What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin Town has the most renters (21.8% rent).

Chelmsford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Chelmsford
People
Population	33,154Lowest	36,446Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	41.6±1.9Highest 4% above MA
	Chelmsford and Franklin Town 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%	21.6%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Chelmsford 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%	18.1%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	52.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.3%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	5.3%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Franklin Town and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$145,773±$9kHighest 40% above MA	$140,629±$8kLowest 35% above MA
	Franklin Town and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$611,700±$17kHighest 9% above MA	$593,700±$17kLowest 6% above MA
	Franklin Town and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,899±$156Lowest 8% above MA	$2,062±$151Highest 17% above MA
	Chelmsford and Franklin Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,044Lowest 18% above MA	$8,047Highest 34% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.7%±10Highest MA: 51.8%
	Chelmsford 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%	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 12% above MA	28 minLowest 4% below MA
Work from home	22.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.8%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Chelmsford and Franklin Town 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	#79 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin · Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical	Chelmsford
High school in town	Franklin High	Chelmsford High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	14.0Lowest
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.