Varenne-Saint-Germain
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink.
Few services 23.2/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 25 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Varenne-Saint-Germain (INSEE 71557) is in Saône-et-Loire (71), part of CC Le Grand Charolais. Population 684 (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/71557-varenne-saint-germain
Vitality score
Vitality score 23.2/100 — Few services (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 25 % of the 16,477 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 | 25 | 0 |
| Social | 0 | 20 | 0 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Public & culture | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Population trend | 0.87 | 10 | 8.65 |
| Housing mix | 0.96 | 5 | 4.78 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A school, but no food shop and nowhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE). [3]
2 × Hairdresser (MARILYNE COIFFURE · HAIR'NATH COIFFURE). [3,4]
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Supermarket, Restaurant, Café / bar, Nursery school (maternelle), GP (médecin généraliste), Pharmacy, Post office / agence postale, Library. [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 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 | 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 | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 1 / INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Café / bar | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Pharmacy | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Library | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [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 | 2 | MARILYNE COIFFURE · HAIR'NATH COIFFURE | 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 | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 680 (2012) → 684 (2023): 0.6 % over 10 years. [5,1]
Population 501 (1990) → 684 (2023): 36.5 % over 30 years. [6,1]
Dwellings (2023): 315, of which 2.2 % second homes and 6.7 % vacant. [7]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Digoin): 6.1 km to the north-west (straight line). [8]
Food shop (Vitry-en-Charollais): 3.4 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Digoin): 5.6 km to the north (straight line). [8]
Pharmacy (Saint-Yan): 2.3 km to the south (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Varenne-Saint-Germain): 0.2 km to the north (straight line). [11]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 23 days a year at or above 30 °C and 66 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [12]
Measured at the ST YAN weather station, 2.4 km away at 242 m; the village itself is at 236 m. [12]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 1 day a summer. [12]
Humidity measured at ST YAN, 2.4 km away at 242 m, over 30 summers. [12]
An average of 791 mm of rain a year, spread over 115 days — about 6.9 mm on a day it rains. [12]
Rainfall measured at ST YAN, 2.4 km away at 242 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [12]
Uncertainties
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 71557/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 71557/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 71557/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 71557/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 71176
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 71588
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 71491
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 71557
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hautot-Saint-Sulpice | 76 | 436 km NW | 688 | 23.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 54 % · winter 57 % · humidity 100 % |
| Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire | 50 | 480 km NW | 685 | 24.2 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 59 % · winter 77 % · humidity 93 % |
| Saint-Waast | 59 | 431 km N | 686 | 20 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.summer 69 % · winter 78 % |
| Petosse | 85 | 378 km W | 688 | 24.7 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 51 % · humidity 93 % |
| Vacognes-Neuilly | 14 | 450 km NW | 681 | 25 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 51 % · winter 42 % · humidity 100 % |
| Prémont | 02 | 401 km N | 683 | 19.2 | No daily shops | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 62 % · winter 96 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petosse | 85 | 378 km W | 688 | 24.7 | Few services | Similar summers, milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 51 % · humidity 93 % |
| Prémont | 02 | 401 km N | 683 | 19.2 | No daily shops | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 62 % · winter 96 % |
| Saint-Waast | 59 | 431 km N | 686 | 20 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.summer 69 % · winter 78 % |
| Hautot-Saint-Sulpice | 76 | 436 km NW | 688 | 23.4 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 54 % · winter 57 % · humidity 100 % |
| Vacognes-Neuilly | 14 | 450 km NW | 681 | 25 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 51 % · winter 42 % · humidity 100 % |
| Sainte-Suzanne-sur-Vire | 50 | 480 km NW | 685 | 24.2 | Few services | Cooler summers and milder winters.Summers feel about as humid.summer 59 % · winter 77 % · 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 Varenne-Saint-Germain'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saulon-la-Rue | 21 | 118 km NE | 701 | 25 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 92 % · winter 92 % · humidity 100 % |
| Lessard-le-National | 71 | 79 km NE | 662 | 23.5 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 96 % · humidity 93 % |
| Esbarres | 21 | 117 km NE | 689 | 19.4 | No daily shops | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 86 % · humidity 93 % |
| Tillenay | 21 | 131 km NE | 743 | 24.8 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 95 % · humidity 93 % |
| Vandeins | 01 | 84 km E | 732 | 24.7 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 97 % · humidity 86 % |
| Béchy | 57 | 334 km NE | 615 | 22.5 | Few services | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 87 % · winter 97 % · humidity 100 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/71557-varenne-saint-germain