In René, 2.3% of homes are flats, fewer than in 99% of compared French towns
Against a figure of 10% in the typical compared French town, the share of single-parent households in René comes in at 5.9%. For René, the census puts households headed by a manager or professional at 2.9%. The median age locally is 40, lower than in 79% of compared French towns. The 2023 Census counted 387 residents in 170 households.
Throughout this page, the Sarthe 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 René
Empty homes
The census found 35 homes empty (16%): for sale, to let, awaiting work or simply unused. Homes & cars ↓
Written from INSEE’s census 2023 on this page, against compared French towns.
From 2012 to 2023, René outgrew 50% of compared French towns: +5%
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
The first five years brought +3%; the six to 2023, +2%.
René ranks below 85% of compared French towns on residents aged 65 and over: 16%
Shares of residents by age at the 2023 census.
Age groups · share of residents
Median age of the 3,798 compared French towns
■ René 40. The median compared French town: 44.
With residents aged 15 to 24 at 13%, René is ahead of 87% of compared French towns on that count. By way of comparison, 22% of residents are 65 or over in the typical compared French town.
Women and men · all residents
48% women, 52% men
About 109 men for every 100 women. Median share of women: Sarthe 51.6%, France 51.8%.
22% of households are couples with children, fewer than in 66% 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 Sarthe median and the France median
Living alone · share
Against a figure of 35% in the typical compared French town, the share of one-person households in René comes in at 37%. The share of couples with children in the typical compared French town is 25%. The average household has 2.3 people.
Empty homes: 16%, a higher share than 97% of compared French towns
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
In the last two years, 14% of households moved in; at the other end, 20% have stayed 30 years or more. Households in social housing are rarer here than in 99% of compared French towns. Set beside that, 6.7% of homes stand empty in the typical compared French town. The share of households without a car is 6.8%, against 11% in the typical compared French town.
The middle resident’s standard of living: €25,670 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.
Living standards centre on €25,670 a year per consumption unit: lower than in 53% of compared French towns.
Above 76% of compared French towns: 38% of households are headed by a retired person
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
18% of households are headed by a manual worker, against 14% in the typical compared French town. To put it in context, 32% of households are headed by a retired person in the typical compared French town.
Each household is counted once, by the occupation of its reference person (usually the oldest working adult).
Only 1% of residents are immigrants in René
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.
Immigrants make up a share lower than in 99% of compared French towns; the median compared commune in Sarthe has 2.8%. To put it in context, 6.5% of residents are immigrants in the typical compared French town. Here, 0.8% of residents are foreign nationals.
INSEE publishes no country of birth or ethnicity by commune in these tables, and the census doesn’t ask about religion.
In René, 39% of residents 15 and over are married, fewer than in 77% of compared French towns
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 figure for single residents is 29% in René and 25% in the typical compared French town. For married residents, the comparison in the typical compared French town is 43%.
Below 89% of compared French towns: 19% of adults out of school hold a higher-education 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
With adults with no qualification at 22%, René is ahead of 65% of compared French towns on that count. Against that, 30% of adults out of school hold a higher-education qualification in the typical compared French town.
41 French towns of 387 to 2,582 people: this is the 3rd youngest
The 40 compared French towns nearest in population, by median age. Hover for each one’s second homes and immigrants; click for its page.
The youngest is Villejust (37.2), the oldest Prayssac (62.3).
No nearby town is as young as René
The nearest towns of 2,500 or more, colored by median age. Source: INSEE, census 2023.
| Town | Median age | 65+ | Second homes | Immigrants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| René | 40 | 16% | 7.8% | 1% |
| Fresnay-sur-Sarthe 2,928 · 6.7 mi | 51 | 33% | 7% | 2.2% |
| Mamers 4,996 · 8.7 mi | 50.9 | 32% | 1.4% | 4.2% |
| Saint-Germain-du-Corbéis 3,636 · 11.9 mi | 54 | 35% | 1.4% | 5% |
| Alençon 25,490 · 11.9 mi | 42.7 | 24% | 1.1% | 12% |
| Bonnétable 3,703 · 12 mi | 53.5 | 34% | 4.5% | 1.7% |
| La Bazoge 3,796 · 12.8 mi | 45.6 | 22% | 1.5% | 1.4% |
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 René
What is the population of René?
387 at INSEE’s 2023 census, 5% more than in 2012 (369).
How old are René’s residents?
The median age is 40, younger than 79% of compared French towns. 26% are under 18 and 16% 65 or older.
How many second homes are there in René?
17, with occasional dwellings: 7.8% of all homes, against 2.1% for the median compared French town.
How many immigrants live in René?
INSEE counts 4 immigrants (born abroad, not French at birth), 1% of residents, and 3 foreign nationals (0.8%). The medians of compared French towns are 6.5% and 4.3%.
What is the median income in René?
€25,670 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.