In Blay, 0.6% of homes stand empty, fewer than in 99% of compared French towns
3.6% of households have no car; in the typical compared French town the figure is 11%. Households headed by a retired person: 29% of the total. Flats are rarer here than in 98% of compared French towns. The 2023 Census put Blay’s population at 354, in 140 households.
Throughout this page, the Calvados median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
What stands out about the people of Blay
One home in seven is a second home
The census counted 23 second homes and occasional dwellings in Blay, 14% of its 170 homes: higher than in 90% of compared French towns. 78% of them are houses. Their owners live elsewhere, so they aren’t in the population figures on this page. Homes & cars ↓
A town of families
36% of households are couples with children and 14% single parents with children; 22% of residents are under 15. Households ↓
Fewer residents than in 2012
Blay had 374 residents at the 2012 census and 354 in 2023, down 5%: slower growth than in 89% of compared French towns. Population ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
Second homes: 14%, a higher share than 90% of compared French towns
Every home the census counted: main residences, second homes and occasional dwellings (INSEE counts them together), and empty homes. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
All homes · share of homes
Type of home
Cars per household · share of households
In the last two years, 7% of households moved in; at the other end, 17% have stayed 30 years or more. On average, 2.1% of homes are second homes in the typical compared French town. Households in social housing are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns.
Blay changed by −5% from 2012 to 2023, behind 89% of compared French towns
Residents at INSEE’s last three censuses, each recast in the 2026 commune boundaries. France has no yearly estimate by commune between censuses.
2012 to 2023
2017 to 2023
The years 2012 to 2017 brought +2%; 2017 to 2023, −8%.
Residents aged 15 to 24 make up 9.3% in Blay, less than in 77% of compared French towns
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Blay 43.1. The median compared French town: 44.
The median age in Blay is 43.1, lower than in 57% of compared French towns. Set beside that, 11% of residents are 15 to 24 in the typical compared French town. Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over, or about one in five.
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 109 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Calvados 52.0%, France 51.8%.
Above 94% of compared French towns: 36% of households are couples with children
A household is everyone who shares a main home (résidence principale). Household types come from INSEE’s fuller sample of a quarter of census forms.
Against the Calvados median and the France median
Living alone · share
A household here holds 2.4 people on average. At 22%, the share of one-person households is lower than in 98% of compared French towns. The comparison figure for couples with children is 25% in the typical compared French town. Compared with 10% in the typical compared French town, 14% of households are single parents here.
€26,750 a year: the median standard of living
The standard of living (niveau de vie) is a household’s disposable income after taxes and benefits, divided by its consumption units (UC) to allow for its size and make-up: 1 for the first adult, 0.5 for each other person 14 or older, 0.3 for each child under 14.
Medians of compared communes. Source: INSEE, Filosofi 2023.
Half of residents live in households above €26,750 a year per consumption unit and half below; the level is higher than in 59% of compared French towns.
Blay sits below 53% of compared French towns for households headed by a manual worker (13%)
Households by the socio-professional group (PCS) of their reference person, INSEE’s own categories. Jobs and commuting are on the Work & commute page.
Households by reference person’s group · share of households
The share of households headed by a manager or professional stands at 9.8%. For households headed by a manual worker, the comparison in the typical compared French town is 14%.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
Blay ranks below 99% of compared French towns on immigrants: 0.3%
INSEE publishes two measures, which overlap but aren’t the same. Neither is the UK’s “born abroad”.
Share of residents · census 2023
Immigrant (immigré)
Born abroad, not French at birth. Someone stays an immigrant after becoming French. A French citizen born abroad (for example in Algeria before 1962) is not one.
Foreign national (étranger)
Not a French citizen today, wherever born. A child born in France to foreign parents can be a foreign national without being an immigrant.
In the typical compared French town, the share of foreign nationals is 4.3%; Blay has 0.3%. The usual figure: 6.5% of residents are immigrants in the typical compared French town.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
Single residents make up 17% in Blay, less than in 99% of compared French towns
Residents 15 and over by how they live: the census asks both the legal status and whether people live as a couple.
Residents 15 and over · share
The figure for married residents is 54% in Blay and 43% in the typical compared French town. For single residents, the comparison in the typical compared French town is 25%.
A lower share of graduates of higher education than 61% of compared French towns, at 27%
Highest diploma of residents 15 and over who have left education, in French terms: the levels don’t map one-to-one to UK or U.S. ones.
Highest diploma · 15 and over, out of education
In the typical compared French town, the share of adults with no qualification is 19%; Blay has 17%. The benchmark for graduates of higher education in the typical compared French town: 30%.
41 French towns of 354 to 2,582 people: this is the 12th youngest
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
Ages run from 37.2 in Villejust to 62.3 in Prayssac.
Nearby, 4 of 6 towns have older populations than Blay
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blay | 43.1 | 21% | 14% | 0.3% |
| Le Molay-Littry 3,124 · 2.9 mi | 50.4 | 28% | 3.3% | 1.4% |
| Bayeux 12,659 · 6 mi | 51.4 | 31% | 4.4% | 3.2% |
| Isigny-sur-Mer 3,543 · 11.5 mi | 52.4 | 30% | 7.6% | 1.3% |
| Saint-Jean-d'Elle 2,516 · 13.7 mi | 43 | 20% | 2.8% | 0.9% |
| Thue et Mue 6,182 · 15.2 mi | 39.8 | 16% | 1% | 1.4% |
| Saint-Lô 19,471 · 15.6 mi | 43.3 | 24% | 2.2% | 6.2% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Census 2023. INSEE’s census is a rolling survey: a fifth of small communes each year, 8% of homes in large ones each year. “2023” pools the surveys of 2021 to 2025, so the figures describe the town around 2023, not on one day.
- Medians of compared communes. The comparisons are the median of the département’s compared communes and of France’s (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median: not the total for the département or for France, which large cities pull towards their own figures.
- Immigrants and foreign nationals. INSEE’s two measures: an immigrant was born abroad without French nationality; a foreign national isn’t French today. Neither is a count of people born abroad, which INSEE doesn’t publish by commune.
- Second homes. Homes used for holidays or weekends, with occasional dwellings (kept for work, for example), which INSEE counts together. Their owners are counted where they live, not here.
- Standard of living. INSEE’s Filosofi: disposable income per consumption unit, from tax and benefit files, 2023. The poverty rate is the share of residents below 60% of France’s median. Not published for the smallest communes.
- What France doesn’t ask. The French census asks nothing about ethnicity, religion, language or health, so this page has no such section.
Questions about who lives in Blay
What is the population of Blay?
354 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 5% fewer than in 2012 (374).
How old are Blay’s residents?
The median age is 43.1, younger than 57% of compared French towns. 26% are under 18 and 21% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Blay?
23, with occasional dwellings: 14% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Blay?
INSEE counts 1 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 0.3% of residents, and 1 foreign nationals (0.3%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
What is the median income in Blay?
€26,750 a year per consumption unit in 2023 (median of compared French towns €25,970). Source: INSEE, Filosofi.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, ages, households, homes, marital status, diplomas, immigrants, foreign nationals, employment), 2026 geography · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (standard of living, poverty) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, updated November 4, 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.