Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Served 60/100 · confidence: medium· Better served than 98 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française (INSEE 48148) is in Lozère (48), part of CC des Cévennes au Mont Lozère. Population 493 (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/48148-saint-etienne-vallee-francaise
Vitality score
Vitality score 60/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: medium (sources disagree on Restaurant).
Better served than 98 % of the 17,768 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 | 0.5 | 25 | 12.47 |
| Social | 0.75 | 20 | 14.97 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0.79 | 10 | 7.91 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.58 | 10 | 5.81 |
| Housing mix | 0.07 | 5 | 0.37 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (DAMPERAT VIOLETTE). [3,4]
2 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (LESCUYER · FANZO). [3,4]
2 × Restaurant (GLOBETRAITEUR · LA HALTE CEVENOLE). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar. [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
1 × Collège (COLLEGE ACHILLE ROUSSON). [3]
3 × GP (médecin généraliste) (MATTHIEU BINET, MÉDECIN · MINA LACOLONGE, MÉDECIN · JEAN-MARC MARECHAL, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PROPHARMACIE MME MINA LACOLONGE). [3]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE DE SAINT-ETIENNE-VALLÉE-FRANÇAISE). [3]
1 × Campsite (LE MARTINET). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette), 1 × Restaurant, 2 × Pharmacy.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | DAMPERAT VIOLETTE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 2 | LESCUYER · FANZO | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [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 | 2 | GLOBETRAITEUR · LA HALTE CEVENOLE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 5 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 1 | COLLEGE ACHILLE ROUSSON | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 3 | MATTHIEU BINET, MÉDECIN · MINA LACOLONGE, MÉDECIN · JEAN-MARC MARECHAL, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 3 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PROPHARMACIE MME MINA LACOLONGE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| 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 MUNICIPALE DE SAINT-ETIENNE-VALLÉE-FRANÇAISE | 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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 1 | LE MARTINET | 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 523 (2012) → 493 (2023): -5.7 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 456 (1990) → 493 (2023): 8.1 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 585, of which 46.3 % second homes and 8.4 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française): 2.9 km to the north-east (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française): 0.1 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
GP (Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française): 0.2 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française): 0.2 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Primary school (Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française): 0.3 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 68 days a year at or above 30 °C and 6 days at or below 0 °C, over 11 complete years in 1995–2024. [9]
Measured at the ST-ETIENNE-VALLEE-FRANCAISE weather station, 1 km away at 518 m; the village itself is at 248 m. [9]
The village sits 270 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.7 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [9]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 4 days a summer. [9]
Humidity measured at ST-ETIENNE-VALLEE-FRANCAISE, 1 km away at 518 m, over 11 summers. [9]
That station sits 270 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.26 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [9]
An average of 1,438 mm of rain a year, spread over 88 days — about 16.3 mm on a day it rains. [9]
Rainfall measured at ST-ETIENNE-VALLEE-FRANCAISE, 1 km away at 518 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [9]
What property sold for
46 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 157,960 € — 1,707 € per m² of built surface. [10]
6 flats sold over the same window, at a median of 52,500 € — 1,018 € per m². [10]
The median across Lozère is 1,319 € per m², so this commune sits above it. [10]
These are recorded sale prices, not valuations or asking prices, and a median over five years spans five different markets. Built surface excludes land, which carries much of a rural property's value.
Uncertainties
sources disagree on Restaurant
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 48148/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 48148/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 48148/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 48148/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 48148
- Météo-France daily climatology 1995-2024
- DVF (DGFiP property transactions) 2021-2025
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis | 58 | 350 km N | 499 | 55.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 26 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Honoré-les-Bains | 58 | 305 km N | 678 | 58.1 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 41 % · humidity 86 % |
| Estaing | 12 | 103 km NW | 502 | 57.6 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 44 % · winter 43 % · humidity 86 % |
| Vézelay | 89 | 367 km N | 476 | 65.7 | Served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 30 % · humidity 86 % |
| Thiézac | 15 | 133 km NW | 590 | 58.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 0 % · winter 12 % · humidity 71 % |
| Montbrun-les-Bains | 26 | 128 km E | 442 | 62.8 | Served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 13 % · winter 0 % · humidity 71 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estaing | 12 | 103 km NW | 502 | 57.6 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 44 % · winter 43 % · humidity 86 % |
| Montbrun-les-Bains | 26 | 128 km E | 442 | 62.8 | Served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 13 % · winter 0 % · humidity 71 % |
| Thiézac | 15 | 133 km NW | 590 | 58.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 0 % · winter 12 % · humidity 71 % |
| Saint-Honoré-les-Bains | 58 | 305 km N | 678 | 58.1 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 41 % · humidity 86 % |
| Châteauneuf-Val-de-Bargis | 58 | 350 km N | 499 | 55.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 26 % · humidity 93 % |
| Vézelay | 89 | 367 km N | 476 | 65.7 | Served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 0 % · winter 30 % · 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-Étienne-Vallée-Française'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villanova | 2A | 462 km SE | 402 | 12.7 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 99 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/48148-saint-etienne-vallee-francaise