How Franklin compares across Wisconsin
Franklin is ranked on 40 lists against the 371 Wisconsin towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 10.
Franklin lands in the top half on 14 of 26 lists
Each dot is Franklin’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in WI, the right end is last. Areas where Franklin does best come first.
Milder winters than 92% of Wisconsin
Not better or worse, just Franklin’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Franklin out-ranks 3 of its 6 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Franklin lands in every WI ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Health
Healthiest#1 Whitefish Bay · 98 / 100
#56
Lowest obesity#1 Mequon · 28%
#20
Fewest smokers#1 Whitefish Bay · 7%
#35
Most active#1 Whitefish Bay · 14%
#33
Fewest uninsured#1 Whitefish Bay · 4%
#39
Lowest depression#1 Brookfield · 19%
#78
Closest to a top hospital#1 Waukesha · 0.2 mi
#192 People
Most educated#1 Whitefish Bay · 81.9%
#79
Youngest#1 Whitewater · 22.1
#202
R
Oldest#1 Rome · 64.5
#167
R
Most residents 65+#1 Rome · 48.1%
#176
Most kids#1 Arcadia · 37.7%
#134 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Brockway · 65.5%
#64
Most trails#1 Williams Bay · 3.5 mi / sq mi
#89
Most walkable#1 Whitefish Bay · 158 / sq mi
#202 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Stephenson · 55.7%
#250
Most new homes#1 DeForest · 26.3 per 1,000
#120
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Algoma · +89.8%
#253
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Whitefish Bay · 31.3 per home
#106 Safety
Safest#1 Geneva · 2.6
#70 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Hayward · 12.3 min
#211 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Monona · 11.6 per resident
#18
Most library borrowing#1 Whitefish Bay · 24.8 per resident
#17
Best libraries for kids#1 Monona · 45.8 per child
#19 
The number on the right is Franklin’s spot. All of Wisconsin’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every WI list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.