What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dedham has the shortest commute (29 min average).

Franklin Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Dedham	Franklin Town
People
Population	25,237Lowest	33,154Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±1.6Highest 12% above MA	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA
	Dedham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Franklin Town and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2Highest MA: 17.9%	14.7%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55%Lowest MA: 47.3%	58.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.6%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.3%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Franklin Town and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,955±$10kLowest 24% above MA	$145,773±$9kHighest 40% above MA
	Franklin Town and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$661,800±$16kHighest 18% above MA	$611,700±$17kLowest 9% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,042±$182Highest 16% above MA	$1,899±$156Lowest 8% above MA
	Dedham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,918Highest 32% above MA	$7,044Lowest 18% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	56.4%±10Highest MA: 51.8%	48%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Dedham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.6%Lowest MA: 10%	5.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	78.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 8 yrs older than MA	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	33 minHighest 12% above MA
Work from home	20%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Franklin Town and Dedham 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	#119 of 282 in MA	#64 of 282 in MA
School district	Dedham	Franklin · Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Dedham High	Franklin High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	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.