Helfaut
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 47/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 66 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Helfaut (INSEE 62423) is in Pas-de-Calais (62), part of CA du Pays de Saint-Omer. Population 1,724 (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/62423-helfaut
Vitality score
Vitality score 47/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 66 % of the 10,591 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 | 0.26 | 25 | 6.56 |
| Social | 0.59 | 20 | 11.7 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.66 | 10 | 6.56 |
| Public & culture | 0.2 | 5 | 0.98 |
| Population trend | 0.53 | 10 | 5.32 |
| Housing mix | 0.98 | 5 | 4.91 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Bakery (boulangerie) (LE FOURNIL D'HELFAUT). [3,4]
1 × Butcher (boucherie) (AUX FRAICHEURS DU TERROIR). [3]
3 × Restaurant (DECAIX AURELIA · LA CLEF DES CHAMPS · CHEZ AUREL). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar. [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE DOLTO - KERGOMARD). [3]
5 × GP (médecin généraliste) (VIRGINIE ROCHE, MÉDECIN · MORGANE FERLIN, MÉDECIN · THOMAS LEJEUNE, MÉDECIN · JEAN SCHIETTECATTE, MÉDECIN · GERARD VANHOUCKE, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE BOUDRY). [3,4]
1 × Library (MÉDIATHÈQUE MUNICIPALE). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF). [3]
2 × Hairdresser (CAROLINE COIFFURE MIXTE). [3,4]
1 × Campsite (LES ETANGSQ DU PLATEAU DES LANDES). [3,4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Nursery school (maternelle), Post office / agence postale. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 1 | LE FOURNIL D'HELFAUT | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 1 | AUX FRAICHEURS DU TERROIR | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [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 | 3 | DECAIX AURELIA · LA CLEF DES CHAMPS · CHEZ AUREL | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 1 | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE DOLTO - KERGOMARD | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 5 | VIRGINIE ROCHE, MÉDECIN · MORGANE FERLIN, MÉDECIN · THOMAS LEJEUNE, MÉDECIN · JEAN SCHIETTECATTE, MÉDECIN · GERARD VANHOUCKE, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 5 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE BOUDRY | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Library | 1 | MÉDIATHÈQUE MUNICIPALE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | COMPLEXE SPORTIF | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Hairdresser | 2 | CAROLINE COIFFURE MIXTE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [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 | LES ETANGSQ DU PLATEAU DES LANDES | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 2 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 1,596 (2012) → 1,724 (2023): 8 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 1,671 (1990) → 1,724 (2023): 3.2 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 737, of which 0.9 % second homes and 3.4 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Wizernes): 1.3 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Helfaut): 0.1 km to the south-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Helfaut): 0 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Helfaut): 0 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Primary school (Helfaut): 0.2 km to the south-east (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 5 days a year at or above 30 °C and 24 days at or below 0 °C, over 17 complete years in 1995–2024. [10]
Measured at the NIELLES-LES-BLEQUIN_SAPC weather station, 13.1 km away at 145 m; the village itself is at 92 m. [10]
The village sits 53 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 RADINGHEM, 18.9 km away at 115 m, over 30 summers. [10]
An average of 1,013 mm of rain a year, spread over 141 days — about 7.2 mm on a day it rains. [10]
Rainfall measured at NIELLES-LES-BLEQUIN_SAPC, 13.1 km away at 145 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 — 62423/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 62423/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 62423/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 62423/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 62902
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 62423
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Martin de l'If | 76 | 161 km SW | 1,736 | 52.3 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Bruille-Saint-Amand | 59 | 94 km E | 1,698 | 42.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Montierchaume | 36 | 428 km S | 1,624 | 44.8 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 62 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Roumare | 76 | 160 km SW | 1,560 | 51 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 77 % · winter 81 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Premiers Sapins | 25 | 500 km SE | 1,587 | 52.1 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 19 % · humidity 93 % |
| Maresquel-Ecquemicourt | 62 | 39 km SW | 1,070 | 43.8 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 95 % · winter 69 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maresquel-Ecquemicourt | 62 | 39 km SW | 1,070 | 43.8 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 95 % · winter 69 % |
| Bruille-Saint-Amand | 59 | 94 km E | 1,698 | 42.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Roumare | 76 | 160 km SW | 1,560 | 51 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 77 % · winter 81 % · humidity 100 % |
| Saint Martin de l'If | 76 | 161 km SW | 1,736 | 52.3 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Montierchaume | 36 | 428 km S | 1,624 | 44.8 | Partly served | Warmer summers and colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 62 % · winter 70 % · humidity 100 % |
| Les Premiers Sapins | 25 | 500 km SE | 1,587 | 52.1 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 100 % · winter 19 % · 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 Helfaut'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brix | 50 | 301 km SW | 2,165 | 53.1 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 85 % · humidity 93 % |
| Baye | 29 | 529 km SW | 1,369 | 46.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 97 % · humidity 93 % |
| Val d'Arry | 14 | 267 km SW | 2,496 | 47.5 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 91 % · humidity 100 % |
| Plouezoc'h | 29 | 493 km SW | 1,646 | 47.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Warhem | 59 | 36 km NE | 2,020 | 43.8 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 88 % · humidity 93 % |
| Cavan | 22 | 461 km SW | 1,571 | 58 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 85 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/62423-helfaut