Vernols is older than 99% of compared French towns: a median age of 61.4
The share of flats is 1.3%, against 30% in the typical compared French town. The 2023 Census put Vernols’s population at 56, in 32 households. Households headed by a manual worker make up about one in two here (50%). One-person households are more common here than in 94% of compared French towns.
Throughout this page, the Cantal 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 Vernols
One home in three is a second home
The census counted 30 second homes and occasional dwellings in Vernols, 38% of its 78 homes: higher than in 96% of compared French towns. 100% of them are houses. Their owners live elsewhere, so they aren’t in the population figures on this page. Homes & cars ↓
An older town
Half of Vernols’ residents are under 61.4 and half over; the median of compared French towns is 44. 36% are 65 or older (France median 22%), 5.4% 80 or older. Ages ↓
Fewer residents than in 2012
Vernols had 67 residents at the 2012 census and 56 in 2023, down 16%: slower growth than in 99% of compared French towns. Population ↓
Empty homes
The census found 16 homes empty (21%): for sale, to let, awaiting work or simply unused. Homes & cars ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
38% of homes in Vernols are second homes
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
One household in eight has no car, against 11% in the median compared French town. Empty homes make up about one in five here (21%). Households in social housing are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. The benchmark for second homes in the typical compared French town: 2.1%.
A −16% change since 2012: slower than 99% 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 change was −3% from 2012 to 2017 and −14% from 2017 to 2023.
36% of residents are 65 or over, a share 95% of compared French towns don’t reach
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Vernols 61.4. The median compared French town: 44.
The share of residents aged 15 to 24 trails 97% of compared French towns: 7.1%. As a reference point, 22% of residents are 65 or over in the typical compared French town.
Women and men · all residents
38% women, 62% men
About 60 women for every 100 men. Median share of women: Cantal 53.4%, France 51.8%.
In Vernols, 17% of households are single parents, more than in 98% of compared French towns
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 Cantal median and the France median
Living alone · share
Compared with 25% in the typical compared French town, 17% of households are couples with children here. Measured more widely, one in ten households are single parents in the typical compared French town. Households here average 1.8 people each.
Vernols sits above 55% of compared French towns for households headed by a retired person (33%)
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
Households headed by a manager or professional are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. Elsewhere, nearly a third of households are headed by a retired person in the typical compared French town.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
0% of Vernols’ residents are immigrants
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.
Foreign nationals are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
A higher share of married residents than 91% of compared French towns, at 50%
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
In Vernols, 21% of residents 15 and over are single, beside 25% in the typical compared French town. The comparison figure for married residents is 43% in the typical compared French town.
Only 18% of adults out of school hold a higher-education qualification in Vernols
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
Across Vernols, a fifth of adults out of school have no qualification. Graduates of higher education make up 30% in the typical compared French town.
Ranked by age, 2nd oldest of 41 French towns this size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
The youngest is Villejust (37.2), the oldest Prayssac (62.3).
Vernols and the towns around it
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vernols | 61.4 | 36% | 38% | 0% |
| Saint-Flour 6,391 · 15.1 mi | 48.5 | 28% | 5.3% | 4.7% |
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 Vernols
What is the population of Vernols?
56 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 16% fewer than in 2012 (67).
How old are Vernols’ residents?
The median age is 61.4, older than 99% of compared French towns. 8.9% are under 18 and 36% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Vernols?
30, with occasional dwellings: 38% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Vernols?
INSEE counts 0 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 0% of residents, and 0 foreign nationals (0%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
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 8, 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.