What is the postal code of Melchnau?

Melchnau has 3 postal codes: 4917, 6146, 6147.

What is the tax rate in Melchnau?

The municipal tax multiplier of Melchnau is 174% (2026); canton BE levies 297.5%.

How much tax do you pay in Melchnau?

A single person without children pays about 17'016 CHF income tax in Melchnau on 100'000 CHF gross income (federal, cantonal, municipal), rank 156 of 334 in canton BE. Source: ESTV (2026).

How many residents does Melchnau have?

Melchnau has 1'485 residents (2025).

How many foreign residents live in Melchnau?

Melchnau has 225 foreign residents, a share of 15.15% (2025).

Switzerland · Canton BE · Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau

Melchnau

4917–6147

BE CANTON4917 6146 6147

Relief © swisstopo · TINITALY · geoland.at · LGL · IGN · swissTLM3D · swissTLMRegio

Demographics

BFS · 2025

Women

745 50.2%

Men

740 49.8%

Children & youth (0–19)

311 20.9%

Swiss citizens

1'260 84.9%

Foreign residents

225 15.2%

Population density

144 pop./km²

0–19 · 311 · 20.9%20–64 · 811 · 54.6%65+ · 363 · 24.4%

Foreign residents 15.2%0%64.0%

Population change 2025: −33 (−2.2%) · 10 births · 21 deaths · net migration −14

STATPOP 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 19.09.2026 · swisstopo, retrieved 24.09.2026 · BEVNAT (Statistik der natürlichen Bevölkerungsbewegung) 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026

Vote results for Melchnau

BFS

27.09.2026Popular Initiative 'For food security – through increased sustainable domestic production, more plant-based food and clean drinking water (Food Initiative)'Federal● Rejected · 27.5% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 22.2% Yes

21.4% YesNo 78.6%

27.09.2026Popular Initiative 'Safeguard Swiss neutrality (Neutrality Initiative)'Federal● Rejected · 29.8% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 32.3% Yes

36.6% YesNo 63.4%

27.09.2026Volksinitiative «Berner Bildungsinitiative»Cantonal BE● Rejected · 40.1% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 32.1% Yes

32.7% YesNo 67.3%

14.06.2026Amendment to the Civilian Service ActFederal● Accepted · 52.5% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 58.5% Yes

58.1% YesNo 41.9%

14.06.2026Popular initiative: 'No to Switzerland of 10 million! (Sustainability Initiative)'Federal● Rejected · 45.2% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 57.9% Yes

62.9% YesNo 37.1%

14.06.2026Projektierungskredit für das Kunstmuseum Bern (Sanierung und Ersatzneubau)Cantonal BE● Rejected · 48.2% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 34.8% Yes

35.6% YesNo 64.4%

08.03.2026Federal Act on Individual TaxationFederal● Accepted · 54.3% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 46.2% Yes

40.0% YesNo 60.0%

08.03.2026Popular Initiative ‘For a fair energy and climate policy: Investing for prosperity, jobs and the environment (Climate Fund Initiative)’Federal● Rejected · 29.3% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 20.9% Yes

19.1% YesNo 80.9%

08.03.2026Popular Initiative ‘200 francs is enough! (SBC Initiative)’Federal● Rejected · 38.1% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 42.2% Yes

43.6% YesNo 56.4%

08.03.2026Cash Initiative and Counter-Proposal: Deciding QuestionFederal● Rejected · 37.4% YesDistrict Verwaltungskreis Oberaargau: 39.8% Yes

40.6% YesNo 59.5%

All federal votes →

Popular votes (sd-t-17-02) 2026 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 04.10.2026

Politics

National Council election 2023

SVP41.9% · strongest party

SVP41.9%

SP16.2%

GRÜNE8.6%

Mitte8.4%

GLP6.8%

sd-t-17.02-NRW2023 2023 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 25.09.2026

Taxes 2026

ESTV

Municipal tax multiplier174%

Cantonal tax multiplier297.5%

174%BE range 89%220%

Tax rank 165 of 334 in canton Bern

Tax burden

Single, 100'000 CHF gross income

17'016 CHF(17%)

Rank 156 of 334 in the canton · 1838 of 2110 in Switzerland

Median canton 17'048 CHF · median Switzerland 15'290 CHF

Cheapest Deisswil bei Münchenbuchsee 14'255 CHF · most expensive Schelten 18'510 CHF

