Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Franconia’s subject grades are an A for schools, health, and the outdoors; the weakest is a D for cost of living. Franconia’s July high is 70°F, where New Hampshire’s towns sit at 81°F and U.S. towns at 85°F. On cost of living, just 8 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns do worse. Franconia is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 74% of U.S. towns. 74% of the land in Franconia is conserved, above both the New Hampshire town median (18%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Franconia Notch State Park, 3,722 acres with 17.4 miles of trail. Only 7 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on civic life. Franconia has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Franconia beats most towns.
Frost Place
Census counts: 72 in 1790, a low of 72 in 1790, 1,083 in 2020. The archive holds 13 old photos and papers going back to 1820 and 2 maps from 1967 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within New Hampshire), ordered by how far Franconia is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Franconia. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi MountainMount Washington
in town Ski areaCannon Mountain104 runs · 2,201 ft vertical
4 mi State parkFranconia Notch State Park
12 mi National forestWhite Mountain National Forest
6 mi WaterfallFlume Gorge
9 mi Ski areaLoon Mountain Resort80 runs · 2,189 ft verticalMount Washington: wwoods, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Cannon Mountain: Mikespenard at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Franconia Notch State Park: Stephen Sokolowski, CC BY-SA 3.0 · White Mountain National Forest: Ken Gallager at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Flume Gorge: MyCatIsAChonk, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Loon Mountain Resort: Own work, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Franconia, 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 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Franconia.
121 miles of trail in 9 parks and preserves. The trail density in Franconia is 1.9 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Franconia Notch State Park | 17.4 mi | 3,722 |
| 2. Fox Hill Park | 1.8 mi | 93 |
| 3. Lafayette Brook Scenic Area | 1.6 mi | 974 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Lafayette Regional School District. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafayette Regional SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 98 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Franconia for work: only 13% work in town. Franconia’s average trip to work is 20 minutes. The top destinations are Littleton (22%), Bethlehem (6%) and Carroll (5%).
| Franconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 20 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 6.8% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 10% | 8% |
| Median household income | $87,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
12% of Franconia adults binge drink. Among 127 New Hampshire towns, just 3 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Franconia. 10% of Franconia adults smoke cigarettes.
| Franconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Franconia | NH |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.1% | 8.1% |
| Fewer binge drinkers | 12.2% | 15.7% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14% | 9.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Franconia home is worth about $666,000, up 3.7% in a year, 30% above the New Hampshire typical home.
| Franconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,281 a month | $1,388 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of the 127 New Hampshire towns we compare, none has a lower January low than Franconia. Franconia has cold, snowy winters and cool summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 1981, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Franconia.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Franconia's reported crime rate is below New Hampshire's. Among 126 New Hampshire towns, just 5 have a lower violent crime rate than Franconia. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Franconia | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
None within 15 miles of Franconia; the nearest are
About 5 of every 100 Franconia residents are enrolled in college, about the same as New Hampshire.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
4 places in Franconia on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in New Hampshire, United States
Franconia is a town in Grafton County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 1,083 at the 2020 census. Set in the White Mountains, Franconia is home to the northern half of Franconia Notch State Park. Parts of the White Mountain National Forest are in the eastern and southern portions of the town. The Appalachian Trail crosses the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 8 years of the area's median household income ($83,269 across the Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT area).
