Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,421.
Franklin Township gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $235K for a typical one, or 2.8 years of the Allentown metro’s $85K median household income. It grades B− overall, 649th of 1032 graded towns in Pennsylvania. 14% of the land in Franklin Township is conserved, above both Pennsylvania’s towns (8.2%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Beltzville State Park, 977 acres with 2.9 miles of trail. Franklin Township has 1 place on the National Register.
Where Franklin Township beats most towns.
Where Franklin Township’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Pennsylvania), ordered by how far Franklin Township is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 5 maps from 1922 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Explore the history →Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Franklin Township. Close and well known come first.
20 mi Theme parkDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom
4 mi MuseumAsa Packer Mansion
20 mi Stadium & arenaPPL Center
13 mi State parkHickory Run State Park
38 mi National Historic SiteSteamtown National Historic Site61K visitors a year8 mi Ski areaBlue Mountain Resort44 runs · 1,077 ft verticalDorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom: Coasterman1234 at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Asa Packer Mansion: Chris18240 (talk), Public domain · PPL Center: Hunter Kahn, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hickory Run State Park: Mtruch, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Steamtown National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Franklin Township, 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 Township.
Franklin Township’s average trip to work is 32 minutes, above both the Pennsylvania town median (26 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Only 8% of working residents stay in Franklin Township for work; the rest commute out. The top destinations are Lehighton (7%), Upper Macungie Township (5%) and Allentown (5%). Half of commuters travel less than 20 miles.
| Franklin Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 26 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $81,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 7.1% | 7.6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
There are 6.4 miles of trail across 2 parks and preserves. The trail network density in Franklin Township is 0.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beltzville State Park | 2.9 mi | 977 |
| 2. Phifer's Ice Dam Park | — | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The range runs from 18° on a January night to 84° on a July afternoon, with about 27 inches of snow a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Pennsylvania has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Franklin Township sits closer to the middle. The town’s violent offense rate is 1.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Franklin Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 0.7 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 5.7 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Compared with nearly three fifths of U.S. communities, expected storm and flood damage in Franklin Township is higher. Since 2005, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in the town. FEMA puts 67% of the town’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 11% to cold waves.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
37% of adults have high blood pressure in Franklin Township. For adults in the town, the share who smoke cigarettes is 18%.
| Franklin Township | Pennsylvania towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 14% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 34% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 18% | 16% |
| What stands out | Franklin Township | PA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.4% | 5.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 9.5% | 7.7% |
| More adults with heart disease | 8.7% | 7.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Franklin Township
About 3 of every 100 Franklin Township residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Pennsylvania.
Township in Pennsylvania, US
Franklin Township is a township in Carbon County, Pennsylvania. It is part of Northeastern Pennsylvania. The population was 4,262 at the 2010 census. A portion of Beltzville State Park is in Franklin Township.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Franklin Township.
| Town | PA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin Township | #649 | B− | A− | B | B− | B− |
| Weissport East | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Parryville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mahoning Township | #852 | C | B− | C | B− | B− |
| Weissport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lehighton | #604 | B | B | B | B− | B− |
| Penn Forest Township | #969 | C− | C | — | C+ | B− |
| Towamensing Township | #891 | C | C+ | — | B | C+ |
Penn Forest Township and Towamensing Township report no FBI crime data of their own. Weissport East, Parryville and Weissport aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Franklin Township with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Franklin Township grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #649 of 1032 in Pennsylvania. It grades B− for health, B for safety and B− for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Pennsylvania has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Franklin Township sits nearer the middle.
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 A−.
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