Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 133, laid out in 1840.
Only one of the 141 Iowa towns we compare has a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Franklin. Faeth Farmstead and Orchard District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Franklin has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
Where Franklin beats most towns.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Census counts: 449 in 1860, a peak of 628 in 1870, 131 in 2020. The archive holds 3 old photos and papers going back to 2004 and 2 maps from 1968 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Franklin, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Franklin.
In July, afternoons reach 86°; in January, nights fall to 16°, and about 27 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Among adults in Franklin, 10% worry about having enough food, where Iowa’s towns sit at 12% and U.S. towns at 14%. The share of adults in Franklin who binge drink: 18%. Of 32 CDC measures, Franklin beats the Iowa average on 3 and trails it on 4.
| Franklin | Iowa towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 20% | 16% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 35% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 21% | 23% |
| What stands out | Franklin | IA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 73.6% | 66.6% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 81.1% | 77.8% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.5% | 6.6% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
In Franklin, the FEMA hazard score is 56 of 100. FEMA puts 47% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 13% to drought.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Franklin: 90% of households are owner-occupiers.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
None within 15 miles of Franklin; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Franklin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Iowa.
City in Iowa, United States
Franklin is a city in Lee County, Iowa, United States. Franklin is noted for its stone and brick Federal architecture, uncommon in Iowa. The population was 131 at the time of the 2020 census. It is part of the Fort Madison–Keokuk, IA-IL-MO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Franklin has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.