Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
131 people call this town in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur home.
With fewer than 1,000 residents, Melve falls below the line for grades. Second homes make up nearly a quarter of its housing. Over-65s are 34% of the population.
The 2 things Melve does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry lists no building in Melve as a monument historique. That’s true of 25% of compared French towns too.
The nearest classé monument is Église Saint-Grégoire, in Tallard, 8.1 mi away.
33% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Nothing in Melve is on the monuments historiques list. These are the nearest classé monuments, within 15.5 mi.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Melve.
Children under 15 make up 12%, below both Alpes-de-Haute-Provence’s towns (16%) and compared French towns (17%). The 15-to-24 age group makes up 8.9% of residents. The median resident of Melve is 54.5 years old.
47% women, 53% men
About 114 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence 52.0%, France 51.8%.
| Melve | Alpes-de-Haute-Provence median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 24% | 27% | 26% |
| 65+ | 34% | 27% | 22% |
| No diploma | 19% | 19% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 25% | 27% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 18% | 20% | 18% |
| Higher education | 29% | 30% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Alpes-de-Haute-Provence median and France median: the median of compared communes
Melve has 50 jobs for 50 working residents, 0.5 per worker. 6.8% of the labour force were unemployed, lower than both Alpes-de-Haute-Provence’s towns (10.9%) and compared French towns (10.1%). At the census, 1.7% of commuters got to work without a car.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
The market in Melve: 4 sales of houses and apartments between July 2023 and June 2026.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Melve yet.
Commune in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Melve is a commune of 131 people in the Communauté de communes du Sisteronais-Buëch. TownRatings compares communes, France’s local unit: each has its own mayor and its own statistics. Its area takes in the town and the countryside around it.
Built from INSEE’s 2026 official geography (COG) and IGN Admin Express boundaries
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melve | 131 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Laragne-Montéglin Hautes-Alpes | 3,549 | 8.6 | C− | B+ | D | C |
| Sisteron | 7,850 | 11 | C+ | B | C | B |
| Gap Hautes-Alpes | 41,293 | 15 | B+ | C | C | A− |
| Veynes Hautes-Alpes | 3,214 | 15 | B+ | C+ | B− | A− |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025 · SSMSI, recorded crime by commune, 2023–2025 · Ministry of Education (DEPP), brevet and bac results and value-added indicators, 2025 · INSEE, deaths by commune of residence 2016–2025 and censuses 2012–2023; Eurostat, death rates by age (© European Union); INSEE, BPE 2025 (care homes, emergency and maternity units, GPs, pharmacies); DREES, APL 2024; INSEE, life expectancy by département 2025 (provisional) · INSEE, BPE 2025 and Filosofi 200 m grid (walking distances) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranking French towns against each other only, updated November 9, 2026. Under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab).
Contains public sector information under the Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0 (Etalab): INSEE, DGFiP, the Interior Ministry’s statistics service (SSMSI), the Ministry of Education (DEPP), the Health Ministry’s statistics service (DREES) and the Housing Ministry (Carte des loyers). Commune boundaries: IGN Admin Express.