What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Franklin has the most affordable homes ($262k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Bath	Franklin
People
Population	8,815Highest	8,799Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.	42.7±2Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Bath and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.8%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Franklin and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.3%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bath and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	19.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.2%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.	$71,648±$4kHighest 11% below U.S.
	Franklin and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,900±$30kHighest 7% below U.S.	$262,200±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.
	Bath and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.	$1,110±$68Highest 21% below U.S.
	Franklin and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$4,886Highest 57% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.8%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#31 of 133 in ME	#112 of 120 in NH
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	Franklin School District
High school in town	Morse High School	Franklin High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Lowest	16.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.