Varennes-en-Argonne
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Served 62.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 99 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Varennes-en-Argonne (INSEE 55527) is in Meuse (55), part of CC Argonne-Meuse. Population 636 (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/55527-varennes-en-argonne
Vitality score
Vitality score 62.6/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 99 % of the 16,802 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 | 0.86 | 20 | 17.29 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0.81 | 10 | 8.07 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.44 | 10 | 4.37 |
| Housing mix | 0.7 | 5 | 3.5 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie). [3,4]
1 × Supermarket (CARREFOUR EXPRESS). [3,4]
2 × Restaurant (CHEZ MOZZART EST LA). [3,4]
2 × Café / bar (L'ARLEQUIN · BAR TABAC LOUIS XVI). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE JEAN BABIN). [3]
4 × GP (médecin généraliste) (FARID BOUAB, MÉDECIN · SEBASTIEN FAYON, MÉDECIN · MALIK CHAIB, MÉDECIN · SEGHIR LEKHOUADA, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE MORIZET). [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE LIRE EN L'AIRE). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (GYMNASE). [3]
2 × Hairdresser (CATHY COIFF' · MILLE ET UN STYLES). [3,4]
1 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3]
1 × Hotel (LE GRAND MONARQUE). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING MUNICIPAL LE PAQUIS). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Nursery school (maternelle). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 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 | 1 | CARREFOUR EXPRESS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Restaurant | 2 | CHEZ MOZZART EST LA | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 2 | L'ARLEQUIN · BAR TABAC LOUIS XVI | INSEE SIRENE 2 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE JEAN BABIN | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 4 | FARID BOUAB, MÉDECIN · SEBASTIEN FAYON, MÉDECIN · MALIK CHAIB, MÉDECIN · SEGHIR LEKHOUADA, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 4 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE MORIZET | 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 LIRE EN L'AIRE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | GYMNASE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 2 | CATHY COIFF' · MILLE ET UN STYLES | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 1 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| Hotel | 1 | LE GRAND MONARQUE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 1 | CAMPING MUNICIPAL LE PAQUIS | 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 656 (2012) → 636 (2023): -3 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 679 (1990) → 636 (2023): -6.3 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 347, of which 15 % second homes and 5.5 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Cornay): 10.2 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Varennes-en-Argonne): 0.5 km to the east (straight line). [9]
GP (Varennes-en-Argonne): 0.6 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Varennes-en-Argonne): 0.6 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Varennes-en-Argonne): 0.1 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 11 days a year at or above 30 °C and 46 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the SEPTSARGES weather station, 10.4 km away at 293 m; the village itself is at 162 m. [10]
The village sits 131 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.89 °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 1 day a summer. [10]
Humidity measured at SEPTSARGES, 10.4 km away at 293 m, over 30 summers. [10]
That station sits 131 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.63 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [10]
An average of 962 mm of rain a year, spread over 139 days — about 6.9 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at VARENNES-EN-ARG, 0.5 km away at 180 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 — 55527/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 55527/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 55527/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 55527/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 08131
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 55527
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rouvray | 21 | 212 km S | 505 | 54 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 73 % · humidity 100 % |
| Chambon-sur-Voueize | 23 | 390 km SW | 794 | 53.7 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 79 % · winter 41 % · humidity 86 % |
| Sellières | 39 | 270 km S | 737 | 61.2 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 76 % · humidity 86 % |
| Bourg-Lastic | 63 | 439 km SW | 874 | 58.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 74 % · humidity 93 % |
| Acheux-en-Amiénois | 80 | 203 km NW | 590 | 66 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Longeau-Percey | 52 | 163 km S | 688 | 62.4 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Longeau-Percey | 52 | 163 km S | 688 | 62.4 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
| Acheux-en-Amiénois | 80 | 203 km NW | 590 | 66 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Rouvray | 21 | 212 km S | 505 | 54 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 73 % · humidity 100 % |
| Sellières | 39 | 270 km S | 737 | 61.2 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 67 % · winter 76 % · humidity 86 % |
| Chambon-sur-Voueize | 23 | 390 km SW | 794 | 53.7 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 79 % · winter 41 % · humidity 86 % |
| Bourg-Lastic | 63 | 439 km SW | 874 | 58.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 74 % · humidity 93 % |
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 Varennes-en-Argonne'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acheux-en-Amiénois | 80 | 203 km NW | 590 | 66 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
| Longeau-Percey | 52 | 163 km S | 688 | 62.4 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 93 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sancergues | 18 | 279 km SW | 620 | 57.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 88 % · humidity 86 % |
| Fougerolles-du-Plessis | 53 | 447 km W | 1,215 | 42.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Rochefort-en-Terre | 56 | 569 km W | 647 | 69.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Marsac | 23 | 433 km SW | 643 | 56.7 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 88 % · humidity 93 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/55527-varennes-en-argonne