Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Franklin

Greater Boston · pop. 33,261

One of the most popular commuter towns south of 495, Franklin combines A-rated schools, commuter rail to both South Station and Providence, and a growing downtown restaurant scene. It is the largest and most commercially complete town in this part of Norfolk County.

Family Suburb
Livability Index
56
/ 100
Ranks #113 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$708k
4.9× household income
Household income
$146k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
60 min
peak driving
Population
33,261
5-yr trend 70/100

How Franklin scores

Schools
90
Safety
82
Walkability
22
Transit
28
Biking
28
Dining
52
Nightlife
32
Arts & Culture
38
Green Space
36
Diversity
28
Climate
71

Who lives in Franklin

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
42
Foreign-born
8.8%
Bachelor's or higher
55.6%
Population
33k
White86.4%
Hispanic / Latino4.1%
Asian5.6%
Black1.5%
Other / multi2.4%

Schools in Franklin

Franklin School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Top 25% in MA
76/100
ELA · 3-8
p73
55%
Math · 3-8
p75
58.7%
ELA · 10
p67
67.8%
Math · 10
p71
65.1%
Grad rate
99.2%
Top 10% in MA
Spend / pupil
$19.4k
Bottom 25%
Teachers / 100
8.2
Below average
Enrollment
4,680

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Families with Boston commuters who want the best school district in the 495 south corridor with real commuter rail access.
The tradeoff
Walk Score of 22 confirms you will drive everywhere; suburban sprawl along Route 140 is not pretty.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

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Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Franklin lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Franklin.

Franklin appears in

Rankings where Franklin qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Franklin.

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