France›Loire›Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

FourneauxLoire

A town of 563 in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Population

563

INSEE, census 2023 · commune

Rent

€8.22

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

Median income

€25,920

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 Fourneaux a good place to live?

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

Château de Sarron · Inscrit · Photo: BARUTELI · CC BY-SA 4.0

Fourneaux’s story

Fourneaux in pictures

Fourneaux has 2 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level.

The oldest protected part dates from the 14th century; the first monument here was protected in 1989.

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

Hector-Léonard de Sainte-Colombe de l'Aubépin, born in 1663, is the one person born in Fourneaux before 1900 that Wikidata records.

1989First protected: Château de l'Aubépin
2000Most recently protected: Château de Sarron

Explore the history →

The data

Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Fourneaux.

History

Fourneaux keeps more of its old housing than Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 40% built before 1919

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

Fourneaux has 2 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level. Among the classé monuments locally is Château de l'Aubépin. The oldest protected building goes back to the 14th century.

2historic monuments

Monuments by protection · Mérimée

Classé1

Inscrit1

Among them · Classé

Château de l'Aubépin 15th–19th c.

14th c.

oldest protected part

1989

first monument protected

Full pageFourneaux’s history pageOpen the page

Age of homes40% built before 1919 · Older homes Map2 historic monuments Classé1 classé · France’s highest protection Questions“How many historic monuments are there in Fourneaux?”

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

Who lives here

Fewer children live in Fourneaux than in Loire’s towns or compared French towns: 14% are under 15

People 65 and over make up just over a fifth of the town, below both Loire’s towns (25%) and compared French towns (22%). Among adults, 23% have a degree. Ages in Fourneaux split evenly at 48.5: half are older, half younger.

48.5median age

FourneauxLoire medianFrance median

Loire medianFrance median

Ages · share of residents

11%

Highest diploma · residents 15 and older who have left education

No diploma22%

CAP or BEP36%

Baccalauréat17%

Higher education23%

Women and men · all residents

49% women, 51% men

About an even split. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%.

Ages and diplomas in Fourneaux
	Fourneaux	Loire median	France median
Under 15	14%	17%	17%
15–24	11%	11%	11%
25–44	20%	22%	23%
45–64	35%	26%	26%
65+	21%	25%	22%
No diploma	22%	20%	19%
CAP or BEP	36%	29%	26%
Baccalauréat	17%	18%	18%
Higher education	23%	28%	30%

Full pageFourneaux’s Who lives here pageOpen the page

Ages48.5 median age · 21% are 65 or over Households250 households · 2.2 people per household Born abroad3.1% immigrants · Born abroad, not French at birth Questions“What is the population of Fourneaux?”

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

Work & commute

Unemployment in Fourneaux, 4.4%, runs below Loire’s towns and compared French towns

At the census, 7.3% went to work on foot, by bike or by public transport, below both Loire’s towns (11.9%) and compared French towns (13.4%). For its 250 residents in work, Fourneaux has 150 jobs: 0.6 each.

7%walk, cycle or take transit

How working residents got to work · census 2023

Driving86%

On foot4%

Public transport3%

Motorbike or scooter1%

Bicycle0%

150

jobs based in Fourneaux, 0.6 per working resident

4.4%

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

€25,920

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

worked without traveling (at or from home)

Full pageFourneaux’s work & commute pageOpen the page

Jobs based here150 jobs based here · 0.6 per working resident Getting to work7% walk, cycle or take transit Median income€25,920 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 Fourneaux than in Loire’s towns or across compared French towns: €8.22/m² a month

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

Among the homes sold, 94% were houses. Fourneaux recorded 17 home sales from July 2023 to June 2026.

€8.22/m²estimated apartment rent a month

Estimated advertised apartment rent per m² a month

Fourneaux€8.22/m²

Median of towns€12.41/m²

Loire median€10.17/m²

€8.22/m²

estimated advertised apartment rent a month, charges included (€6.41 to €10.54/m² a month)

€8.17/m²

estimated advertised house rent a month, charges included

Full pageFourneaux’s cost of living pageOpen the page

Renting€8.22/m² a month · Estimated advertised apartment rent

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

Nearby attractions

Château de Sarron and 3 more in and around Fourneaux

Heritage in and near Fourneaux. Best known first.

All attractions →

ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Sarronin town ChâteauChâteauChâteau de l'Aubépinin town ChâteauChâteauChateau de la Verpillère3.9 km west, in Lay ChâteauChâteauChâteau de Rochefort5 km east, in Amplepuis

Keep exploring

Everything we know about Fourneaux

12pages on Fourneaux

The big questions

Health0 GPs · nearest emergency department 8.7 mi away Work & commute150 jobs based here Housing17 sales on record, the last three years Flood & hazards

Out and about

OutdoorsAttractions3 places to visit mapped in town ClimateWeather

The story

Who lives hereMedian age 48.5 History2 historic monuments Town HallFamous peopleOne notable person born here

Landmarks

Fourneaux has 2 historic monuments on the Culture ministry’s list: 1 classé, the highest protection, and 1 inscrit, the second level.

All monuments →

Château de l'AubépinChâteau · 15th–19th c.

Château de SarronChâteau · 14th–17th c.

Photo credits

Château de l'Aubépin: Photo: 0842nico · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Château de Sarron: Photo: BARUTELI · CC BY-SA 4.0

Famous people from Fourneaux

One notable person was born in Fourneaux.

Their page →

Hector-Léonard de Sainte-Colombe de l'AubépinFrench poet (1663-1736)

Fourneaux’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 Loire →

AmplepuisThizy-les-BourgsTarareBalbignyLe CoteauPanissièresFourneaux

How the neighbors grade

Town	People	Miles	Overall	Cost	Safety	Health
Fourneaux	563	—	—	—	—	—
Amplepuis Rhône	4,876	3.6	A⁻	A	C	B⁻
Thizy-les-Bourgs Rhône	5,771	7.1	A⁻	A⁺	C⁺	B
Tarare Rhône	10,893	8.5	B⁺	B⁺	C	B⁺
Balbigny	2,911	9.2	B	B	A	C⁺
Le Coteau	6,845	11	A	A⁻	B⁻	B⁺
Panissières	2,911	11	—	A⁺	—	B⁺

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

About Fourneaux

Commune in Loire, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Fourneaux is a commune of 563 people in the Communauté de communes du Pays entre Loire et Rhône. 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: 563 (INSEE, census 2023)
Intercommunality: Communauté de communes du Pays entre Loire et Rhône
Département: Loire (42)
Région: Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Area: 4.9 sq mi (12.6 km²)
INSEE code: 42098

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.