Saint-Bonnet-le-Château

Loire · CA Loire Forez Agglomération (LFA) · INSEE 42204

A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.

Served 65.9/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 98 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.

Identity

Saint-Bonnet-le-Château (INSEE 42204) is in Loire (42), part of CA Loire Forez Agglomération (LFA). Population 1,459 (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 · Commune website 2026-10-25 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.

Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/42204-saint-bonnet-le-chateau

Vitality score

Vitality score 65.9/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).

Confidence: high.

Better served than 98 % of the 11,845 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	0.65	25	16.23
Social	0.91	20	18.15
Education	0.63	10	6.32
Health	0.51	10	5.13
Public & culture	0.39	5	1.97
Population trend	0.36	10	3.65
Housing mix	0.91	5	4.55

Services

What is here, at a glance

Food 4 of 6

Eating out 1 of 1

Cafés and bars 1 of 1

Schools 2 of 3

Health 2 of 4

Public services 1 of 1

Culture 2 of 2

Sport 2 of 2

Everyday services 3 of 3

Lodging 2 of 2

One square per service type, shaded by how many: none, one, a few, five or more. A blank square means none was counted — the sources do not distinguish “none here” from “not counted”.

A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. ^[3,4]

3 × Bakery (boulangerie) (MOULIN ROBERT · MOULIN MELOU). ^[3,4]

1 × Butcher (boucherie). ^[3]

3 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (BIOCOOP · AU FIL DES SAISONS · GUILLOT SBLC). ^[3,4]

1 × Cheese shop (fromagerie) (LA FROMAGERIE DE SAINT BONNET). ^[4]

6 × Restaurant (LA CALECHE · CARRE PETANQUE · L'HORLOGE · EL PIZZAS). ^[3,4]

4 × Café / bar. ^[4]

2 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE · ECOLE PRIMAIRE PRIVEE ST JOSEPH). ^[3]

2 × Collège (COLLEGE EMILE FALABREGUE · COLLEGE PRIVE PENSIONNAT ST JO). ^[3]

2 × GP (médecin généraliste) (VINCENT SIVIER, MÉDECIN · DAMIEN CLAUDEL, MÉDECIN). ^[3]

1 × Pharmacy (NOUVELLE PHARMACIE DU FOREZ). ^[3,4]

1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). ^[3]

1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE - SAINT-BONNET-LE-CHÂTEAU). ^[3]

1 × Cinema (CIN'ETOILE). ^[3]

3 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE ST BONNET · COLLEGE PRIVE SAINT JOSEPH · COLLEGE EMILE FALABREGUE). ^[3]

1 × Swimming pool (PLAN D EAU DE ST BONNET). ^[3]

2 × Bank (CAISSE EPARGNE PREVO LOIRE DROME ARDECHE · LYONNAISE DE BANQUE). ^[3]

4 × Hairdresser (CL'HAIR COIFFURE · L'ART DE VOUS REVELER). ^[3,4]

1 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). ^[3,4]

1 × Hotel (LE BEFRANC). ^[3,4]

1 × Campsite (CAMPING LA BELLE ETOILE). ^[3,4]

Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Butcher (boucherie), 3 × Restaurant, 1 × Hairdresser.

Not found in the commune: Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle). ^[3,4]

All 25 service types, with per-source counts

Type	Count	Names	Sources
Bakery (boulangerie)	3	MOULIN ROBERT · MOULIN MELOU	INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4]
Butcher (boucherie)	1		INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3]
Grocery (épicerie / supérette)	3	BIOCOOP · AU FIL DES SAISONS · GUILLOT SBLC	INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4]
Supermarket	0		INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4]
Cheese shop (fromagerie)	1	LA FROMAGERIE DE SAINT BONNET	INSEE SIRENE 1 [4]
Fishmonger	0		INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4]
Restaurant	6	LA CALECHE · CARRE PETANQUE · L'HORLOGE · EL PIZZAS	INSEE BPE 6 / INSEE SIRENE 7 [3,4]
Café / bar	4		INSEE SIRENE 4 [4]
Nursery school (maternelle)	0		INSEE BPE 0 [3]
Primary school (élémentaire)	2	ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE · ECOLE PRIMAIRE PRIVEE ST JOSEPH	INSEE BPE 2 [3]
Collège	2	COLLEGE EMILE FALABREGUE · COLLEGE PRIVE PENSIONNAT ST JO	INSEE BPE 2 [3]
GP (médecin généraliste)	2	VINCENT SIVIER, MÉDECIN · DAMIEN CLAUDEL, MÉDECIN	INSEE BPE 2 [3]
Pharmacy	1	NOUVELLE PHARMACIE DU FOREZ	INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [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	1	BIBLIOTHÈQUE - SAINT-BONNET-LE-CHÂTEAU	INSEE BPE 1 [3]
Cinema	1	CIN'ETOILE	INSEE BPE 1 [3]
Gym / sports hall	3	COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE ST BONNET · COLLEGE PRIVE SAINT JOSEPH · COLLEGE EMILE FALABREGUE	INSEE BPE 3 [3]
Swimming pool	1	PLAN D EAU DE ST BONNET	INSEE BPE 1 [3]
Bank	2	CAISSE EPARGNE PREVO LOIRE DROME ARDECHE · LYONNAISE DE BANQUE	INSEE BPE 2 [3]
Hairdresser	4	CL'HAIR COIFFURE · L'ART DE VOUS REVELER	INSEE BPE 4 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4]
Fuel station	1	STATION SERVICE	INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4]
Hotel	1	LE BEFRANC	INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4]
Campsite	1	CAMPING LA BELLE ETOILE	INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4]

