Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Franklin's schools rank behind 97% of the state's. Overall it grades C, ranked 102nd of 125 in New Hampshire. It has 53 miles of trail. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. Franklin’s trail density is 1.8 miles per square mile, above both New Hampshire’s towns (1.2) and U.S. towns (0.4). Only 8 of New Hampshire’s 187 towns score higher on cost of living. Its National Register listings include Concord Historic District and Sulphite Railroad Bridge.
Where Franklin beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Webster, Daniel, Family Home is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,370 in 1830, 8,741 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1829 and 4 maps from 1927 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 Franklin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
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 19, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Franklin.
Franklin is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it trails Salisbury and its other neighbors on schools.
The biggest place to walk is Franklin Falls Reservoir, 1,142 acres with 20.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Franklin Falls Reservoir | 20.8 mi | 1,142 |
| 2. Great Gains Memorial Forest | 7.5 mi | 612 |
| 3. Lawrence W. and Caroline B. Robie Forest | 1.1 mi | 341 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Salisbury highest at B−.
Its public schools are run by the Franklin School District. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–8 | Grades 4–8 | 301 | D |
| Franklin High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 280 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within NH on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Franklin for work: only 13% work in town. Franklin’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, above both the New Hampshire town median (28 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Franklin’s median household income is $72,000.
| Franklin | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 28 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 8.3% | 16% | 11% |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $103,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Against the 10,651 U.S. towns with household incomes like Franklin’s, it is healthier than 86%, so its B+ isn’t only a matter of income. Within New Hampshire it is less healthy than 79% of the 126 graded towns: New Hampshire sets a high bar.
Franklin beats the New Hampshire average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 25% of Franklin adults have been diagnosed with depression.
| Franklin | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 23% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 30% | 33% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 14% | 19% |
| What stands out | Franklin | NH |
|---|---|---|
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 15% | 8.9% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.6% | 6.2% |
| More smokers | 13% | 10.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Franklin home is worth about $380,000, up 2.8% in a year, 26% below the New Hampshire typical home. 64% of households own their home in Franklin.
| Franklin | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 64% | 82% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,110 a month | $1,393 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Franklin has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Franklin is 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 67% of U.S. communities. Since 2003, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Franklin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
New Hampshire has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Franklin sits closer to the middle.
| Franklin | New Hampshire towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.4 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Franklin. Close and well known come first.
20 mi LakeLake Winnipesaukee
11 mi MuseumCanterbury Shaker Village
36 mi Ski areaWaterville Valley Resort84 runs · 1,990 ft vertical
22 mi Ski areaMount Sunapee77 runs · 1,469 ft vertical
34 mi Stadium & arenaSNHU Arena
9 mi Ski areaRagged Mountain Resort42 runs · 1,103 ft verticalLake Winnipesaukee: No machine-readable author provided. JohnJHenderson~commonswiki assumed (based o, Public domain · Canterbury Shaker Village: SayCheeeeeese, Public domain · Waterville Valley Resort: MConradWard, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Mount Sunapee: User:Josephbrophy, Public domain · SNHU Arena: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 · Ragged Mountain Resort: Tom Morgan, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Franklin
About 3 of every 100 Franklin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across New Hampshire.
Where Franklin’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Franklin on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Franklin.
City in New Hampshire, United States
Franklin is a city in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 8,741, the lowest figure of New Hampshire's 13 cities. Franklin includes the village of West Franklin.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Franklin.
| Town | NH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | #102 | C | B− | B | D− | B+ |
| Northfield | #86 | B− | B | B+ | C | B+ |
| Sanbornton | #73 | B | C | A | C | A |
| Salisbury | — | — | C− | — | B− | A− |
| Tilton | #104 | C | B | D | C | B+ |
| Andover | — | — | C+ | B+ | C | A− |
| Tilton Northfield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Boscawen | #83 | B− | C | A | B− | A− |
Salisbury and Andover have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Salisbury reports no FBI crime data of its own. Tilton Northfield isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Franklin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Franklin grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #102 of 125 in New Hampshire. It grades B+ for health, B for safety and D− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes, by national standards. New Hampshire has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Franklin sits nearer the middle.
That is 3.9 years of the area's median household income ($97,004 across the Concord, NH area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
12 notable people were born here, including Kenneth French and Robert M. Leach.
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