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France›Charente›Nouvelle-Aquitaine

BenestCharente

A town of 307 in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Population
307
INSEE, census 2023 · commune
Rent
€8.39
per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²
Median income
€22,600
a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970
Walk, cycle, transit
6%
of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Benest a good place to live?

Benest is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.

What makes Benest stand out

The 2 things Benest does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
36%2%BenestMedianSecond homes, share of all homes
Homes
36% are second homes
of all homes, against 2% in the median compared French town
Source: INSEE, census 2023.
39%22%BenestMedianResidents 65 and over
Who lives here
39% are 65 or over
of residents, against 22% in the median compared French town
Median age 60.3. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
Château d'Ordière
Château d'Ordière · Inscrit · Photo: Rosier · CC BY-SA 3.0
Benest’s story

Benest in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Benest, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1984.

45% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

Paul Mairat, born in 1865, is the one person born in Benest before 1900 that Wikidata records.

  • 1984First protected: Église Saint-Justinien
  • 1989Most recently protected: Château d'Ordière
Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Benest.

Who lives here

Benest skews older, with 39% of residents 65 or over, more than Charente’s towns or compared French towns

For Benest, that is above both Charente’s towns (28%) and compared French towns (22%). 6.3% of residents are children under 15.

60.3median age
BenestCharente medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma21%
CAP or BEP30%
Baccalauréat19%
Higher education23%

Women and men · all residents

49% women, 51% men

About an even split. Median share of women: Charente 52.4%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Benest
BenestCharente medianFrance median
Under 156.3%15%17%
15–246.7%9.6%11%
25–4413%21%23%
45–6435%26%26%
65+39%28%22%
No diploma21%22%19%
CAP or BEP30%30%26%
Baccalauréat19%19%18%
Higher education23%25%30%
Full pageBenest’s Who lives here pageOpen the page
Ages60.3 median age · 39% are 65 or overHouseholds170 households · 1.8 people per householdBorn abroad21% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birthQuestions“What is the population of Benest?”

INSEE, census 2023 · Charente median and France median: the median of compared communes

History

Old homes shape Benest: 45% were built before 1919, more than in Charente’s towns or compared French towns

France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.

Benest sits above both Charente’s towns (12%) and compared French towns (7.4%) on this measure. The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Benest, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

2historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé0
Inscrit2
12th c.
oldest protected part
1984
first monument protected
Full pageBenest’s history pageOpen the page
Age of homes45% built before 1919 · Older homesMap2 historic monumentsQuestions“How many historic monuments are there in Benest?”

Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period

Work & commute

Incomes in Benest run lower than in Charente’s towns or compared French towns: a median €22,600 a year per consumption unit

That puts Benest below both Charente’s towns (€24,645) and compared French towns (€25,970). Benest has 50 jobs for 100 working residents, 0.6 per worker. At the census, 5.9% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train.

6%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving78%
On foot4%
Public transport2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Bicycle0%
50
jobs based in Benest, 0.6 per working resident
12.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€22,600
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
15%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
Full pageBenest’s work & commute pageOpen the page
Median income€22,600 a year · Median income per consumption unitGetting to work6% walk, cycle or take transitJobs based here50 jobs based here · 0.6 per working resident

Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Housing

Renting in Benest costs less than in Charente’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €8.39/m² a month

Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.

On this, Benest is below both Charente’s towns (€10.82/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).

€8.39/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Benest€8.39/m²
Median of towns€12.41/m²
Charente median€10.82/m²
€8.39/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.56 to €10.73/m² a month)
€7.01/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
Full pageBenest’s cost of living pageOpen the page
Renting€8.39/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Nearby attractions

Château d'Ordières and 2 more in and around Benest

Heritage in and near Benest. Best known first.

All attractions →
ChâteauChâteauChâteau d'Ordièresin townChâteauChâteauChâteau de Puybautier3.9 km southwest, in Saint-CoutantChâteauChâteauChâteau de Gorce4.9 km northeast, in Pleuville
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Keep exploring

Everything we know about Benest

12pages on Benest
The big questions
Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 10.7 mi awayWork & commute50 jobs based hereHousing24 sales on record, the last three yearsFlood & hazards
Out and about
OutdoorsAttractionsOne place to visit mapped in townClimateWeather
The story
Who lives hereMedian age 60.3History2 historic monumentsTown HallFamous peopleOne notable person born here

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Benest, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

All monuments →
Église Saint-JustinienChurch · 12th–19th c.
Château d'OrdièreChâteau · 15th & 17th c.
Photo credits

Église Saint-Justinien: Photo: Jack ma · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Château d'Ordière: Photo: Rosier · CC BY-SA 3.0

Famous people from Benest

One notable person was born in Benest.

Their page →
P
Paul MairatFrench politician (1865–1924)

Benest’s neighbors

The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →

All towns in Charente →
ConfolensCivrayRuffecTerres-de-Haute-CharenteChasseneuil-sur-BonnieureConfolensCivrayRuffecTerres-de-Haute-CharenteChasseneuil-sur-BonnieureBenest
How the neighbors grade
TownPeopleMilesOverallCostSafetyHealth
Benest307—————
Confolens2,73011BAC+D−
Civray Vienne2,52211AA+B+A−
Ruffec3,44912B+A−D−B
Terres-de-Haute-Charente3,77713B−AB+D
Chasseneuil-sur-Bonnieure3,11115BA−C+C

People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.

About Benest

Commune in Charente, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Benest is a commune of 307 people in the Communauté de communes de Charente Limousine. 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

Population
307 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes de Charente Limousine
Département
Charente (16)
Région
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Area
8.1 sq mi (21.1 km²)
INSEE code
16038

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 October 30, 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.