Franklin County, Massachusetts Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Franklin County, MA Population Density Map and Area Scores
Area Score
Health, income and education, each graded from F to A+. Explore interactive maps for deeper analysis.
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A
Health Above average
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B
Income Around averageAmong the 5 least wealthy counties in Massachusetts
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B
Education Around average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Franklin County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 70,937 | 7,031,620 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 97.9 | 666.0 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 0.00% | 0.53% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 48.3 | 39.0 | 37.3 |
| Households | 31,566 | 2,777,931 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Franklin County declined by 1.2% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 70,937 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Franklin County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.2% of residents. That is 2.1 points above Massachusetts as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 12,169 17.2% -4.4 pts
- Millennials 29–44 14,261 20.1% -1.8 pts
- Gen X 45–60 16,469 23.2% +2.1 pts
- Boomers 61–79 16,223 22.9% +5.6 pts
Residents by birth cohort, from the 2025 age distribution. The right-hand figure is how far each cohort's share sits above or below Massachusetts, in percentage points. Children younger than Gen Z and the generations before the Boomers are counted in the population but not shown here, so these shares do not add up to 100%.
Male and female share
Women are 50.6% of the people living in Franklin County and men 49.4%.
- Women 50.6% Massachusetts 51.2%
- Men 49.4% Massachusetts 48.8%
How many residents match a customer profile?
Residents matching this profile
100% of everyone living in Franklin County
Pick an age range and a women/men split and the figure above answers with how many residents that profile reaches.
Economy
Franklin County has a the economy index of B, which means it is quite prosperous.
| Metric | Franklin County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,921 | $104,336 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 3.63% | 4.91% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 5.4% | 5.1% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Franklin County is about 28% lower than in Massachusetts.
Housing
| Metric | Franklin County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $330,403 | $494,523 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,176 | $1,761 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 70.1% | 62.5% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Franklin County is about 23.4 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,176 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Franklin County spend about 41 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 170 hours, about 7.1 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Franklin County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 20.4 | 25.6 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 40.9 | 51.1 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 170 | 213 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $5,279 | $6,603 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 15.1% | 18.6% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 4,813 | 14,741 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 666 | 2,164 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
Massachusetts:
Nantucket County (12.8 min), Dukes County (15.4 min), Berkshire County (16.8 min).
Slowest:
Norfolk County (31.0 min), Suffolk County (30.4 min), Middlesex County (28.4 min).
The average commute time in Franklin County is 20 minutes, shorter than the 26 minutes in Massachusetts.
Estimated yearly cost applies a single national wage rule of thumb (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics average hourly earnings), not a measurement of wages in this area. Traffic volume figures come from proprietary Ticon and TrafficZoom data.
Education & Households
Franklin County has a education index of B, which means it is quite educated.
| Metric | Franklin County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 38.1% | 42.7% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.19 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
Massachusetts:
Middlesex County (0.5), Norfolk County (0.4), Nantucket County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hampden County (0.3), Bristol County (0.3), Berkshire County (0.3).
Health
Franklin County has a health index of A, which means it is very healthy.
| Metric | Franklin County | Massachusetts Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 80.9 | 80.5 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 11.9% | 11.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 15.4% | 13.9% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
Massachusetts:
Middlesex County (0.8), Hampshire County (0.8), Norfolk County (0.8).
Lowest:
Hampden County (0.8), Bristol County (0.8), Worcester County (0.8).
Franklin County, MA Compared With Nearby Counties
Franklin County, MA is the 5th largest of the 6 counties compared here, 70,937 residents against a local median of 129,358. Where Franklin County, MA breaks from the counties next to it is median home price, sitting 44% above the local median of $229,767 at $330,403.
The counties themselves spread $224,252 on median home price, so Franklin County, MA sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Franklin County, MA has the 3rd highest median home price of the 6 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, MA | 70,937 | $74,921 #4/6 | $330,403 #3/6 | 20.4 min #4/6 |
| Hampshire County, MA | 161,946 | $87,740 | $415,384 | 21.3 min |
| Windham County, VT | 45,878 | $72,854 | $191,132 | 18.1 min |
| Hampden County, MA | 462,481 | $71,193 | $229,767 | 20.5 min |
| Cheshire County, NH | 77,281 | $82,926 | $208,297 | 18.6 min |
| Berkshire County, MA | 129,358 | $76,040 | $337,519 | 16.8 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Franklin County, Massachusetts.
How big is Franklin County, Massachusetts by population?
About 70,937 people live in Franklin County, Massachusetts, in 31,566 households of 2.2 people on average. The median age is 48.3, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 11 years.
Is Franklin County, Massachusetts mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Franklin County, Massachusetts has 98 people per square mile, a density typical of rural areas. That is close to the U.S. average of 86.
Can a typical household afford a home in Franklin County, Massachusetts?
The median home costs 4.4 times the median household income ($330,403 against $74,921), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,176 a month takes about 19% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
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