What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

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	Townsend
People
Population	8,799Lowest	9,100Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.7±2Highest 10% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
	Franklin and Townsend 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%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend 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%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Franklin and Townsend 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%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend 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.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,200±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$68Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.
	Townsend and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,886Lowest 57% above U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin School District	North Middlesex
High school in town	Franklin High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	13.1Lowest
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.