What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Laconia has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.8%).

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	Franklin	Laconia
People
Population	8,799Lowest	17,085Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest NH: +4.6%	+5.8%Highest NH: +4.6%
Median age	42.7±2Lowest about the NH average	45.3±3.9Highest 5% above NH
	Laconia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.5Lowest NH: 18.2%	18.4%±2.9Highest NH: 18.2%
	Laconia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±3.9Lowest NH: 20.1%	22.8%±2.7Highest NH: 20.1%
	Laconia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.1%Lowest NH: 40.6%	27.2%Highest NH: 40.6%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Highest NH: 6%	3.1%±1.1Lowest NH: 6%
	Franklin and Laconia are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,648±$4kLowest 28% below NH	$73,218±$12kHighest 26% below NH
	Laconia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,200±$22kLowest 35% below NH	$340,300±$16kHighest 15% below NH
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$68Lowest 26% below NH	$1,224±$107Highest 18% below NH
	Laconia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,886Highest 27% below NH	$4,484Lowest 33% below NH
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±11.5Lowest NH: 48.2%	54.5%±10.2Highest NH: 48.2%
	Laconia and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest NH: 7.2%	12.6%Highest NH: 7.2%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2% NH: 72.8%	64.2% NH: 72.8%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 20 yrs older than NH	1974Highest 5 yrs older than NH
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 18% above NH	17 minLowest 36% below NH
Work from home	8.3%±4.1Lowest NH: 16.8%	13.5%±3.8Highest NH: 16.8%
	Laconia and Franklin 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	#112 of 120 in NH	#105 of 120 in NH
School district	Franklin School District	Laconia School District
High school in town	Franklin High School	Laconia High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	10.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

NH 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.