Soual
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink.
Partly served 56/100 · confidence: high· Better served than 82 % of the {n|commune|communes} of a similar size.
Identity
Soual (INSEE 81289) is in Tarn (81), part of CC du Sor et de l'Agout. Population 2,637 (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 · Commune website 2026-10-24 · DATAtourisme 2026-10-22.
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/81289-soual
Vitality score
Vitality score 56/100 — Partly served (model fr-v0.2).
Confidence: high.
Better served than 82 % of the 7,932 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 | 0.34 | 25 | 8.55 |
| Social | 0.69 | 20 | 13.75 |
| Education | 0.39 | 10 | 3.93 |
| Health | 0.63 | 10 | 6.29 |
| Public & culture | 0.39 | 5 | 1.97 |
| Population trend | 0.83 | 10 | 8.25 |
| Housing mix | 0.97 | 5 | 4.83 |
Services
What is here, at a glance
A food shop, a school and somewhere to eat or drink. [3,4]
2 × Bakery (boulangerie) (SARL ANDRIEU ET FILS · EPI SOUALAIS). [3,4]
1 × Grocery (épicerie / supérette) (NAPOLITANA). [3,4]
1 × Supermarket (SUPER U). [3,4]
8 × Restaurant (CREPERIE LOLITA · L'INSTANT · ROTI PIZZ · MAKOTO SUSHI BAR). [3,4]
1 × Café / bar (LE SOUALOU). [4]
1 × Primary school (élémentaire) (ECOLE PRIMAIRE NICOLE COSTE). [3]
4 × GP (médecin généraliste) (MEY BALZAN, MÉDECIN · FANNY MARIAMBOURG, MÉDECIN · CHRISTOPHE PIETRAVALLE, MÉDECIN · MIREILLE CHAMAYOU, MÉDECIN). [3]
1 × Pharmacy. [3,4]
1 × Post office / agence postale (LA POSTE). [3]
1 × Library (MÉDIATHÈQUE MUNICIPALE NICOLE LEFEBVRE). [3]
1 × Gym / sports hall (COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE LA BALONIE). [3]
2 × Bank (CAISSE D'EPARGNE ET DE PREVOYANCE DE MIDI PYRENEES · AGENCE SOUAL). [3]
5 × Hairdresser (TOUCHE FINALE · COIFFEURS ET ASSOCIES · L'ATELIER DE COIFFURE · HAIR BY C · AMPERA COIFFURE). [3,4]
1 × Fuel station (STATION SERVICE). [3]
Not counted, because the business register records them as closed: 1 × Restaurant.
Not found in the commune: Butcher (boucherie), Nursery school (maternelle). [3,4]
All 25 service types, with per-source counts
| Type | Count | Names | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bakery (boulangerie) | 2 | SARL ANDRIEU ET FILS · EPI SOUALAIS | INSEE BPE 2 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Butcher (boucherie) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Grocery (épicerie / supérette) | 1 | NAPOLITANA | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 1 [3,4] |
| Supermarket | 1 | SUPER U | 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 | 8 | CREPERIE LOLITA · L'INSTANT · ROTI PIZZ · MAKOTO SUSHI BAR | INSEE BPE 8 / INSEE SIRENE 9 [3,4] |
| Café / bar | 1 | LE SOUALOU | INSEE SIRENE 1 [4] |
| Nursery school (maternelle) | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Primary school (élémentaire) | 1 | ECOLE PRIMAIRE NICOLE COSTE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Collège | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| GP (médecin généraliste) | 4 | MEY BALZAN, MÉDECIN · FANNY MARIAMBOURG, MÉDECIN · CHRISTOPHE PIETRAVALLE, MÉDECIN · MIREILLE CHAMAYOU, MÉDECIN | INSEE BPE 4 [3] |
| Pharmacy | 1 | 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 | MÉDIATHÈQUE MUNICIPALE NICOLE LEFEBVRE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Cinema | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Gym / sports hall | 1 | COMPLEXE SPORTIF DE LA BALONIE | INSEE BPE 1 [3] |
| Swimming pool | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 [3] | |
| Bank | 2 | CAISSE D'EPARGNE ET DE PREVOYANCE DE MIDI PYRENEES · AGENCE SOUAL | INSEE BPE 2 [3] |
| Hairdresser | 5 | TOUCHE FINALE · COIFFEURS ET ASSOCIES · L'ATELIER DE COIFFURE · HAIR BY C · AMPERA COIFFURE | INSEE BPE 5 / INSEE SIRENE 6 [3,4] |
| Fuel station | 1 | STATION SERVICE | INSEE BPE 1 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3] |
| Hotel | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] | |
| Campsite | 0 | INSEE BPE 0 / INSEE SIRENE 0 [3,4] |
Market and village life
Weekly market (reported, unverified): Thursday. [5]
Trajectory
Population 2,395 (2012) → 2,637 (2023): 10.1 % over 10 years. [6,1]
Population 1,990 (1990) → 2,637 (2023): 32.5 % over 30 years. [7,1]
Dwellings (2023): 1,318, of which 1.7 % second homes and 6.6 % vacant. [8]
Access and surroundings
Which way the everyday services lie
Bakery (Soual): 0.1 km to the east (straight line). [9]
Food shop (Soual): 0.2 km to the north-east (straight line). [9]
GP (Soual): 0.4 km to the east (straight line). [9]
Pharmacy (Sémalens): 3.5 km to the north (straight line). [10]
Primary school (Soual): 0.2 km to the north (straight line). [9]
Climate
Where this sits nationally
An average of 41 days a year at or above 30 °C and 27 days at or below 0 °C, over 29 complete years in 1995–2024. [11]
