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France›Cher›Centre-Val de Loire

BrinayCher

A town of 490 in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire.

Population
490
INSEE, census 2023 · commune
Rent
€8.80
per m² a month · apartments · estimated advertised rents · median of compared French towns €12.41/m²
Median income
€27,670
a year per consumption unit · median of compared French towns €25,970
Walk, cycle, transit
3%
of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Brinay a good place to live?

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

What makes Brinay stand out

The 2 things Brinay does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
12%2%BrinayMedianSecond homes, share of all homes
Homes
12% are second homes
of all homes, against 2% in the median compared French town
Source: INSEE, census 2023.
32%22%BrinayMedianResidents 65 and over
Who lives here
32% are 65 or over
of residents, against 22% in the median compared French town
Median age 49.5. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
Église Saint-Aignan
Église Saint-Aignan · Classé · Photo: Eurasia21eu · CC BY-SA 4.0
Brinay’s story

Brinay in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Brinay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level).

The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1972.

26% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

  • 1972First protected: Église Saint-Aignan
  • 2020Most recently protected: Maison et parc de « La Godinière »
Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Brinay.

Who lives here

An older town: 32% of people in Brinay are 65 or over, more than in Cher’s towns or compared French towns

For Brinay, that is above both Cher’s towns (29%) and compared French towns (22%). Those aged 15 to 24 account for 8.2% of residents.

49.5median age
BrinayCher medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma16%
CAP or BEP30%
Baccalauréat18%
Higher education32%

Women and men · all residents

50% women, 50% men

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

Ages and diplomas in Brinay
BrinayCher medianFrance median
Under 1515%15%17%
15–248.2%9.2%11%
25–4420%20%23%
45–6425%27%26%
65+32%29%22%
No diploma16%25%19%
CAP or BEP30%30%26%
Baccalauréat18%18%18%
Higher education32%20%30%
Full pageBrinay’s Who lives here pageOpen the page
Ages49.5 median age · 32% are 65 or overHouseholds210 households · 2.3 people per householdBorn abroad4.2% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birthQuestions“What is the population of Brinay?”

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

History

Old homes shape Brinay: 26% were built before 1919, more than in Cher’s towns or compared French towns

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

Brinay sits above both Cher’s towns (10%) and compared French towns (7.4%) on this measure. The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Brinay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level). Among the classé monuments in Brinay is Église Saint-Aignan.

2historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé1
Inscrit1

Among them · Classé

12th c.
oldest protected part
1972
first monument protected
Full pageBrinay’s history pageOpen the page
Age of homes26% built before 1919 · Older homesMap2 historic monumentsClassé1 classé · France’s highest protectionQuestions“How many historic monuments are there in Brinay?”

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

Work & commute

Only 3.3% of commuters in Brinay go to work without a car, fewer than in Cher’s towns and compared French towns

That puts Brinay below both Cher’s towns (11.9%) and compared French towns (13.4%). The median disposable income is €27,670 a year per consumption unit. Brinay has 100 jobs for 200 working residents, 0.4 per worker.

3%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving92%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
On foot1%
Public transport1%
100
jobs based in Brinay, 0.4 per working resident
10.6%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€27,670
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
3%
worked without traveling (at or from home)
Full pageBrinay’s work & commute pageOpen the page
Getting to work3% walk, cycle or take transitJobs based here100 jobs based here · 0.4 per working residentMedian income€27,670 a year · Median income per consumption unit

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

Housing

Renting in Brinay costs less than in Cher’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €8.80/m² a month

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

On this, Brinay is below both Cher’s towns (€9.78/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²).

€8.80/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Brinay€8.80/m²
Median of towns€12.41/m²
Cher median€9.78/m²
€8.80/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€7.14 to €10.84/m² a month)
€6.94/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included
Full pageBrinay’s cost of living pageOpen the page
Renting€8.80/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

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

Nearby attractions

Château de la Brosse and 3 more in and around Brinay

Heritage and museums in and near Brinay. Best known first.

All attractions →
ChâteauChâteauChâteau de la Brossein townChâteauChâteauChâteau de Foëcy2.8 km east, in FoëcyChâteauChâteauChâteau de Chaillot4.1 km northwest, in VierzonMuseumMuseumMusée Villa Quincy4.9 km southeast, in Quincy
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Keep exploring

Everything we know about Brinay

12pages on Brinay
The big questions
Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 5.2 mi awayWork & commute100 jobs based hereHousing18 sales on record, the last three yearsFlood & hazards
Out and about
OutdoorsAttractionsOne place to visit mapped in townClimateWeather
The story
Who lives hereMedian age 49.5History2 historic monumentsTown HallFamous peopleOne notable person born here

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 2 historic monuments in Brinay: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 1 inscrit (the second level).

All monuments →
Inscrit
Maison et parc de « La Godinière »House
Église Saint-AignanChurch · 12th & 18th c.
Photo credits

Église Saint-Aignan: Photo: Eurasia21eu · CC BY-SA 4.0

Famous people from Brinay

One notable person was born in Brinay.

Their page →
J
Jean-Pierre ChaussinFrench association football player · born 1958

Brinay’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 →
MéreauVierzonMehun-sur-YèvreLa Chapelle-Saint-UrsinSaint-DoulchardSaint-Martin-d'AuxignyMéreauVierzonMehun-sur-YèvreLa Chapelle-Saint-UrsinSaint-DoulchardSaint-Martin-d'AuxignyBrinay
How the neighbors grade
TownPeopleMilesOverallCostSafetyHealth
Brinay490—————
Méreau2,6323.7—A+—B−
Vierzon25,0684.3CADC−
Mehun-sur-Yèvre6,3804.9CAC+D
La Chapelle-Saint-Ursin3,68112ABA+B−
Saint-Doulchard9,64712B+C+C+B+
Saint-Martin-d'Auxigny2,54613—A—D

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

About Brinay

Commune in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire

Brinay is a commune of 490 people in the Communauté de communes Cœur de Berry. 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
490 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Cœur de Berry
Département
Cher (18)
Région
Centre-Val de Loire
Area
11.4 sq mi (29.7 km²)
INSEE code
18036

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.