Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Served 78.6/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 100 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe (INSEE 61258) is in Orne (61), part of CC de la Vallée de la Haute Sarthe. Population 659 (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/61258-le-mele-sur-sarthe
Vitality score
Vitality score 78.6/100 — Served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 100 % of the 16,687 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 | 0.89 | 25 | 22.33 |
| Social | 0.81 | 20 | 16.14 |
| Education | 0.86 | 10 | 8.65 |
| Health | 0.75 | 10 | 7.48 |
| Public & culture | 0.63 | 5 | 3.16 |
| Population trend | 0.43 | 10 | 4.28 |
| Housing mix | 0.96 | 5 | 4.81 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
2 × Bakery (boulangerie) (L EPI D OR · AUX SAVEURS MELOISES). [3,4]
3 × Butcher (boucherie) (MAISON FERNANDES · TERROIR ET TRADITIONS). [3,4]
2 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (DICAYRON · AU FIL DES SAISONS). [3,4]
1 × Restaurant (KEBAB MELOIS). [3,4]
4 × Café / bar (CAFE DE LA RENAISSANCE · LE BAR DE FRANCE). [4]
2 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE · ECOLE PRIMAIRE PRIVEE SAINT JOSEPH). [3]
2 × GP (médecin généraliste) (CECILE GOSSET, MÉDECIN · BERNARD HALBERT, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy. [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (MÉDIATHÈQUE DE LA VALLÉE DE LA HAUTE SARTHE SITE DU MÊLE SUR SARTHE). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (GYMNASE DU POLE ASSOCIATIF). [3]
2 × Bank (AGENCE DE LE MELE SUR SARTHE · CAISSE LOCALE DU CREDIT AGRICOLE MUTUEL DE NORMANDIE LE MELE-COURTOMER). [3]
2 × Hairdresser (CREA'STYLE · LE FAUTEUIL PAR EXEL COIFFURE). [3,4]
1 × Hotel (HOSTELLERIE DE LA POSTE). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (CAMPING LA PRAIRIE). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Restaurant, 1 × Pharmacy, 1 × Hairdresser, 1 × Campsite.
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) | 2 | L EPI D OR · AUX SAVEURS MELOISES | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 3 | MAISON FERNANDES · TERROIR ET TRADITIONS | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 2 | DICAYRON · AU FIL DES SAISONS | 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 | 1 | KEBAB MELOIS | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 4 | CAFE DE LA RENAISSANCE · LE BAR DE FRANCE | INSEE SIRENE 4 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 2 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE · ECOLE PRIMAIRE PRIVEE SAINT JOSEPH | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 2 | CECILE GOSSET, MÉDECIN · BERNARD HALBERT, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [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 | MÉDIATHÈQUE DE LA VALLÉE DE LA HAUTE SARTHE SITE DU MÊLE SUR SARTHE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | GYMNASE DU POLE ASSOCIATIF | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 2 | AGENCE DE LE MELE SUR SARTHE · CAISSE LOCALE DU CREDIT AGRICOLE MUTUEL DE NORMANDIE LE MELE-COURTOMER | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Hairdresser | 2 | CREA'STYLE · LE FAUTEUIL PAR EXEL COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Hotel | 1 | HOSTELLERIE DE LA POSTE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Campsite | 1 | CAMPING LA PRAIRIE | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 762 (2012) → 659 (2023): -13.5 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 710 (1990) → 659 (2023): -7.2 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 466, of which 1.9 % second homes and 17.4 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe): 0.1 km to the north-east (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe): 0 km to the east (straight line). [8]
GP (Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe): 0.2 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Bazoches-sur-Hoëne): 9.9 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe): 0.3 km to the south-east (straight line). [8]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 7 days a year at or above 30 °C and 46 days at or below 0 °C, over 15 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the STE SCOLASSE-SUR-SARTHE weather station, 8.3 km away at 210 m; the village itself is at 151 m. [10]
The village sits 59 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.71 °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 ST-HILAIRE, 14 km away at 242 m, over 21 summers. [10]
That station sits 91 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 4.22 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [10]
An average of 774 mm of rain a year, spread over 127 days — about 6.1 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at MELE-SUR-SARTHE -LE-, 0.2 km away at 155 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 — 61258/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 61258/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 61258/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 61258/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 61258
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 61029
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poix-Terron | 08 | 337 km NE | 883 | 72.9 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Chénérailles | 23 | 300 km SE | 728 | 61.4 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 64 % · winter 76 % · humidity 100 % |
| Neussargues-Moissac | 15 | 426 km SE | 824 | 67.4 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 50 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sains-Richaumont | 02 | 284 km NE | 923 | 65.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint-Laurent-en-Caux | 76 | 143 km N | 708 | 59.1 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 84 % · humidity 100 % |
| Tournes | 08 | 343 km NE | 1,055 | 51.2 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 58 % · humidity 93 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Laurent-en-Caux | 76 | 143 km N | 708 | 59.1 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 84 % · humidity 100 % |
| Sains-Richaumont | 02 | 284 km NE | 923 | 65.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Chénérailles | 23 | 300 km SE | 728 | 61.4 | Served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 64 % · winter 76 % · humidity 100 % |
| Poix-Terron | 08 | 337 km NE | 883 | 72.9 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Tournes | 08 | 343 km NE | 1,055 | 51.2 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 58 % · humidity 93 % |
| Neussargues-Moissac | 15 | 426 km SE | 824 | 67.4 | Served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 50 % · 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 Le Mêle-sur-Sarthe'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poix-Terron | 08 | 337 km NE | 883 | 72.9 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Sains-Richaumont | 02 | 284 km NE | 923 | 65.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Ourville-en-Caux | 76 | 137 km N | 1,088 | 47.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 100 % · humidity 100 % |
| Montcornet | 02 | 297 km NE | 1,207 | 49.6 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 85 % · humidity 100 % |
| Le Montet | 03 | 310 km SE | 472 | 61 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 86 % · humidity 100 % |
| Landéan | 35 | 112 km W | 1,250 | 47.1 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 85 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/61258-le-mele-sur-sarthe