Income tax as % of gross income

100'000 CHF:17'016 CHF(~17%)

MelchnauCanton range BernSwitzerland median

Show data table

Gross income	Melchnau	Bern	Switzerland median
40'000	10%	8.3–10.9%	5.4%
50'000	11.9%	9.8–13%	7.8%
60'000	13.3%	11–14.5%	10.5%
70'000	14.4%	12–15.7%	11.9%
80'000	15.2%	12.6–16.5%	13.1%
90'000	16%	13.4–17.5%	14.1%
100'000	17%	14.3–18.5%	15.3%
110'000	17.9%	15–19.4%	16.3%
120'000	18.7%	15.8–20.3%	17.2%
130'000	19.5%	16.5–21.2%	18.1%
140'000	20.3%	17.2–22%	19%
150'000	21.1%	17.9–22.8%	19.7%
175'000	22.9%	19.5–24.7%	21.6%
200'000	24.4%	20.9–26.3%	23.2%
225'000	25.8%	22.2–27.8%	24.6%
250'000	27.1%	23.3–29.1%	25.8%
275'000	28.1%	24.3–30.2%	26.8%
300'000	29.1%	25.1–31.2%	27.4%

2026 · Federal Tax Administration (FTA), retrieved 24.09.2026

Climate

MeteoSwiss 1 km grid · 1991–2020

Annual mean temperature 1991–20209 °C

Precipitation 1991–20201'136 mm

9 °CCH range -5.5°14°

1991–2020 · MeteoSwiss, retrieved 28.08.2026

Terrain

swisstopo · DHM 40 m

Highest point

742 m

Mean elevation

592 m

Relief

253 m

Mean slope

10.2°

Flat share

22.5%

South-facing

10.9%

Above 2000 m

0.0%

Relief 253 m0 m3'847 m

Terrain figures cover the whole municipal territory (swisstopo swissALTIRegio) — not the settlement point. Slope and south-facing share are resolution-dependent and measured at 40 m.

swissALTIRegio 2026 · swisstopo, retrieved 28.08.2026

Solar potential

BFE

Roof potential

21.2 GWh/yr

Roofs + façades

27.2 GWh/yr

≈ households powered

4'700

Per inhabitant

14'296 kWh/yr

21 GWh/yr01'133 GWh/yr

BFE solar factsheet ↗

Modelled roof and façade potential from the BFE solar model — the electricity these surfaces could produce, not installed capacity or what the municipality actually generates today. The household figure divides the roof potential by 4'500 kWh per year, ElCom’s reference household (consumption profile H4, a 5-room apartment).

Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE), retrieved 24.09.2026

Electricity

ElCom · 2027

Tariff H4

28.52 Rp./kWh

Energy

11.1 Rp./kWh

Grid usage

12.42 Rp./kWh

Levies + grid surcharge

3.3 Rp./kWh

28.52 Rp./kWh10.5645.88

Canton median 27.95 Rp./kWhSwiss median 26.53 Rp./kWh

Network operator Einwohnergemeinde Melchnau, Elektrizitätsversorgung

ElCom tariff comparison ↗

How this is measured

Total household electricity price for ElCom consumption profile H4 — 4'500 kWh a year, a 5-room flat with electric stove and tumble dryer — standard product, excluding VAT, for the tariff year shown. Energy, grid usage, levies to public bodies and the federal grid surcharge are included. Canton and Swiss medians are ElCom's own published figures.

2027 · Federal Electricity Commission (ElCom), retrieved 12.09.2026

Health-insurance premiums

BAG · 2024

Premium regionRegion 3

Standard model, deductible 300571 CHF/mo

Ø premium in canton Bern432 CHF/mo

Estimate Switzerland 2026465.3 CHF/mo

Compare health insurers in Melchnau →Canton Bern →Premiums explained →

Premiums are set per canton and premium region. This area lies in premium region 3 of canton Bern. Shown is the average adult premium paid across the whole canton Bern (2024, BAG) — a region-specific average is not available in the cantonal data.

2024 · Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH), retrieved 12.09.2026

Housing

BFS · ARE

Vacancy rate

1.71 %

Second homes

16.4 %

Avg. rooms

Dwellings

818

Built before 194640.7%

Built since 200112.8%

1.71 %0 %12 %

Vacancy rate from the BFS vacant-dwelling count (2025); building age and room count from the Buildings and Dwellings Statistics (2024). The average room count treats the ‘6 rooms or more’ class as 6, so it is a slight lower bound. The vacancy rate is volatile for small municipalities.

