Saint-Alban-les-Eaux
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 46.7/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 81 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Alban-les-Eaux (INSEE 42198) is in Loire (42), part of CA Roannais Agglomération. Population 912 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Bourgs ruraux (level 5). [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/42198-saint-alban-les-eaux
Vitality score
Vitality score 46.7/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 81 % of the 14,902 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 | 0.48 | 20 | 9.5 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.58 | 10 | 5.82 |
| Housing mix | 0.87 | 5 | 4.37 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (DUCREUX JEAN FRANCOIS). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (MULTI SERVICES). [3,4]
3 × Restaurant (BISTROT LES 4 SOURCES · TAMBOUILLE). [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (SAINT ALBAN LES EAUX BURALISTE RP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHEQUE - SAINT-ALBAN-LES-EAUX). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF DES YS). [3]
2 × Hairdresser (LC COIFFURE · COIFFURE SANDY'S). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Hairdresser.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy. [4,3]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | DUCREUX JEAN FRANCOIS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | MULTI SERVICES | INSEE BPE 1 / 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 | 3 | BISTROT LES 4 SOURCES · TAMBOUILLE | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [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 | SAINT ALBAN LES EAUX BURALISTE RP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHEQUE - SAINT-ALBAN-LES-EAUX | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | COMPLEXE SPORTIF DES YS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 2 | LC COIFFURE · COIFFURE SANDY'S | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 931 (2012) → 912 (2023): -2 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 843 (1990) → 912 (2023): 8.2 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 520, of which 6.3 % second homes and 19.4 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Alban-les-Eaux): 0.2 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Saint-Alban-les-Eaux): 0.3 km to the north-east (straight line). [8]
GP (Saint-André-d'Apchon): 2.7 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Saint-André-d'Apchon): 2.8 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Saint-Alban-les-Eaux): 0.4 km to the north-east (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 18 days a year at or above 30 °C and 57 days at or below 0 °C, over 20 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the ST-ANDRE-APCHON weather station, 1.9 km away at 380 m; the village itself is at 431 m. [10]
The village sits 51 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 11 days a summer. [10]
Humidity measured at ST-ANDRE-APCHON, 1.9 km away at 380 m, over 10 summers. [10]
That station sits 51 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 750 mm of rain a year, spread over 111 days — about 6.8 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at ST-ANDRE-APCHON, 1.9 km away at 380 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 — 42198/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42198/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42198/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42198/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42198
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 42199
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autheuil-Authouillet | 27 | 397 km NW | 941 | 44.7 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 72 % · humidity 29 % |
| Fresnes-sur-Marne | 77 | 338 km N | 948 | 48.5 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 81 % · humidity 36 % |
| Larnage | 26 | 124 km SE | 1,009 | 36.6 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 5 % · winter 68 % · humidity 36 % |
| Autry-le-Châtel | 45 | 204 km NW | 845 | 40.5 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 92 % · winter 82 % |
| Belleville-sur-Loire | 18 | 186 km NW | 989 | 45 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 96 % · humidity 36 % |
| Requeil | 72 | 348 km NW | 1,108 | 34 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 65 % · humidity 29 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larnage | 26 | 124 km SE | 1,009 | 36.6 | Few services | Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 5 % · winter 68 % · humidity 36 % |
| Belleville-sur-Loire | 18 | 186 km NW | 989 | 45 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 96 % · humidity 36 % |
| Autry-le-Châtel | 45 | 204 km NW | 845 | 40.5 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 92 % · winter 82 % |
| Fresnes-sur-Marne | 77 | 338 km N | 948 | 48.5 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 81 % · humidity 36 % |
| Requeil | 72 | 348 km NW | 1,108 | 34 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 92 % · winter 65 % · humidity 29 % |
| Autheuil-Authouillet | 27 | 397 km NW | 941 | 44.7 | Partly served | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 82 % · winter 72 % · humidity 29 % |
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-Alban-les-Eaux'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neulise | 42 | 22 km SE | 1,344 | 47.4 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 97 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Jean-Saint-Maurice-sur-Loire | 42 | 6.9 km SE | 1,147 | 33.9 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 96 % · humidity 86 % |
| Saint-Martin-Lestra | 42 | 46 km SE | 947 | 70.7 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Haon-le-Châtel | 42 | 6.7 km N | 625 | 38.6 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 99 % · humidity 100 % |
| Villemontais | 42 | 3.4 km S | 1,042 | 27.2 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Haon-le-Vieux | 42 | 7.7 km N | 953 | 46.3 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 99 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/42198-saint-alban-les-eaux