Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The town has 967 residents and lies in Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté.
Melay has no grades yet: French towns are graded from 1,000 residents up. Homes sell for a median €1,163/m².
The one thing Melay does most differently from other towns.
The Culture ministry’s list holds 1 historic monument in Melay; none is classé, France’s top protection.
50% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Melay.
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
The Culture ministry’s list holds 1 historic monument in Melay; none is classé, France’s top protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
Just over a fifth of residents are 65 or over, lower than Saône-et-Loire’s towns (30%) and near compared French towns (22%). The age that splits Melay in two is 43.4.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Saône-et-Loire 52.3%, France 51.8%.
| Melay | Saône-et-Loire median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 21% | 15% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 7% | 9.5% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 23% | 19% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 28% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 21% | 30% | 22% |
| No diploma | 23% | 25% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 31% | 31% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 20% | 17% | 18% |
| Higher education | 21% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Saône-et-Loire median and France median: the median of compared communes
8.2% of the labour force were unemployed, below both Saône-et-Loire’s towns (10.7%) and compared French towns (10.1%). Jobs located in Melay: 100, for 400 residents in work (0.3 each). After tax and benefits, the median income is €24,840 a year per consumption unit.
Source: INSEE, census 2023 (commuting, employment, jobs at place of work); INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Rents are the ministry’s estimates of advertised rents, not rents actually paid.
50 houses and apartments changed hands in Melay from July 2023 to June 2026.
| By type | Median per m² | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | €1,163/m² | 50 |
Source: DGFiP, DVF property sales (Etalab geolocated); Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Melay has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Château de Maulévrier: Photo: Jackydarne · CC BY-SA 4.0
Wikidata places 1 person here, but the articles don’t both confirm Melay as the birthplace, so nobody is listed.
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more. The map uses IGN’s commune boundaries. See them on the map →
| Town | People | Miles | Overall | Cost | Safety | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melay | 967 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Pouilly-sous-Charlieu Loire | 2,588 | 6.3 | — | A | — | A+ |
| Charlieu Loire | 3,766 | 7.9 | A− | A | C− | B+ |
| Mably Loire | 7,233 | 9.5 | B+ | A− | C+ | B− |
| Riorges Loire | 11,139 | 11 | A− | B+ | B− | B+ |
| Renaison Loire | 3,231 | 11 | — | A− | — | B+ |
| Roanne Loire | 35,409 | 12 | B+ | A | D | B+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Saône-et-Loire, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
Melay is a commune of 967 people in the Communauté de communes de Marcigny. 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
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 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.