Ballon-Saint Mars
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 47.8/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 62 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Ballon-Saint Mars (INSEE 72023) is in Sarthe (72), part of CC Maine Coeur de Sarthe. Population 2,273 (2023). [1]
INSEE density class: Bourgs ruraux (level 5). [2]
Commune nouvelle formed on 2016-01-01 from 1 former commune: Saint-Mars-sous-Ballon (72301). [3]
Data vintages: INSEE BPE 2025 · INSEE SIRENE 2026-09 · INSEE census (RP) 2023 · INSEE COG 2026 · INSEE density grid 2026 · Commune website 2026-10-24.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/72023-ballon-saint-mars
Vitality score
Vitality score 47.8/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 62 % of the 8,776 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 | 0.13 | 25 | 3.28 |
| Social | 0.51 | 20 | 10.26 |
| Education | 0.63 | 10 | 6.32 |
| Health | 0.66 | 10 | 6.56 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.75 | 10 | 7.51 |
| Housing mix | 0.95 | 5 | 4.75 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [4,5]
1 × Supermarket (CARREFOUR CONTACT). [4,5]
2 × Restaurant (O'BISTRO DU SAINT ELLIER). [4,5]
1 × Café / bar (LE SAINT LAURENT). [5]
2 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE E ET R BADINTER · ECOLE PRIMAIRE PRIVEE NOTRE DAME DU SACRE COEUR). [4]
1 × Collège (COLLEGE RENE CASSIN). [4]
5 × GP (médecin généraliste) (JEAN-MARIE CORMIER, MÉDECIN · DELPHINE GODARD, MÉDECIN · JULIE LHUISSIER, MÉDECIN · SANDRINE GRAVIER, MÉDECIN · ARNAUD FERRAN, MÉDECIN). [4]
1 × Pharmacy (PHARMACIE DE BALLON). [4,5]
1 × Post office / agence postale (BALLON SAINT MARS AP). [4]
1 × Library (BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE ESPACE FRANCOIS MITTERRAND). [4]
1 × Gym / sports hall (HALL AUX SPORTS). [4]
3 × Hairdresser (SLDC · L'HAIR DU TEMPS). [4,5]
2 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [4]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Bakery (boulangerie), 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Bakery (boulangerie), Butcher (boucherie), Grocery (épicerie / supérette), Nursery school (maternelle). [4,5]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] | |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4,5] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4,5] | |
| Supermarket | 1 | CARREFOUR CONTACT | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [4,5] |
| Cheese shop (fromagerie) | 0 | INSEE SIRENE 0 [5] | |
| Fishmonger | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4,5] | |
| Restaurant | 2 | O'BISTRO DU SAINT ELLIER | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 4 [4,5] |
| Café / bar | 1 | LE SAINT LAURENT | INSEE SIRENE 1 [5] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 2 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE PUBLIQUE E ET R BADINTER · ECOLE PRIMAIRE PRIVEE NOTRE DAME DU SACRE COEUR | INSEE BPE 2 [4] |
| Collège | 1 | COLLEGE RENE CASSIN | INSEE BPE 1 [4] |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 5 | JEAN-MARIE CORMIER, MÉDECIN · DELPHINE GODARD, MÉDECIN · JULIE LHUISSIER, MÉDECIN · SANDRINE GRAVIER, MÉDECIN · ARNAUD FERRAN, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 5 [4] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | PHARMACIE DE BALLON | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [4,5] |
| Nurse | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Dentist | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Post office / agence postale | 1 | BALLON SAINT MARS AP | INSEE BPE 1 [4] |
| Library | 1 | BIBLIOTHÈQUE MUNICIPALE ESPACE FRANCOIS MITTERRAND | INSEE BPE 1 [4] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | HALL AUX SPORTS | INSEE BPE 1 [4] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Bank | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [4] | |
| Hairdresser | 3 | SLDC · L'HAIR DU TEMPS | INSEE BPE 3 / INSEE SIRENE 3 [4,5] |
| Fuel station | 2 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4] |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4,5] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [4,5] |
Market and village life
Market day: unknown — nothing found in the datasets or on the commune website.
Trajectory
Population 2,163 (2012) → 2,273 (2023): 5.1 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,817 (1990) → 2,273 (2023): 25.1 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 1,158, of which 2.5 % second homes and 12.4 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Souligné-sous-Ballon): 4.3 km to the south (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Ballon-Saint Mars): 0.6 km to the south (straight line). [10]
GP (Ballon-Saint Mars): 0.2 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Pharmacy (Ballon-Saint Mars): 0.1 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Ballon-Saint Mars): 0.5 km to the south-east (straight line). [10]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 16 days a year at or above 30 °C and 50 days at or below 0 °C, over 30 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the MAROLLES LES BR weather station, 10.9 km away at 65 m; the village itself is at 95 m. [11]
An average of 721 mm of rain a year, spread over 118 days — about 6.1 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at SAINT MARCEAU, 8.4 km away at 55 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
What property sold for
206 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 112,000 € — 1,058 € per m² of built surface. [12]
The median across Sarthe is 1,300 € per m², so this commune sits below it. [12]
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
No specific uncertainties flagged.
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 72023/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE COG 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 72023/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 72023/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 72023/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 72340
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 72023
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mouzon | 08 | 388 km NE | 2,229 | 49.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 87 % · winter 74 % |
| Conty | 80 | 223 km NE | 1,660 | 47.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 82 % · winter 97 % |
| Saint-Georges-du-Bois | 72 | 25 km SW | 2,285 | 53.7 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 97 % |
| Andilly | 17 | 234 km SW | 2,350 | 52.6 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.summer 92 % · winter 72 % |
| Urt | 64 | 534 km S | 2,346 | 56.9 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.summer 72 % · winter 81 % |
| Bourg | 33 | 354 km S | 2,244 | 55.1 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.summer 77 % · winter 69 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Georges-du-Bois | 72 | 25 km SW | 2,285 | 53.7 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 85 % · winter 97 % |
| Conty | 80 | 223 km NE | 1,660 | 47.3 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.summer 82 % · winter 97 % |
| Andilly | 17 | 234 km SW | 2,350 | 52.6 | Partly served | Similar summers, milder winters.summer 92 % · winter 72 % |
| Bourg | 33 | 354 km S | 2,244 | 55.1 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.summer 77 % · winter 69 % |
| Mouzon | 08 | 388 km NE | 2,229 | 49.9 | Partly served | Similar summers, colder winters.summer 87 % · winter 74 % |
| Urt | 64 | 534 km S | 2,346 | 56.9 | Partly served | Warmer summers and milder winters.summer 72 % · winter 81 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/72023-ballon-saint-mars