France›Cher›Centre-Val de Loire

Ainay-le-VieilCher

The town has 189 residents and lies in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire.

Population

189

INSEE, census 2023 · commune

Rent

€7.72

per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²

Median income

€22,810

a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970

Walk, cycle, transit

of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Ainay-le-Vieil a good place to live?

At under 1,000 residents, Ainay-le-Vieil is too small for the grades other French towns get. Holiday and other second homes account for 18% of homes.

What makes Ainay-le-Vieil stand out

The one thing Ainay-le-Vieil does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data

Second homes, share of all homes

Homes

of all homes, against 2% in the median compared French town

Source: INSEE, census 2023.

Église Saint-Martin · Classé · Photo: Julien Descloux · CC BY-SA 3.0

Ainay-le-Vieil’s story

Ainay-le-Vieil in pictures

Ainay-le-Vieil has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 2 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level.

The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1912.

40% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

Wikidata records 2 people born in Ainay-le-Vieil before 1900, the earliest Jean Valette, in 1825.

1912First protected: Église Saint-Martin
2009Most recently protected: Ouvrages du canal de Berry

Explore the history →

Nearby attractions

Château d'Ainay-le-Vieil and 7 more in and around Ainay-le-Vieil

Heritage, other places to visit and museums in and near Ainay-le-Vieil. Best known first.

All attractions →

ChâteauChâteauChâteau d'Ainay-le-Vieilin town Archaeological siteArchaeological siteAmphitéâtre de Drevant3.7 km northwest, in Drevant AbbeyAbbeyPrieuré de Drevant3.6 km northwest, in Drevant ChâteauChâteauChâteau de la Salle4.1 km north, in Colombiers ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Poisieux4 km west, in Saint-Georges-de-Poisieux AttractionAttractionPont-canal de la Tranchasse1.7 km north, in Colombiers

Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Ainay-le-Vieil.

History

Ainay-le-Vieil keeps more of its old housing than Cher’s towns or compared French towns: 40% built before 1919

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

The earliest of these monuments dates from the 12th century. Among the classé monuments in Ainay-le-Vieil is Église Saint-Martin. This Cher town has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 2 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level.

3historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé2

Inscrit1

Among them · Classé

Église Saint-Martin 12th–16th c.

12th c.

oldest protected part

1912

first monument protected

Full pageAinay-le-Vieil’s history pageOpen the page

Age of homes40% built before 1919 · Older homes Map3 historic monuments Classé2 classé · France’s highest protection Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Ainay-le-Vieil?”

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

Who lives here

Ainay-le-Vieil has fewer young adults than Cher’s towns or compared French towns: 8.2% are 15 to 24

People 65 and over make up nearly a quarter of the town, lower than Cher’s towns (29%) yet higher than compared French towns (22%). Among adults, 21% have a degree. The under-15s are 16% of the population here.

47.8median age

Ainay-le-VieilCher medianFrance median

Cher medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

23%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma17%

CAP or BEP31%

Baccalauréat29%

Higher education21%

Women and men · all residents

51% women, 49% men

About an even split. Median share of women: Cher 52.2%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Ainay-le-Vieil
	Ainay-le-Vieil	Cher median	France median
Under 15	16%	15%	17%
15–24	8.2%	9.2%	11%
25–44	21%	20%	23%
45–64	31%	27%	26%
65+	23%	29%	22%
No diploma	17%	25%	19%
CAP or BEP	31%	30%	26%
Baccalauréat	29%	18%	18%
Higher education	21%	20%	30%

Full pageAinay-le-Vieil’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages47.8 median age · 23% are 65 or over Households100 households · 1.9 people per household Born abroad2.7% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Ainay-le-Vieil?”

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

Work & commute

Unemployment in Ainay-le-Vieil, 6.7%, runs below Cher’s towns and compared French towns

Per consumption unit, the median disposable income is €22,810 a year. Nearly one in ten commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below both Cher’s towns (11.9%) and compared French towns (13.4%).

9%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving85%

Public transport7%

On foot1%

Bicycle1%

Motorbike or scooter1%

jobs based in Ainay-le-Vieil, 0.3 per working resident

6.7%

unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%

€22,810

median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970

worked without traveling (at or from home)

Full pageAinay-le-Vieil’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Jobs based here0.3 per working resident Getting to work9% walk, cycle or take transit Median income€22,810 a year · Median income per consumption unit

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

Housing

Estimated advertised rents run lower in Ainay-le-Vieil than in Cher’s towns or across compared French towns: €7.72/m² a month

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

Sales in Ainay-le-Vieil from July 2023 to June 2026: 13 houses and apartments.

€7.72/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Ainay-le-Vieil€7.72/m²

Median of towns€12.41/m²

Cher median€9.78/m²

€7.72/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.25 to €9.54/m² a month)

€6.75/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Full pageAinay-le-Vieil’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Renting€7.72/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

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

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Ainay-le-Vieil

12pages on Ainay-le-Vieil

The big questions

Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 4.9 mi away Work & commute0 jobs based here Housing13 sales on record, the last three years Flood & hazards

Out and about

Outdoors21% of the commune is protected nature AttractionsOne place to visit mapped in town ClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 47.8 History3 historic monuments Town HallFamous people2 notable people born here

Landmarks

Ainay-le-Vieil has 3 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 2 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level.

All monuments →

Ouvrages du canal de BerryCanal · 19th c.

Église Saint-MartinChurch · 12th–16th c.

Photo credits

Ouvrages du canal de Berry: Photo: Julien Descloux · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Église Saint-Martin: Photo: Julien Descloux · CC BY-SA 3.0

Famous people from Ainay-le-Vieil

2 notable people were born in Ainay-le-Vieil.

Their page →

Christophe PajotFrench politician · 1844–1929

Jean ValetteFrench sculptor · 1825–1878

Ainay-le-Vieil’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 Cher →

Saint-Amand-MontrondDun-sur-AuronAinay-le-Vieil

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Ainay-le-Vieil	189	—	—	—	—	—
Saint-Amand-Montrond	9,899	4.7	B⁻	A	C	C⁺
Dun-sur-Auron	3,524	15	A	A⁻	A⁻	D

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

About Ainay-le-Vieil

Commune in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire

Ainay-le-Vieil is a commune of 189 people in the Communauté de communes Berry Grand Sud. 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: 189 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté de communes Berry Grand Sud
Département: Cher (18)
Région: Centre-Val de Loire
Area: 5.3 sq mi (13.8 km²)
INSEE code: 18002

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 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.