France›Haute-Loire›Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Vals-le-ChastelHaute-Loire

Home to 39 people, this town lies in Haute-Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Population

INSEE, census 2023 · commune

Rent

€8.27

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

Walk, cycle, transit

18%

of working residents · median of compared French towns 13%

Is Vals-le-Chastel a good place to live?

Vals-le-Chastel isn’t graded: grades begin at 1,000 residents. 28% of homes here are second homes.

What makes Vals-le-Chastel stand out

The one thing Vals-le-Chastel 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-Paul · Classé · Photo: Michel FOUCHER · CC BY-SA 4.0

Vals-le-Chastel’s story

Vals-le-Chastel in pictures

The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Vals-le-Chastel: 1 classé (France’s highest heritage protection) and 0 inscrit (the second level).

The oldest protected part dates from the 15th century; the first monument here was protected in 1962.

36% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.

1962First protected: Église Saint-Paul

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Vals-le-Chastel.

History

Old homes shape Vals-le-Chastel: 36% were built before 1919, more than in Haute-Loire’s towns or compared French towns

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

Among the classé monuments in Vals-le-Chastel is Église Saint-Paul. The oldest protected building goes back to the 15th century.

1historic monument

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé1

Inscrit0

Among them · Classé

Église Saint-Paul 15th c.

15th c.

oldest protected part

1962

first monument protected

Full pageVals-le-Chastel’s history pageOpen the full History page

Age of homes36% built before 1919 · Older homes Map1 historic monument Classé1 classé · France’s highest protection Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Vals-le-Chastel?”

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

Who lives here

Children make up only 11% of Vals-le-Chastel, fewer than in Haute-Loire’s towns and compared French towns

Line up the people of Vals-le-Chastel by age and the one in the middle is 60.7. Retirement age and beyond: 24% of residents are 65 or older. Degrees are held by 29% of adults, about level with compared French towns (30%) and above Haute-Loire’s towns (27%).

60.7median age

Vals-le-ChastelHaute-Loire medianFrance median

Haute-Loire medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

24%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma21%

CAP or BEP24%

Baccalauréat18%

Higher education29%

Women and men · all residents

53% women, 47% men

About 90 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Haute-Loire 51.9%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Vals-le-Chastel
	Vals-le-Chastel	Haute-Loire median	France median
Under 15	11%	16%	17%
15–24	0%	11%	11%
25–44	13%	21%	23%
45–64	53%	27%	26%
65+	24%	25%	22%
No diploma	21%	19%	19%
CAP or BEP	24%	27%	26%
Baccalauréat	18%	19%	18%
Higher education	29%	27%	30%

Full pageVals-le-Chastel’s Who lives here pageOpen the full Who lives here page

Ages60.7 median age · 24% are 65 or over Households20 households · 1.7 people per household Born abroad5.3% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Vals-le-Chastel?”

INSEE, census 2023 · Haute-Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes

Work & commute

Vals-le-Chastel gets to work on foot, by bike and by public transport more than Haute-Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 17.6% of commuters

10.5% of the labour force were unemployed, about level with both Haute-Loire’s towns (10.1%) and compared French towns (10.1%).

18%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving82%

On foot18%

Public transport0%

Bicycle0%

Motorbike or scooter0%

jobs based in Vals-le-Chastel, 0.8 per working resident

10.5%

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

worked without traveling (at or from home)

Full pageVals-le-Chastel’s work & commute pageOpen the full Work & commute page

Getting to work18% walk, cycle or take transit Jobs based here0.8 per working resident

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

Housing

Renting in Vals-le-Chastel costs less than in Haute-Loire’s towns or compared French towns, at an estimated advertised €8.27/m² a month

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

A house rents for an estimated €7.42/m² a month. Between July 2023 and June 2026, buyers took 2 homes in Vals-le-Chastel.

€8.27/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Vals-le-Chastel€8.27/m²

Median of towns€12.41/m²

Haute-Loire median€8.91/m²

€8.27/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.23 to €10.98/m² a month)

€7.42/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Full pageVals-le-Chastel’s cost of living pageOpen the full Cost of living page

Renting€8.27/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 Vals-le-Chastel

12pages on Vals-le-Chastel

The big questions

Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 7.1 mi away Work & commute0 jobs based here Housing2 sales on record, the last three years Flood & hazards

Out and about

Outdoors100% of the commune is protected nature AttractionsClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 60.7 History1 historic monument Town HallFamous people

Landmarks

Vals-le-Chastel has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.

All monuments →

Église Saint-PaulChurch · 15th c.

Classé

Ruines du Château fortChâteau · 15th & 16th c. · in Domeyrat, 1.7 mi

Classé

Ancienne abbaye Saint-André-de-LavaudieuAbbey · 12th–18th c. · in Lavaudieu, 3.4 mi

Classé

Église Saint-PierreChurch · Middle Ages · in Mazerat-Aurouze, 6 mi

Photo credits

Église Saint-Paul: Photo: Michel FOUCHER · CC BY-SA 4.0

Famous people from Vals-le-Chastel

Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Vals-le-Chastel yet.

How we find them →

Vals-le-Chastel’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 Haute-Loire →

BrioudeLangeacSainte-FlorineBrassac-les-MinesVals-le-Chastel

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Vals-le-Chastel	39	—	—	—	—	—
Brioude	6,527	7.2	B⁻	A	D	B
Langeac	3,499	12	A⁺	A	A⁻	B
Sainte-Florine	3,283	14	A⁻	A	A⁻	C⁻
Brassac-les-Mines Puy-de-Dôme	3,412	14	B	A	B⁻	C

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

About Vals-le-Chastel

Commune in Haute-Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Vals-le-Chastel is a commune of 39 people in the Communauté de communes des Rives du Haut Allier. 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: 39 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté de communes des Rives du Haut Allier
Département: Haute-Loire (43)
Région: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Area: 1.5 sq mi (4 km²)
INSEE code: 43250

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 9, 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.