Saint-Gildas-des-Bois
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Few services 39.7/100 · confidence: medium· Better served than 15 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Gildas-des-Bois (INSEE 44161) is in Loire-Atlantique (44), part of CC du Pays de Pontchâteau St-Gildas-des-Bois. Population 3,860 (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 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/44161-saint-gildas-des-bois
Vitality score
Vitality score 39.7/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: medium (sources disagree on Restaurant).
Better served than 15 % of the 5,828 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 | 8.4 |
| Social | 0.31 | 20 | 6.15 |
| Education | 0.22 | 10 | 2.21 |
| Health | 0.37 | 10 | 3.74 |
| Public & culture | 0.22 | 5 | 1.11 |
| Population trend | 0.73 | 10 | 7.35 |
| Housing mix | 0.96 | 5 | 4.79 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
2 × Bakery (boulangerie) (LES DELICES GILDASIENS · BOULANGERIE PATISSERIE ANTOINE). [3,4]
1 × Butcher (boucherie) (LES BOUCHERS COIN). [3,4]
2 × Supermarket (BRIERE DISTRIBUTION · SAS LAMPRIDIS). [3,4]
1 × Restaurant (TRAITEUR DU GOUT). [3,4]
2 × Café / bar (BAR O METRE). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE ROBERT DOISNEAU). [3]
1 × Collège (COLLEGE PRIVE GABRIEL DESHAYES). [3]
3 × GP (médecin généraliste) (ALAIN THIBAULT, MÉDECIN · CHRISTIAN MIKE CAI, MÉDECIN · CELINE OUDINET-LEBOSSE, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE MASEK). [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (SAINT GILDAS DES BOIS AP). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE INTERCOMMUNALE DE SAINT GILDAS DES BOIS). [3]
2 × Gym / sports hall (LYCEE COLLEGE GABRIEL DESHAYES · COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE LA PIERRE CHAUSSEE). [3]
3 × Bank (CAISSE REGIONALE DE CREDIT AGRICOLE MUTUEL ATLANTIQUE VENDEE · CREDIT MUTUEL D ISAC ST GILDAS DES BOIS · PR EMPLOI PERS CCM ISAC ST GILDAS BOIS). [3]
3 × Hairdresser (SARL \ L.M.P. COIFFURE · GAELLE COIFFURE · AMARANTE). [3,4]
1 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 2 × Restaurant, 2 × Primary school (élémentaire), 1 × Collège, 1 × Hairdresser.
Not found in the commune: Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Nursery school (maternelle). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 2 | LES DELICES GILDASIENS · BOULANGERIE PATISSERIE ANTOINE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 1 | LES BOUCHERS COIN | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Supermarket | 2 | BRIERE DISTRIBUTION · SAS LAMPRIDIS | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 1 | TRAITEUR DU GOUT | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 7 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 2 | BAR O METRE | INSEE SIRENE 2 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE ROBERT DOISNEAU | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 1 | COLLEGE PRIVE GABRIEL DESHAYES | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 3 | ALAIN THIBAULT, MÉDECIN · CHRISTIAN MIKE CAI, MÉDECIN · CELINE OUDINET-LEBOSSE, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 3 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE MASEK | 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 | SAINT GILDAS DES BOIS AP | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE INTERCOMMUNALE DE SAINT GILDAS DES BOIS | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 2 | LYCEE COLLEGE GABRIEL DESHAYES · COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE LA PIERRE CHAUSSEE | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 3 | CAISSE REGIONALE DE CREDIT AGRICOLE MUTUEL ATLANTIQUE VENDEE · CREDIT MUTUEL D ISAC ST GILDAS DES BOIS · PR EMPLOI PERS CCM ISAC ST GILDAS BOIS | INSEE BPE 3 [3] |
| Hairdresser | 3 | SARL \ L.M.P. COIFFURE · GAELLE COIFFURE · AMARANTE | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 1 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
A market is recorded here, but no source gives the day. [5,6]
Trajectory
Population 3,534 (2012) → 3,860 (2023): 9.2 % over 10 years. [7,1]
Population 3,126 (1990) → 3,860 (2023): 23.5 % over 30 years. [8,1]
Dwellings (2023): 1,703, of which 2.1 % second homes and 6.5 % vacant. [9]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Gildas-des-Bois): 0.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [10]
Food shop (Saint-Gildas-des-Bois): 0.5 km to the west (straight line). [10]
GP (Saint-Gildas-des-Bois): 0.5 km to the west (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Saint-Gildas-des-Bois): 0.6 km to the south (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Saint-Gildas-des-Bois): 0.8 km to the south-west (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 10 days a year at or above 30 °C and 26 days at or below 0 °C, over 22 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the SAINT-JOACHIM_SAE weather station, 19.1 km away at 3 m; the village itself is at 29 m. [11]
An average of 907 mm of rain a year, spread over 128 days — about 7.1 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at PONTCHATEAU, 10 km away at 34 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
Uncertainties
sources disagree on Restaurant
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44161/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2026-10— https://data.datatourisme.fr/49/ce5c5d27-829e-3835-bdfd-5db992e88048— “Marché de St Gildas des Bois”(unverified)
- DATAtourisme 2026-10— https://data.datatourisme.fr/49/3a391e60-4091-3ed3-8ec4-ff9ae6eb2b70— “Marché à la ferme abbatiale de St Gildas des Bois”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44161/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44161/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 44161/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 44161
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ribécourt-Dreslincourt | 60 | 427 km NE | 3,871 | 48 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 100 % · winter 72 % |
| Échillais | 17 | 198 km SE | 3,765 | 45.8 | Partly served | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 82 % · winter 95 % |
| Bouxwiller | 67 | 720 km E | 3,754 | 49.6 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.summer 79 % · winter 47 % |
| Bapaume | 62 | 459 km NE | 3,779 | 64.2 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 92 % · winter 80 % |
| Saint-Héand | 42 | 538 km E | 3,665 | 41.3 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 87 % · winter 23 % |
| Derval | 44 | 32 km NE | 3,601 | 46.6 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.summer 95 % · winter 85 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Derval | 44 | 32 km NE | 3,601 | 46.6 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.summer 95 % · winter 85 % |
| Échillais | 17 | 198 km SE | 3,765 | 45.8 | Partly served | Warmer summers, similar winters.summer 82 % · winter 95 % |
| Ribécourt-Dreslincourt | 60 | 427 km NE | 3,871 | 48 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 100 % · winter 72 % |
| Bapaume | 62 | 459 km NE | 3,779 | 64.2 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 92 % · winter 80 % |
| Saint-Héand | 42 | 538 km E | 3,665 | 41.3 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 87 % · winter 23 % |
| Bouxwiller | 67 | 720 km E | 3,754 | 49.6 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.summer 79 % · winter 47 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/44161-saint-gildas-des-bois