Courniou

Identity

Courniou (INSEE 34086) is in Hérault (34), part of CC du Minervois au Caroux. Population 610 (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/34086-courniou

Vitality score

Vitality score 27.6/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).

Confidence: high.

Better served than 44 % of the 17,004 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.

Services

A school and somewhere to eat or drink, but no food shop. ^[3,4]

1 × Restaurant (L'ASSIETTE GOURMANDE). ^[3,4]

1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). ^[3]

1 × Post office / agence postale (COURNIOU AP). ^[3]

1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE DE COURNIOU LES GROTTES). ^[3]

Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. ^[3,4]

Market and village life

Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.

Trajectory

Population 612 (2012) → 610 (2023): -0.3 % over 10 years. ^[5,1]

Population 595 (1990) → 610 (2023): 2.5 % over 30 years. ^[6,1]

Dwellings (2023): 538, of which 26.2 % second homes and 15.8 % vacant. ^[7]

Access and surroundings

Bakery (Saint-Pons-de-Thomières): 4.2 km to the north-east (straight line). ^[8]

Food shop (Saint-Pons-de-Thomières): 4.1 km to the north-east (straight line). ^[8]

GP (Saint-Pons-de-Thomières): 3.7 km to the north-east (straight line). ^[8]

Pharmacy (Labastide-Rouairoux): 5.9 km to the west (straight line). ^[9]

Primary school (Courniou): 0.1 km to the south (straight line). ^[10]

Climate

An average of 19 days a year at or above 30 °C and 28 days at or below 0 °C, over 18 complete years in 1995–2024. ^[11]

Measured at the COURNIOU weather station, 2.8 km away at 501 m; the village itself is at 369 m. ^[11]

The village sits 132 m below 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. ^[11]

Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 5 days a summer. ^[11]

Humidity measured at ST JEAN DE MINERVOIS, 15.2 km away at 258 m, over 18 summers. ^[11]

That station sits 111 m below the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.26 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. ^[11]

An average of 1,439 mm of rain a year, spread over 121 days — about 11.9 mm on a day it rains. ^[11]

Rainfall measured at COURNIOU, 2.8 km away at 501 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. ^[11]

What property sold for

59 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 95,000 € — 1,111 € per m² of built surface. ^[12]

The median across Hérault is 2,750 € per m², so this commune sits below it. ^[12]

These are recorded sale prices, not valuations or asking prices, and a median over five years spans five different markets. Built surface excludes land, which carries much of a rural property's value.

Uncertainties

No specific uncertainties flagged.

References

1. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34086/2023
2. INSEE density grid 2026
3. INSEE BPE 2025
4. INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
5. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34086/2012
6. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34086/1990
7. INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 34086/logement/2023
8. INSEE BPE 2025 — 34284
9. INSEE BPE 2025 — 81115
10. INSEE BPE 2025 — 34086
11. Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
12. DVF (DGFiP property transactions) 2021-2025