Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 656 in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire.
Préval is too small to grade: French towns get subject grades from 1,000 residents.
The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Préval, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
The oldest protected part dates from the 16th century; the first monument here was protected in 1927.
15% of its homes were built before 1919, against 7.4% in the median compared French town.
Explore the history →Data highlights are ordered by what stands out in Préval.
France has no History Grade yet: this card describes, it doesn’t grade.
Protection here reaches back to the 16th century. The Culture ministry lists 1 historic monument in Préval, none of them classé, France’s highest protection.
Ministère de la Culture, Mérimée (Licence Ouverte 2.0) · INSEE, census 2023, homes by build period
People 65 and over make up a fifth of the town. Children under 15 make up 19%, above both Sarthe’s towns (17%) and compared French towns (17%). The share aged 15 to 24 is 12%.
50% women, 50% men
About an even split. Median share of women: Sarthe 51.6%, France 51.8%.
| Préval | Sarthe median | France median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 15 | 19% | 17% | 17% |
| 15–24 | 12% | 9.9% | 11% |
| 25–44 | 20% | 20% | 23% |
| 45–64 | 30% | 26% | 26% |
| 65+ | 20% | 26% | 22% |
| No diploma | 22% | 24% | 19% |
| CAP or BEP | 38% | 30% | 26% |
| Baccalauréat | 14% | 16% | 18% |
| Higher education | 20% | 22% | 30% |
INSEE, census 2023 · Sarthe median and France median: the median of compared communes
4.4% of commuters walked, cycled or took the bus or train at the census, below both Sarthe’s towns (10.7%) and compared French towns (13.4%). Jobs located in Préval: 50, for 300 residents in work (0.2 each). At the census, 3.4% of working residents in Préval didn’t travel to work at all.
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.
23 houses and apartments changed hands in Préval from July 2023 to June 2026.
Source: Housing Ministry, Carte des loyers 2025; INSEE, Filosofi 2023 · Licence Ouverte
Heritage in and near Préval. Best known first.
Préval has one historic monument; beside it, the nearest classé monuments in other towns, within 15.5 mi.
Wikidata has nobody with a French article born in Préval yet.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Préval | 656 | — | — | — | — | — |
| La Ferté-Bernard | 8,740 | 3.3 | B+ | A− | C− | A− |
| Cherré-Au | 2,758 | 4.2 | — | A− | — | A− |
| Val-au-Perche Orne | 3,336 | 4.4 | A | A | B | A− |
| Bonnétable | 3,703 | 9.5 | A | A | B | A− |
| Nogent-le-Rotrou Eure-et-Loir | 9,292 | 11 | C+ | A− | C− | C+ |
| Vibraye | 2,523 | 13 | — | A+ | — | B+ |
People: INSEE, census 2023. Miles: center to center.
Commune in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire
Préval is a commune of 656 people in the Communauté de communes du Perche Emeraude. 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) · 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.