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France›Cher›Centre-Val de Loire

VallenayCher

A town of 687 in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire.

Is Vallenay a good place to live?

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

What makes Vallenay stand out

The 2 things Vallenay does most differently from other towns.

Picked automatically from the data
Église du prieuré Saint-Martin
Église du prieuré Saint-Martin · Inscrit · Photo: Julien Descloux · CC BY-SA 3.0
Vallenay’s story

Vallenay in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Vallenay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

The oldest protected part dates from the 12th century; the first monument here was protected in 1981.

27% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

  • 1981First protected: Château de Bigny
  • 1998Most recently protected: Église du prieuré Saint-Martin
Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Vallenay.

Who lives here

Degrees are less common in Vallenay than in Cher’s towns or across compared French towns: 12% of adults

For Vallenay, that is below both Cher’s towns (20%) and compared French towns (30%). 14% of residents are children under 15.

51.4median age
VallenayCher medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma34%
CAP or BEP32%
Baccalauréat14%
Higher education12%

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 Vallenay
VallenayCher medianFrance median
Under 1514%15%17%
15–248.2%9.2%11%
25–4416%20%23%
45–6432%27%26%
65+30%29%22%
No diploma34%25%19%
CAP or BEP32%30%26%
Baccalauréat14%18%18%
Higher education12%20%30%

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

History

Old homes shape Vallenay: 27% 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.

Vallenay sits above both Cher’s towns (10%) and compared French towns (7.4%) on this measure. The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Vallenay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

3historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé0
Inscrit3
12th c.
oldest protected part
1981
first monument protected

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

Work & commute

Unemployment in Vallenay, 21.0%, runs above Cher’s towns and compared French towns

That puts Vallenay above both Cher’s towns (11.7%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Vallenay has 250 jobs for 250 working residents, 1.2 per worker. The median disposable income is €23,200 a year per consumption unit.

8%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving83%
On foot6%
Bicycle2%
Motorbike or scooter1%
Public transport1%
250
jobs based in Vallenay, 1.2 per working resident
21.0%
unemployment rate, ages 15 to 64 in the labor force · median of compared French towns 10.1%
€23,200
median annual income per consumption unit, 2023 · median of compared French towns €25,970
7%
worked without traveling (at or from home)

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

Housing

Renting in Vallenay costs less than in Cher’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €7.24/m² a month

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

On this, Vallenay is below both Cher’s towns (€9.78/m²) and compared French towns (€12.41/m²). The median price, €726/m², comes from 36 sales of houses and apartments in Vallenay from July 2023 to June 2026.

€726/m²median sale price

Median sale price per m² · Jul 2023 to Jun 2026

Vallenay€726/m²
Median of towns€2,430/m²
Cher median€1,298/m²
By typeMedian per m²Sales
Houses€726/m²36
€7.24/m²
estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€5.49 to €9.54/m² a month)
€6.54/m²
estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte

Nearby attractions

Château de Bigny and 3 more in and around Vallenay

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

All attractions →
Places: © OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata
Keep exploring

Everything we know about Vallenay

13pages on Vallenay

Landmarks

The Culture ministry lists 3 historic monuments in Vallenay, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.

All monuments →

Famous people from Vallenay

One notable person was born in Vallenay.

Their page →

Vallenay’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-AuronSaint-Florent-sur-CherTrouySaint-Amand-MontrondDun-sur-AuronSaint-Florent-sur-CherTrouyVallenay
How the neighbors grade
TownPeopleMilesOverallCostSafetyHealth
Vallenay687—————
Saint-Amand-Montrond9,8998B−ACC+
Dun-sur-Auron3,52411AA−A−D
Saint-Florent-sur-Cher6,46315C−BCD
Trouy4,05516BBAC

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

About Vallenay

Commune in Cher, Centre-Val de Loire

Vallenay is a commune of 687 people in the Communauté de communes Arnon Boischaut Cher. 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
687 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality
Communauté de communes Arnon Boischaut Cher
Département
Cher (18)
Région
Centre-Val de Loire
Area
10 sq mi (26 km²)
INSEE code
18270

Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, employment, commuting) · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (income per consumption unit, poverty) · DGFiP, DVF property sales, July 2023 to June 2026 · 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.