Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Franklin gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $267K for a typical one, or 3.3 years of the Cincinnati metro’s $81K median household income. It grades C+ overall, 714th of 987 graded towns in Ohio. The low prices come with trade-offs. CDC estimates put its residents' health behind 82% of the country. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 4 places on the National Register. 23% of residents live below the poverty line in Franklin, where Ohio’s towns sit at 9.1% and U.S. towns at 9.6%. Only 137 of Ohio’s 1,560 towns score lower on civic life. Its National Register listings include Old Log Post Office and Mackinaw Historic District.
Where Franklin beats most towns.
Census counts: 202 in 1810, 11,690 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1908 and 5 maps from 1908 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Ohio), ordered by how far Franklin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Franklin. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Theme parkKings Island3.5M visitors a year
19 mi MuseumNational Museum of the United States Air Force1.0M visitors a year
34 mi Stadium & arenaPaycor Stadium
34 mi Stadium & arenaGreat American Ball Park
32 mi Stadium & arenaNippert Stadium
31 mi Zoo & aquariumCincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden1.2M visitors a yearKings Island: Eli Duke from Portland, OR, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · National Museum of the United States Air Force: No machine-readable author provided. Rogerd assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paycor Stadium: JonRidinger, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Great American Ball Park: Eric Kilby profile at Flickr website, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Nippert Stadium: Ben Levin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden: Unknown, CC BY-SA 2.5
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 Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Franklin.
Franklin trades workers with Cincinnati and other neighbors, but it scores below Carlisle and its other neighbors on health.
All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its C−, from Carlisle (C) to Springboro (A).
20% of adults smoke cigarettes in Franklin. Franklin beats the Ohio average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. 16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Franklin.
| Franklin | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 18% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 15% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 26% | 23% |
| What stands out | Franklin | OH |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 20.2% | 15.4% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 18.9% | 15.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.8% | 8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
2.3 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Hazel Woods Park, at 81 acres.
| Franklin | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.2 miles per square mile | 0.2 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 3.9% | 3.7% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hazel Woods Park | — | 81 |
| 2. Franklin Lions Club Municipal Park | — | 52 |
| 3. Harmon Park | — | 2 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Franklin has chilly winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 86°, January nights drop to 22° and about 10 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Franklin has about as many jobs (5,066) as working residents, but only 468 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Franklin for work: only 9% work in town. The median household income in Franklin is $59,000. Jobs based in Franklin grew to 5,066 in 2023, 382 more than in 2013.
| Franklin | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $59,000 | $75,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 9.7% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 8 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Franklin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Franklin's reported crime rate is above Ohio's. Franklin’s property crime rate is 24.9 per 1,000 residents. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts.
| Franklin | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 24.9 per 1,000 residents | 10.6 | 11.5 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2024) | 1.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.2 | 1.7 |
FBI crime data, 2024 · crimes reported to police
61% of Franklin households own their home. The typical Franklin home is worth about $267,000, up 2.4% in a year, 8% above the Ohio typical home.
| Franklin | Ohio towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 61% | 77% | 73% |
| Median rent | $981 a month | $943 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Franklin
About 3 of every 100 Franklin residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Ohio.
4 places in Franklin on the National Register of Historic Places.
16 notable people were born in Franklin.
City in Ohio, United States
Franklin is a city in Warren County, Ohio, United States, along the Great Miami River. The population was 11,690 at the 2020 census. The city lies about 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Dayton and 33.5 miles (53.9 km) northeast of Cincinnati. Ohio State Routes 73, 123 and 741 pass through Franklin, while Interstate 75 is routed to the east side of the city.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Franklin.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C+; Carlisle (B) is closest.
| Town | OH rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin | #714 | C+ | B+ | — | B+ | C− |
| Carlisle | #523 | B | A− | — | B+ | C |
| Springboro | #30 | A+ | C+ | A− | A | A |
| Clear Creek Township | #69 | A | C+ | — | A | B+ |
| Franklin Township | #554 | B− | B+ | — | B+ | C+ |
Franklin, Carlisle, Clear Creek Township and Franklin Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Franklin with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Franklin grades C+ overall, better than 40% of U.S. towns and #714 of 987 in Ohio. It grades C− for health and B+ for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a C−.
Not for the 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+.
16 notable people were born here, including Robert C. Schenck and William Augustus Newell.
