What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).

Washburn has the most affordable homes ($113k 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	Franklin	Washburn
People
Population	8,799Highest	1,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-9.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.7±2Lowest 10% above U.S.	48.2±7.7Highest 24% above U.S.
	Washburn 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 U.S.: 22%	21.7%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Washburn 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 U.S.: 17.2%	24%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Washburn 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 U.S.: 35.7%	26%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Washburn 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±$4kHighest 11% below U.S.	$56,196±$6kLowest 30% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,200±$22kHighest 21% below U.S.	$112,900±$14kLowest 66% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,110±$68Highest 21% below U.S.	$482±$62Lowest 66% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,886Highest 57% above U.S.	$1,571Lowest 50% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.8%±11.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	33.3%±24.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Franklin and Washburn 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%	12.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	78.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1969Highest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.7%±3.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Washburn 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	—
School district	Franklin School District	RSU 45/MSAD 45
High school in town	Franklin High School	Washburn District High School
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	12.0Lowest
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.