What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoneham has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	8,799Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.7±2Highest 10% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Franklin and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stoneham and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Franklin and Stoneham 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 U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stoneham and Franklin 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 11% below U.S.	$113,964±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,200±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$68Lowest 21% below U.S.	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,886Lowest 57% above U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stoneham and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1964Highest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#112 of 120 in NH	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin School District	Stoneham
High school in town	Franklin High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.