What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most affordable homes ($451k median).

Franklin Town has the most expensive homes ($612k 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	Bellingham	Franklin Town
People
Population	17,410Lowest	33,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	41.3±1.9Highest 3% above MA
	Franklin Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	14.7%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Bellingham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	58.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.3%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kLowest 21% above MA	$145,773±$9kHighest 40% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kLowest 20% below MA	$611,700±$17kHighest 9% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Lowest 4% above MA	$1,899±$156Highest 8% above MA
	Franklin Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Lowest 16% below MA	$7,044Highest 18% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8%	48%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Bellingham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	5.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	78.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 9 yrs newer than MA	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	33 minLowest 12% above MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Franklin Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#232 of 282 in MA	#64 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Franklin · Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Franklin High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Lowest	14.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.