What stands out worked out from the figures below

Franklin Town has the highest household income ($146k).

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	33,154Highest	23,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.9Lowest 3% above MA	42.2±2.2Highest 6% above MA
	Stoneham 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%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Franklin Town and Stoneham 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%	20.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	55.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.3%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$145,773±$9kHighest 40% above MA	$113,964±$10kLowest 10% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$611,700±$17kLowest 9% above MA	$671,900±$26kHighest 20% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,899±$156Lowest 8% above MA	$2,035±$142Highest 15% above MA
	Stoneham and Franklin Town 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	$6,523Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±8.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Franklin Town and Stoneham 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%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	71%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as 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%	24.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Stoneham 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	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin · Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical	Stoneham
High school in town	Franklin High	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.