What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin Town has the most expensive homes ($612k median).

Bellingham has the most affordable homes ($451k 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 Town	Bellingham
People
Population	33,154Highest	17,410Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Highest 3% above MA	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA
	Franklin Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.7%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	14.9%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Bellingham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	40.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.3%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$145,773±$9kHighest 40% above MA	$125,307±$10kLowest 21% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$611,700±$17kHighest 9% above MA	$450,700±$13kLowest 20% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,899±$156Highest 8% above MA	$1,836±$196Lowest 4% above MA
	Franklin Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,044Highest 18% above MA	$5,030Lowest 16% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Bellingham and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest MA: 10%	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	78.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1973Lowest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 12% above MA	36 minHighest 24% above MA
Work from home	22.1%±2.5Highest MA: 18.6%	18.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Franklin Town and Bellingham 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	#64 of 282 in MA	#232 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin · Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical	Bellingham
High school in town	Franklin High	Bellingham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	12.4Lowest
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.