Merle-Leignec
Somewhere to eat or drink, but no food shop and no school.
Few services 20.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 44 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Merle-Leignec (INSEE 42142) is in Loire (42), part of CA Loire Forez Agglomération (LFA). Population 324 (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/42142-merle-leignec
Vitality score
Vitality score 20.6/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 44 % of the 17,979 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 | 25 | 0 |
| Social | 0.32 | 20 | 6.32 |
| Education | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Population trend | 0.89 | 10 | 8.91 |
| Housing mix | 0.45 | 5 | 2.27 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
Somewhere to eat or drink, but no food shop and no school. [3,4]
1 × Restaurant (L'AUBERGE DU CHATO). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING MUNICIPAL LES LEYCHES). [3,4]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), Primary school (élémentaire), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Post office / agence postale, Library. [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) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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 | L'AUBERGE DU CHATO | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Campsite | 1 | CAMPING MUNICIPAL LES LEYCHES | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 307 (2012) → 324 (2023): 5.5 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 233 (1990) → 324 (2023): 39.1 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 249, of which 27.3 % second homes and 7.6 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Estivareilles): 4.6 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Estivareilles): 4.9 km to the north (straight line). [8]
GP (Saint-Pal-de-Chalencon): 5.2 km to the south-west (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Saint-Pal-de-Chalencon): 5.2 km to the south-west (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Estivareilles): 4.6 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 8 days a year at or above 30 °C and 88 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the ST-BONNET-LE-CHATEAU_SAPC weather station, 8.1 km away at 822 m; the village itself is at 955 m. [10]
The village sits 133 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. [10]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 6 days a summer. [10]
Humidity measured at ST-BONNET-LE-CHATEAU_SAPC, 8.1 km away at 822 m, over 10 summers. [10]
That station sits 133 m below the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.69 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [10]
An average of 936 mm of rain a year, spread over 122 days — about 7.7 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at ST-B-CHAT - MAN, 6.7 km away at 861 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [10]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42142/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42142/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42142/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42142/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42091
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 43212
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Freneuse-sur-Risle | 27 | 499 km NW | 331 | 15.6 | No daily shops | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 87 % · winter 53 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saint-Siméon | 27 | 508 km NW | 333 | 20.6 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 100 % · winter 38 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saint-Sauveur-lès-Bray | 77 | 346 km N | 350 | 21.8 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 50 % · humidity 71 % |
| Mauvières | 36 | 263 km NW | 306 | 16.2 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 62 % · winter 47 % · humidity 64 % |
| Hohrod | 68 | 381 km NE | 349 | 18.1 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 88 % · humidity 57 % |
| Bussy-le-Grand | 21 | 248 km N | 308 | 19.2 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 66 % · humidity 64 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bussy-le-Grand | 21 | 248 km N | 308 | 19.2 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 79 % · winter 66 % · humidity 64 % |
| Mauvières | 36 | 263 km NW | 306 | 16.2 | No daily shops | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 62 % · winter 47 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saint-Sauveur-lès-Bray | 77 | 346 km N | 350 | 21.8 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 50 % · humidity 71 % |
| Hohrod | 68 | 381 km NE | 349 | 18.1 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 88 % · humidity 57 % |
| Freneuse-sur-Risle | 27 | 499 km NW | 331 | 15.6 | No daily shops | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 87 % · winter 53 % · humidity 64 % |
| Saint-Siméon | 27 | 508 km NW | 333 | 20.6 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 100 % · winter 38 % · humidity 64 % |
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 Merle-Leignec'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-Hilaire-Cusson-la-Valmitte | 42 | 2.0 km E | 340 | 13 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 96 % · humidity 100 % |
| Chazelles-sur-Lavieu | 42 | 18 km N | 261 | 19.6 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Gumières | 42 | 18 km N | 325 | 27.9 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 95 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Régis-du-Coin | 42 | 35 km E | 408 | 27.5 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 88 % · humidity 86 % |
| La Chapelle-en-Lafaye | 42 | 10 km N | 138 | 18.9 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 86 % |
| Apinac | 42 | 1.8 km W | 437 | 16.1 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · 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/42142-merle-leignec