Saint-Paul-de-Varces
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Few services 38.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 32 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Paul-de-Varces (INSEE 38436) is in Isère (38), part of Grenoble-Alpes-Métropole. Population 2,218 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Petites villes (level 3). [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.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/38436-saint-paul-de-varces
Vitality score
Vitality score 38.6/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 32 % of the 8,918 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 | 0.34 | 25 | 8.55 |
| Social | 0.2 | 20 | 3.93 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.95 | 10 | 9.5 |
| Housing mix | 0.98 | 5 | 4.9 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (BOULANGERIE DE SAINT PAUL). [3,4]
2 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (PETITS BONHEURS FERMIERS · EPICERIE SAINT-PAUL DE VARCES). [3,4]
1 × Restaurant (BERLINER DAS ORIGINAL). [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (ST PAUL DE VARCES VIVAL RP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE DE ST PAUL DE VARCES LES ÉPIS D'OR). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (LE SAINT JULIEN · LYSIANE COIFFURE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | BOULANGERIE DE SAINT PAUL | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 2 | PETITS BONHEURS FERMIERS · EPICERIE SAINT-PAUL DE VARCES | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [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 | BERLINER DAS ORIGINAL | 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 PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE | 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 | ST PAUL DE VARCES VIVAL RP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE DE ST PAUL DE VARCES LES ÉPIS D'OR | 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 | 3 | LE SAINT JULIEN · LYSIANE COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market (reported, unverified): Wednesday 15h30 à 19h place du village. [5]
Trajectory
Population 2,216 (2012) → 2,218 (2023): 0.1 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,530 (1990) → 2,218 (2023): 45 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 943, of which 1 % second homes and 0.7 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Paul-de-Varces): 1.4 km to the east (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Saint-Paul-de-Varces): 0.8 km to the east (straight line). [9]
GP (Vif): 2.7 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Vif): 2.7 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Saint-Paul-de-Varces): 0.6 km to the east (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 27 days a year at or above 30 °C and 74 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the VILLARD-DE-LANS weather station, 6.5 km away at 1,027 m; the village itself is at 380 m. [11]
The village sits 647 m below 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. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 0 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at VILLARD-DE-LANS, 6.5 km away at 1,027 m, over 30 summers. [11]
That station sits 647 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [11]
An average of 944 mm of rain a year, spread over 101 days — about 9.3 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at VARCES, 5.4 km away at 253 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
The market day comes from the commune's own website and has not been confirmed by a second source. [5]
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 38436/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- Commune website 2026-10— https://www.saintpauldevarces.fr/votre-commune/economie/commerces— “Le marché de la commune se tient chaque mercredi après-midi, de 15h30 à 19h , sur la place du village”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 38436/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 38436/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 38436/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 38436
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 38545
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Restinclières | 34 | 197 km SW | 2,612 | 43.4 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 15 % · winter 57 % · humidity 64 % |
| Nages-et-Solorgues | 30 | 181 km SW | 2,212 | 32.6 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 18 % · winter 41 % · humidity 50 % |
| Villeblevin | 89 | 411 km NW | 1,795 | 39 | Few services | no figures |
| Mus | 30 | 187 km SW | 1,646 | 32.7 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 5 % · winter 35 % · humidity 50 % |
| Nogent-l'Artaud | 02 | 467 km N | 2,134 | 42.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 59 % · winter 54 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saussan | 34 | 224 km SW | 2,069 | 44 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 82 % · winter 23 % · humidity 0 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nages-et-Solorgues | 30 | 181 km SW | 2,212 | 32.6 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 18 % · winter 41 % · humidity 50 % |
| Mus | 30 | 187 km SW | 1,646 | 32.7 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 5 % · winter 35 % · humidity 50 % |
| Restinclières | 34 | 197 km SW | 2,612 | 43.4 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 15 % · winter 57 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saussan | 34 | 224 km SW | 2,069 | 44 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 82 % · winter 23 % · humidity 0 % |
| Villeblevin | 89 | 411 km NW | 1,795 | 39 | Few services | no figures |
| Nogent-l'Artaud | 02 | 467 km N | 2,134 | 42.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 59 % · winter 54 % · 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 Saint-Paul-de-Varces'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boulieu-lès-Annonay | 07 | 80 km W | 2,248 | 54.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 88 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Denis-en-Bugey | 01 | 101 km N | 2,246 | 44.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Roiffieux | 07 | 79 km W | 2,743 | 51.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Boisset-lès-Montrond | 42 | 127 km NW | 1,212 | 30.6 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Bonnet-les-Oules | 42 | 115 km NW | 1,821 | 38.4 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Buchères | 10 | 371 km N | 2,055 | 48.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 89 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/38436-saint-paul-de-varces