6.5% of residents are 15 to 24, below 98% of compared French towns
In the typical compared French town, one in ten households are single parents; in Violay, 4.4%. Across Violay, 4% of households rent social housing (HLM). 43% of households are headed by a retired person, a higher share than in 90% of compared French towns. The town is home to 1,218 residents in 550 households, by the 2023 Census.
Throughout this page, the Loire median and the France median are the median of compared communes (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
What stands out about the people of Violay
Fewer residents than in 2012
Violay had 1,317 residents at the 2012 census and 1,218 in 2023, down 8%: slower growth than in 94% of compared French towns. Population ↓
An older town
Half of Violay’s residents are under 51.7 and half over; the median of compared French towns is 44. 29% are 65 or older (France median 22%), 9.5% 80 or older. Ages ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
−8% since 2012: slower than 94% of compared French towns
Residents at INSEE’s last three censuses, each recast in the 2026 commune boundaries. France has no yearly estimate by commune between censuses.
2012 to 2023
2017 to 2023
Against +5% for the median compared French town and +3% for the median Loire town, the change came in two steps: −6% from 2012 to 2017, then −2% to 2023.
Half of Violay is over 51.7, older than 88% of compared French towns
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ Violay 51.7. The median compared French town: 44.
29% of Violay’s residents are 65 or older, against 25% in the median Loire town and 22% in the median compared French town; 17% are under 18.
Women and men · all residents
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Loire 52.0%, France 51.8%.
35% of households are one person living alone, fewer than in 53% of compared French towns
A household is everyone who shares a main home (résidence principale). Household types come from INSEE’s fuller sample of a quarter of census forms.
Against the Loire median and the France median
Living alone · share
The average household has 2.1 people. Lower than in just over half of compared French towns: 25% of households are couples with children.
More second homes than 84% of compared French towns: 7.5%
Every home the census counted: main residences, second homes and occasional dwellings (INSEE counts them together), and empty homes. Owning and renting are on Cost of living.
All homes · share of homes
Type of home
Cars per household · share of households
Compared with 30% in the typical compared French town, 15% of homes are flats here. In Violay, 7.9% of households have no car. This Loire town has more empty homes than 57% of compared French towns, at 7.4%. Second homes: 2.1% in the typical compared French town, for comparison.
A median standard of living of €25,920 a year
The standard of living (niveau de vie) is a household’s disposable income after taxes and benefits, divided by its consumption units (UC) to allow for its size and make-up: 1 for the first adult, 0.5 for each other person 14 or older, 0.3 for each child under 14.
Medians of compared communes. Source: INSEE, Filosofi 2023.
The median standard of living in Violay is €25,920 a year per consumption unit: lower than in 51% of compared French towns.
A larger share of households headed by a manual worker than 62% of compared French towns: 16%
Households by the socio-professional group (PCS) of their reference person, INSEE’s own categories. Jobs and commuting are on the Work & commute page.
Households by reference person’s group · share of households
About one in 11: that is how common households headed by a manager or professional are in Violay (8.9%). For households headed by a manual worker, the comparison in the typical compared French town is 14%.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
3.2% of residents are immigrants, below 80% of compared French towns
INSEE publishes two measures, which overlap but aren’t the same. Neither is the UK’s “born abroad”.
Share of residents · census 2023
Immigrant (immigré)
Born abroad, not French at birth. Someone stays an immigrant after becoming French. A French citizen born abroad (for example in Algeria before 1962) is not one.
Foreign national (étranger)
Not a French citizen today, wherever born. A child born in France to foreign parents can be a foreign national without being an immigrant.
In the typical compared French town, the share of foreign nationals is 4.3%; Violay has 2%. As a reference point, 6.5% of residents are immigrants in the typical compared French town.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
A larger share of married residents than 81% of compared French towns: 48%
Residents 15 and over by how they live: the census asks both the legal status and whether people live as a couple.
Residents 15 and over · share
The share of single residents is 22%, against 25% in the typical compared French town. Set beside that, 43% of residents 15 and over are married in the typical compared French town.
Above 85% of compared French towns: 27% of adults out of school have no qualification
Highest diploma of residents 15 and over who have left education, in French terms: the levels don’t map one-to-one to UK or U.S. ones.
Highest diploma · 15 and over, out of education
The share of graduates of higher education trails nearly three quarters of compared French towns: 23%. Against that, nearly a fifth of adults out of school have no qualification in the typical compared French town.
Ranked by age, 9th oldest of 41 French towns this size
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
Ages run from 37.2 in Villejust to 62.3 in Prayssac.
Every neighbor is younger than Violay
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violay | 51.7 | 29% | 7.5% | 3.2% |
| Panissières 2,911 · 4.2 mi | 49.4 | 29% | 7.2% | 3% |
| Tarare 10,893 · 5 mi | 43.3 | 23% | 1.1% | 14% |
| Vindry-sur-Turdine 5,305 · 7.1 mi | 42.8 | 21% | 2.2% | 3.5% |
| Balbigny 2,911 · 8.1 mi | 46.4 | 26% | 3.1% | 5.6% |
| Amplepuis 4,876 · 8.3 mi | 49.2 | 27% | 3.1% | 7.8% |
| Feurs 8,367 · 9.9 mi | 50.7 | 32% | 2% | 6.7% |
Health, work, housing and schools
What this data can and can’t tell you
- Census 2023. INSEE’s census is a rolling survey: a fifth of small communes each year, 8% of homes in large ones each year. “2023” pools the surveys of 2021 to 2025, so the figures describe the town around 2023, not on one day.
- Medians of compared communes. The comparisons are the median of the département’s compared communes and of France’s (those with an overall grade), each figure its own median: not the total for the département or for France, which large cities pull towards their own figures.
- Immigrants and foreign nationals. INSEE’s two measures: an immigrant was born abroad without French nationality; a foreign national isn’t French today. Neither is a count of people born abroad, which INSEE doesn’t publish by commune.
- Second homes. Homes used for holidays or weekends, with occasional dwellings (kept for work, for example), which INSEE counts together. Their owners are counted where they live, not here.
- Standard of living. INSEE’s Filosofi: disposable income per consumption unit, from tax and benefit files, 2023. The poverty rate is the share of residents below 60% of France’s median. Not published for the smallest communes.
- What France doesn’t ask. The French census asks nothing about ethnicity, religion, language or health, so this page has no such section.
Questions about who lives in Violay
What is the population of Violay?
1,218 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 8% fewer than in 2012 (1,317).
How old are Violay’s residents?
The median age is 51.7, older than 88% of compared French towns. 17% are under 18 and 29% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in Violay?
49, with occasional dwellings: 7.5% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in Violay?
INSEE counts 40 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 3.2% of residents, and 25 foreign nationals (2%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
What is the median income in Violay?
€25,920 a year per consumption unit in 2023 (median of compared French towns €25,970). Source: INSEE, Filosofi.
Sources: INSEE, census 2023 (population, ages, households, homes, marital status, diplomas, immigrants, foreign nationals, employment), 2026 geography · INSEE, Filosofi 2023 (standard of living, poverty) · IGN Admin Express (boundaries) · Medians and percentiles: TownRatings, over compared French towns, 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.