Measured at the DOURGNE weather station, 7.3 km away at 234 m; the village itself is at 167 m. [11]
The village sits 67 m below the station, so each day's reading was shifted by 5.7 °C per km of altitude before the days were counted. Expect the result to be within about 0.68 °C. [11]
Muggy days — a dew point at or above 18 °C — average 12 days a summer. [11]
Humidity measured at DOURGNE, 7.3 km away at 234 m, over 16 summers. [11]
That station sits 67 m above the village, so each day's humidity was shifted by 3.26 °C per km before the muggy days were counted. [11]
An average of 887 mm of rain a year, spread over 108 days — about 8.2 mm on a day it rains. [11]
Rainfall measured at DOURGNE, 7.3 km away at 234 m. Rainfall is not adjusted for altitude: unlike temperature it has no simple gradient to correct by. [11]
What property sold for
138 houses sold between 2021 and 2025, at a median of 181,425 € — 1,365 € per m² of built surface. [12]
7 flats sold over the same window, at a median of 95,000 € — 860 € per m². [12]
The median across Tarn is 1,319 € per m², so this commune sits about level with 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
The market day comes from DATAtourisme and has not been confirmed by a second source. [5]
References
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 81289/2023
- INSEE density grid 2026
- INSEE BPE 2025
- INSEE SIRENE 2026-09
- DATAtourisme 2026-07— https://data.datatourisme.fr/13/5ef1345a-01e6-3cab-8493-f6c2d0394470— “Chaque Jeudi matin le marché de Soual vous accueille.”(unverified)
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 81289/2012
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 81289/1990
- INSEE census (RP) 2023 — 81289/logement/2023
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 81289
- INSEE BPE 2025 — 81281
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Villenauxe-la-Grande | 10 | 571 km N | 2,605 | 50.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 38 % · winter 69 % · humidity 21 % |
| Villaines-la-Juhel | 53 | 564 km N | 2,671 | 55.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 15 % · winter 69 % · humidity 21 % |
| Nieul-le-Dolent | 85 | 440 km NW | 2,571 | 56.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 28 % · winter 97 % · humidity 29 % |
| Le Mesnil-en-Thelle | 60 | 626 km N | 2,439 | 52 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 21 % · winter 68 % · humidity 21 % |
| Saint-Varent | 79 | 414 km NW | 2,395 | 52.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.summer 56 % · winter 84 % |
| Boën-sur-Lignon | 42 | 286 km NE | 3,001 | 50.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 64 % · winter 51 % · humidity 29 % |
Order by distance instead
| Commune | Dept | Distance | Population | Score | Band | Climate vs here |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boën-sur-Lignon | 42 | 286 km NE | 3,001 | 50.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 64 % · winter 51 % · humidity 29 % |
| Saint-Varent | 79 | 414 km NW | 2,395 | 52.5 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.summer 56 % · winter 84 % |
| Nieul-le-Dolent | 85 | 440 km NW | 2,571 | 56.9 | Partly served | Cooler summers, similar winters.Summers feel drier.summer 28 % · winter 97 % · humidity 29 % |
| Villaines-la-Juhel | 53 | 564 km N | 2,671 | 55.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 15 % · winter 69 % · humidity 21 % |
| Villenauxe-la-Grande | 10 | 571 km N | 2,605 | 50.4 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 38 % · winter 69 % · humidity 21 % |
| Le Mesnil-en-Thelle | 60 | 626 km N | 2,439 | 52 | Partly served | Cooler summers and colder winters.Summers feel drier.summer 21 % · winter 68 % · humidity 21 % |
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 Soual'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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint-Thibéry | 34 | 107 km E | 3,132 | 45.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 95 % · humidity 86 % |
| Villeneuve-de-Marsan | 40 | 198 km W | 2,508 | 62.3 | Served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 88 % · humidity 86 % |
| Conques-sur-Orbiel | 11 | 39 km SE | 2,523 | 46.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 97 % · winter 93 % · humidity 86 % |
| Lézignan-la-Cèbe | 34 | 107 km E | 1,580 | 47.7 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 95 % · humidity 86 % |
| Rieux-Minervois | 11 | 49 km SE | 1,957 | 45.2 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 90 % · winter 92 % · humidity 86 % |
| Pinet | 34 | 114 km E | 2,049 | 48.9 | Partly served | Much the same temperatures.Summers feel about as humid.summer 95 % · winter 95 % · humidity 86 % |
Elsewhere
Commune website · Wikipedia (en) ·Wikipedia (fr) · INSEE dossier complet · OpenStreetMap · Web search · Map
Permanent link: https://vivantrural.com/en/fr/81289-soual