A typical home in each town, bought with 20% down at 6.3% for 30 years, plus property tax at the town’s own rate and insurance. Change the numbers to fit you.

Down paymentRate%

Mount Olive$750/mo

Typical home $127K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.86% · or rent about $950/mo · Housing →

Franklin$1,730/mo

Typical home $300K (Zillow) · tax rate 0.63% · or rent about $725/mo · Housing →

The difference: $980 a month, about $11,700 a year, between Franklin and Mount Olive.

Estimates, not a quote: your price, rate, tax bill and insurance will differ. Tax rate = the Census median tax bill over the median home value.

Report cards

Franklin places higher on 12 of 19 NC lists

Our letter grades for safety, schools and health, then every North Carolina ranking list both towns are on. A grade is one measure; read the page behind it.

Safety

–Mount OliveNot graded C−FranklinSafer than 22% of U.S. towns

Schools

CMount OliveBetter than 28% of districts in the state B+FranklinBetter than 69% of districts in the state

Health

DMount OliveHealthier than 7% of U.S. towns CFranklinHealthier than 35% of U.S. towns

7Mount Olive

12Franklin

Lists won, of 19 where both are ranked. Ties go to nobody.

Highest graduation rateSchools · 284 towns #276#2 Best schoolsSchools · 252 towns #225#40 Lowest depressionHealth · 296 towns #63#258 Fastest growingGrowth · 291 towns #271#142 Most conserved landOutdoors · 276 towns #262#151 Lowest obesityHealth · 296 towns #264#145 Shortest commuteGetting around · 297 towns #31#120 Cheapest rentCost of living · 284 towns #94#17

Left end = #1 in North Carolina. Showing the lists where the towns are furthest apart. All of Mount Olive’s rankings →

Life in each

What daily life feels like in each

The weather, the land, the history and the people, row by row. None of it is a grade: more snow is a plus to a skier.

Seasons

Mount OliveFranklin

Snow a year2″3″

January low32°F 26°F

July high90°F 84°F

Growing season (days)226d 187d

Hazard risk (U.S. pctl)56th 22nd

Outdoors & history

Mount OliveFranklin

Trails0 mi 1 mi

Conserved land0.3%3%

Settled—1820

National Register places5 7

Archive photos—6

Famous people born here—8

Community

Mount OliveFranklin

Library hours a week52 hrs —

Colleges in town1 —

Posts this month0 0

Neighbors joined0 0

A dot marks the most on each row. Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 normals at the nearest station. Hazard risk: FEMA National Risk Index, expected yearly damage vs U.S. towns.

Where they are

300 miles apart

Straight-line miles between town centers.

Mount OliveNC FranklinNC

Mount Olive ↔ Franklin300 miles apart

Everything, side by side

What matters to you?

Pick a few. Those rows jump to the top and the best fit on each is marked. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Only big differences vs North Carolina average

Mount OliveFranklin

People

Population 4,453Highest 4,268Lowest

Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census -8.5%Lowest NC: +9.5% +8.6%Highest NC: +9.5%

Median age 42.9±5.6Lowest 10% above NC 48.1±4.4Highest 23% above NC

Franklin and Mount Olive are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Kids under 18 15.6%±4.5Highest NC: 21.8% 14.2%±4.6Lowest NC: 21.8%

Mount Olive and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Age 65+ 20.7%±4.2Lowest NC: 17.2% 28.8%±6.3Highest NC: 17.2%

Franklin and Mount Olive are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ 22.8%Lowest NC: 35.7% 25.6%Highest NC: 35.7%

Enrolled in collegeshare of residents 13.1%±2.8Highest NC: 6.4% 5.2%±3.3Lowest NC: 6.4%

Cost of living

Household incomemedian $48,700±$5kHighest 33% below NC $47,888±$4kLowest 34% below NC

Mount Olive and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Home valuemedian, owner-occupied $153,500±$21kLowest 47% below NC $195,000±$24kHighest 33% below NC

Franklin and Mount Olive are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Rentmedian gross, monthly $950±$34Highest 23% below NC $725±$85Lowest 41% below NC

Property taxmedian, yearly $1,313Highest 31% below NC $1,227Lowest 35% below NC

Renters paying 30%+of income on rent 51.5%±18.3Highest NC: 48.9% 35.6%±15.1Lowest NC: 48.9%

Mount Olive and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Below poverty line 17.7%Highest NC: 13% 12.7%Lowest NC: 13%

Housing

Homeownersof occupied homes 56.9%Lowest NC: 66.6% 58.2%Highest NC: 66.6%

Typical home builtmedian year 1963Lowest 28 yrs older than NC 1981Highest 10 yrs older than NC

Getting to work

Average commuteone way 19 minLowest 24% below NC 23 minHighest 8% below NC

Work from home 5.5%±3.3Highest NC: 16.3% 5%±3.1Lowest NC: 16.3%

Mount Olive and Franklin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.

Work in townworking residents 14%Lowest 30.7%Highest

Typical commute distancemedian, straight-line 17.3 miHighest 14.3 miLowest

Jobs per working residentover 1.5 = a job hub 1.96Lowest 3.31Highest

Top workplaceoutside town Goldsboro (12%)Asheville (6%)

Between these townsresidents who work in the others Few work in FranklinFew work in Mount Olive

Outdoors

Conserved landshare of the town 0.3%Lowest 3%Highest

Trailsmapped miles 0.2 miLowest 0.9 miHighest

Trail densitymiles per sq mi 0.1 miLowest 0.2 miHighest

Parks & preservesnamed on the map 3 3

Street connectivityintersections per sq mi, a walkability measure 97.3Highest 80.3Lowest

Schools

Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading #225 of 252 in NC #40 of 252 in NC

School district Wayne County Public SchoolsMacon County Schools

High school in town None in townFranklin High

Students per teacherat that high school — 21.2

North Carolina average“±” Census margin of errorACS 2020–2024

Deciding?

Ask the people who live there

The numbers stop at the town line. Neighbors can tell you about the commute at 7am, the schools, the winters and the feel of the place.

Mount Olive neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Mount Olive’s Town Square.

Franklin neighborsTown Square →

Your question goes to Franklin’s Town Square.

Add a town

Set another town beside Mount Olive and Franklin

One tap adds it. Up to 4 towns at once.

Towns like Mount Olive

+ Compare

Ayden5,150 people · $182K homes

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Rural Hall3,466 people · $190K homes

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North Wilkesboro4,421 people · $213K homes

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Wadesboro4,972 people · $153K homes

Not sure which town to add? Find your place ranks North Carolina towns on what matters to you.Find your place →

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2010 & 2020 censuses, LEHD commute flows; Zillow Home Value Index; NCES Common Core of Data; FBI crime reporting; CDC PLACES; FEMA National Risk Index; NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. “±” is the Census margin of error; differences inside it are never called. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. There is no overall score: which town is better depends on what matters to you.

Mount Olive vs Franklin

Two towns, two different strengths

Where they part ways

A typical home costs $980 more a month in Franklin

Franklin places higher on 12 of 19 NC lists

What daily life feels like in each

300 miles apart

What matters to you?

Ask the people who live there

Set another town beside Mount Olive and Franklin

Towns like Mount Olive

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