Market and village life

A market is recorded here, but no source gives the day. ^[5]

Trajectory

1968: 2,280 2023: 1,459 axis from zero, so the slope compares with any other commune

Population 1,570 (2012) → 1,459 (2023): -7.1 % over 10 years. ^[6,1]

Population 1,687 (1990) → 1,459 (2023): -13.5 % over 30 years. ^[7,1]

Dwellings (2023): 995, of which 4.5 % second homes and 24.8 % vacant. ^[8]

Access and surroundings

Which way the everyday services lie

In the commune Bakery, Food shop, Primary school, GP, Pharmacy Straight-line, from the mairie, in the direction given. Services in the same town share a spoke. Distance is not travel time: a pass or an estuary can double it.

Bakery (Saint-Bonnet-le-Château): 0.1 km to the south (straight line). ^[9]

Food shop (Saint-Bonnet-le-Château): 0.1 km to the south-west (straight line). ^[9]

GP (Saint-Bonnet-le-Château): 0 km to the east (straight line). ^[9]

Pharmacy (Saint-Bonnet-le-Château): 0.1 km to the south-west (straight line). ^[9]

Primary school (Saint-Bonnet-le-Château): 0.2 km to the south (straight line). ^[9]

Climate

Where this sits nationally

Days at or above 30 °C 11.8

Days at or below 0 °C 76.4

Muggy days a summer 8.6

Each track runs from the 5th to the 95th percentile of the 34,141 communes with that measurement; the tick is the median. A value beyond either end sits at the end and is marked ▸.

An average of 12 days a year at or above 30 °C and 76 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. ^[10]

Measured at the ST-BONNET-LE-CHATEAU_SAPC weather station, 1.4 km away at 822 m; the village itself is at 865 m. ^[10]

Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 9 days a summer. ^[10]

Humidity measured at ST-BONNET-LE-CHATEAU_SAPC, 1.4 km away at 822 m, over 10 summers. ^[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, 0.2 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 — 42204/2023
INSEE density grid 2026
INSEE BPE 2025
INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
DATAtourisme 2022-05— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/f7c1fca6-caf6-3d3d-8037-762c5d9530b5— “Marché”(unverified)
INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42204/2012
INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42204/1990
INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 42204/logement/2023
INSEE BPE 2025 — 42204
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
Vielmur-sur-Agout	81	255 km SW	1,375	60.7	Served	Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 0 % · winter 22 % · humidity 79 %
Champvans	39	215 km NE	1,460	50.5	Partly served	Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 54 % · winter 89 % · humidity 50 %
Captieux	33	364 km W	1,429	58	Partly served	Warmer summers and milder winters.summer 21 % · winter 68 %
Chenoise-Cucharmoy	77	361 km N	1,607	51.4	Partly served	Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 61 % · humidity 50 %
Serrières-de-Briord	01	116 km E	1,317	55.1	Partly served	Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 54 % · winter 59 % · humidity 64 %
Villedômer	37	339 km NW	1,290	48.5	Partly served	Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 85 % · winter 55 % · humidity 43 %

Order by distance instead

Commune	Dept	Distance	Population	Score	Band	Climate vs here
Serrières-de-Briord	01	116 km E	1,317	55.1	Partly served	Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 54 % · winter 59 % · humidity 64 %
Champvans	39	215 km NE	1,460	50.5	Partly served	Warmer summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 54 % · winter 89 % · humidity 50 %
Vielmur-sur-Agout	81	255 km SW	1,375	60.7	Served	Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel more humid.summer 0 % · winter 22 % · humidity 79 %
Villedômer	37	339 km NW	1,290	48.5	Partly served	Warmer summers and milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 85 % · winter 55 % · humidity 43 %
Chenoise-Cucharmoy	77	361 km N	1,607	51.4	Partly served	Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 95 % · winter 61 % · humidity 50 %
Captieux	33	364 km W	1,429	58	Partly served	Warmer summers and milder winters.summer 21 % · winter 68 %

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-Bonnet-le-Château'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
Luriecq	42	3.3 km N	1,238	40.1	Partly served	Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 88 % · humidity 86 %
Saint-Sauveur-en-Rue	42	38 km SE	1,081	28.3	Few services	Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 %
Estivareilles	42	4.5 km W	721	54.9	Partly served	Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 91 % · humidity 86 %
Maringes	42	35 km NE	677	43.7	Partly served	Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 95 % · humidity 93 %
Soleymieux	42	9.7 km N	716	42.5	Partly served	Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 99 % · humidity 86 %
Saint-Jean-Soleymieux	42	9.0 km N	840	34.1	Few services	Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 92 % · humidity 93 %

Elsewhere

Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map

Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/42204-saint-bonnet-le-chateau