Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to Paul D Camp Community College.
Franklin earns a D−, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of schools and health. Its schools rank behind 95% of the state's. Residents are less healthy than 91% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also has a long history, with 5 places on the National Register. Franklin’s violent crime rate is 7 per 1,000 residents, above both the Virginia town median (2.3) and the median of U.S. towns (1.6). Only 9 of Virginia’s 105 towns score lower on safety. Franklin is home to Paul D Camp Community College.
Where Franklin beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| College | Students |
|---|---|
| Paul D Camp Community College | 831 |
Elms, The| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| S.P. Morton Elementary | PK–6 | 620 |
| Franklin High | 7–12 | 504 |
| Rock Church School | PK–12 | 85 |
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Virginia), ordered by how far Franklin is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 477 in 1880, 8,180 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1892 and 6 maps from 1920 on.
5 places 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 Sep 30, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Franklin.
Franklin has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Virginia, but it reports violent crime at 3 times the Virginia rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Virginia (mostly hurricanes).
Its public schools are run by the Franklin City Public Schools. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Franklin High, with 504 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.P. Morton ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 620 | D− |
| Franklin HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 504 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within VA on state tests and graduation
20% of adults have diabetes in Franklin. Only 3 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Franklin. 44% of adults have obesity in Franklin.
| Franklin | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 11% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 48% | 33% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 14% | 16% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 17% | 19% |
| What stands out | Franklin | VA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.6% | 14.5% |
| More adults treating high blood pressure | 82.1% | 76.8% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 14.2% | 7.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime runs at 7 per 1,000 residents, 3 times the Virginia rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D.
The property crime rate in Franklin is 25.7 per 1,000 residents. Franklin reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 91% report less.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Franklin home is worth about $250,000, up 1.5% in a year, 39% below the Virginia typical home. Franklin’s median rent is $988 a month.
| Franklin | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 54% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $988 a month | $1,764 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
July afternoons average 89.6°, the #2 highest of 700 Virginia places with climate records; January nights average 29.1°.
Only 2 of the 253 Virginia towns we compare have a higher July high than Franklin. Franklin has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. About 4 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Franklin | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 90°F | 88°F | 85°F |
| January low | 29°F | 26°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Franklin has about as many jobs (3,605) as working residents, but only 618 people both live and work here.
About one in 5 of Franklin’s working residents works in town. 19% of Franklin residents live below the poverty line. The top destinations are Suffolk (10%), Richmond (3%) and Chesapeake (2%).
| Franklin | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 19% | 7.7% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 20% | 4.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $102,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 27 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 93% of Virginia towns, with expected losses of about $357 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1999, 85 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Franklin.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
| Franklin | Virginia towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.3 miles per square mile | 0.7 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.3% | 4.6% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Barret’s Landing | — | 3 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1 within 15 miles of the center of Franklin
About 2 of every 100 Franklin residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.
5 places in Franklin on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Franklin.
Independent city in Virginia, United States
Franklin is the southwesternmost independent city in Hampton Roads, Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,180. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Franklin with Southampton County for statistical purposes.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
One town shares a border with Franklin.
Camptown 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 D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
9 notable people were born here, including Richard Hudson and Colgate Darden.
