5— “Marché hebdomadaire tous les samedis matin, avec les producteurs locaux.”
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 26336/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 26336/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 26336/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 26336
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 26011
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mers-sur-Indre | 36 | 334 km NW | 659 | 51 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 36 % · winter 81 % · humidity 93 % |
| Châteaudouble | 83 | 161 km SE | 476 | 51 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 54 % · winter 95 % · humidity 86 % |
| Cruis | 04 | 89 km SE | 655 | 54.6 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 0 % · humidity 79 % |
| Laurière | 87 | 322 km NW | 525 | 49.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 8 % · winter 92 % |
| Saint-Angel | 19 | 242 km NW | 702 | 55.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 13 % · winter 4 % · humidity 79 % |
| Cardaillac | 46 | 243 km W | 623 | 44.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 69 % · winter 95 % · humidity 100 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cruis | 04 | 89 km SE | 655 | 54.6 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 0 % · humidity 79 % |
| Châteaudouble | 83 | 161 km SE | 476 | 51 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 54 % · winter 95 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Angel | 19 | 242 km NW | 702 | 55.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 13 % · winter 4 % · humidity 79 % |
| Cardaillac | 46 | 243 km W | 623 | 44.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 69 % · winter 95 % · humidity 100 % |
| Laurière | 87 | 322 km NW | 525 | 49.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 8 % · winter 92 % |
| Mers-sur-Indre | 36 | 334 km NW | 659 | 51 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 36 % · winter 81 % · 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 Saou'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mirmande | 26 | 19 km W | 611 | 55.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 88 % · humidity 100 % |
| Le Poët-Laval | 26 | 14 km S | 954 | 51.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 89 % · humidity 100 % |
| Roche-Saint-Secret-Béconne | 26 | 19 km S | 482 | 42.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 100 % · humidity 86 % |
| Monoblet | 30 | 118 km SW | 787 | 51.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 89 % · humidity 100 % |
| Faugères | 34 | 192 km SW | 548 | 39.1 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Pont-de-Labeaume | 07 | 61 km W | 567 | 34.2 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/26336-saou