Buildings and Dwellings Statistics 2024 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026 · Vacant dwellings survey 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026 · Dwelling inventory and second-home share 2026 · Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), retrieved 24.09.2026

Economy

BFS · 2024

Jobs

675

Workplaces

113

Services share

62.4 %

Jobs by sector: Primary 106 (15.7%) · Secondary 148 (21.9%) · Tertiary 421 (62.4%)

STATENT (Statistik der Unternehmensstruktur) 2024 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 24.09.2026

Agriculture

BFS · 2025

Farms

Organic share

6.3 %

Farmland

513 ha

Landwirtschaftliche Strukturerhebung 2025 · Federal Statistical Office (FSO), retrieved 19.09.2026

Accessibility

ARE · NPVM

Major centrePT 77 min · Car 63 min

AgglomerationPT 18 min · Car 14 min

Remoteness 91/334 in canton

National Passenger Transport Model (NPVM) 2025 · Federal Office for Spatial Development (ARE), retrieved 24.09.2026

Municipality

Wikidata · CC0

BFS municipality number333

Websitemelchnau.ch ↗

DistrictVerwaltungskreis Oberaargau

Wikidata · continuously updated, retrieved 24.09.2026

Where Melchnau ranks

Largest municipalities1'485 #154 BE · #1175 CH Growing municipalities-2.2% #309 BE · #2001 CH Shrinking municipalities-2.2% #26 BE · #108 CH Jobs per resident0.45 #104 BE · #654 CH Families & children20.9% #87 BE · #834 CH Age structure24.4% #122 BE · #469 CH Women share50.2% #162 BE · #782 CH Foreign residents15.2% #90 BE · #1267 CH Population density144/km² #160 BE · #1246 CH Tax burden17'016 #161 BE · #1843 CH Taxes174% #165 BE Warmest municipalities9 °C #155 BE · #1342 CH Sunniest municipalities40.8% #251 BE · #1476 CH Rainiest municipalities1'136 mm #175 BE · #889 CH Voter turnout49% #275 BE · #1856 CH Against Switzerland19.6% #78 BE · #526 CH Aligned with Switzerland80.4% #117 BE · #879 CH SVP strongholds41.9% #179 BE · #562 CH SP strongholds16.2% #121 BE · #817 CH Centre strongholds8.4% #151 BE · #1384 CH FDP strongholds6.6% #140 BE · #1736 CH GLP strongholds6.8% #188 BE · #785 CH Green strongholds8.6% #103 BE · #778 CH Largest by area10.3 km² #145 BE · #931 CH Highest municipalities546 m #218 BE · #1020 CH Second homes16.4% #84 BE · #489 CH Organic farming6.3% #231 BE · #1457 CH Best-connected municipalities77 min #241 BE · #1272 CH Remotest municipalities77 min #91 BE · #817 CH Highest peaks742 m #199 BE · #1101 CH Highest-lying municipalities592 m #195 BE · #1037 CH Greatest vertical range253 m #180 BE · #1133 CH Steepest municipalities10.2° #152 BE · #901 CH Solar potential21 GWh #134 BE · #963 CH Solar potential per capita14'296 kWh #118 BE · #498 CH Cheapest electricity28.52 Rp./kWh #257 BE · #1406 CH Most expensive electricity28.52 Rp./kWh #77 BE · #701 CH

Postal codes (3)

swisstopo

Localities

swisstopo · 3

Altbüron6147 Grossdietwil6146 Melchnau4917

Nearby municipalities

swisstopo

Frequently asked questions

What is the postal code of Melchnau?: Melchnau has 3 postal codes: 4917, 6146, 6147.
What is the tax rate in Melchnau?: The municipal tax multiplier of Melchnau is 174% (2026); canton BE levies 297.5%.
How much tax do you pay in Melchnau?: A single person without children pays about 17'016 CHF income tax in Melchnau on 100'000 CHF gross income (federal, cantonal, municipal), rank 156 of 334 in canton BE. Source: ESTV (2026).
How many residents does Melchnau have?: Melchnau has 1'485 residents (2025).
How many foreign residents live in Melchnau?: Melchnau has 225 foreign residents, a share of 15.15% (2025).

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