Housing Market Overview
The median home price (often called the average home price), rent costs, affordability metrics, and housing stock characteristics for this housing market.
Median Home Price Map: Nearby Counties
Housing Market Overview
| Metric | Franklin County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $87,888 | $248,766 | $242,182 |
| Price Trend (Annual %) | -6.4% | 8.9% | 8.2% |
| Median Gross Rent | $759 | $1,084 | $1,342 |
| Rent Trend (Annual %) | 3.2% | 4.7% | 5.1% |
| Household Income Trend (Annual %) | — | — | — |
The median home price in Franklin County is about 65% lower than in Maine. Rent is about 30% lower than the Maine average.
Median Home and Rent Price Trends
Median Home Prices, 2015-2023
Median Rent Prices, 2015-2023
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Franklin County: home prices fell about 6.4% a year while rent rose about 3.2% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
Median rent in Franklin County rose about 19.6% between 2015 and 2023, from $634 to $759. Over the same span, rent in Maine rose about 39.7%.
Affordability
On average, housing unit costs 1.5 yearly household incomes in Franklin County.
Buying the median-priced home in Franklin County costs roughly 9.7 years of rent at the median monthly rate. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Franklin County. The price-to-rent ratio in Maine is about 19.1.
| Metric | Franklin County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $87,888 | $248,766 | $242,182 |
| Median Household Income | $58,989 | $72,025 | $78,145 |
| Price-to-Income Ratio | 1.5 | 3.5 | 3.1 |
Home Prices vs Income Over Time
Between 2015 and 2023, the median home price in Franklin County fell about 43.5%, while median household income rose about 48.9% between 2009 and 2023 — income grew faster than the home price.
Income Growth vs Housing Cost Growth (Year-over-Year %)
Compare income and housing cost trends.
Occupancy & Tenure
| Metric | Franklin County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homeownership Rate | 45.5% | 58.4% | 58.2% |
| Rental Rate | 13.6% | 20.5% | 31.3% |
| Vacancy Rate | 40.9% | 21.1% | 10.6% |
| Median Tenure (years) | 17.0 | 16.0 | 15.0 |
| Median Year Moved In | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
Franklin County has a homeownership rate of 45.5%, lower than the Maine average of 58.4%. Its housing vacancy rate is 40.9%, compared with 21.1% in Maine.
Housing Stock
| Metric | Franklin County | Maine Avg | US Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Household Size | 2.32 people | 2.27 people | 2.54 people |
| Median Structure Built Year | 1975 | 1973 | 1978 |
| Median Number of Rooms | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
The typical housing unit in Franklin County was built around 1975. On average, 2.3 people live in a home with about 5.3 rooms, staying for about 17.0 years on average.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the housing market in Franklin County, Maine.
What is the median home price in Franklin County, Maine?
The median home price in Franklin County, Maine is $87,888, lower than the Maine average of $248,766.
What is the average home price in Franklin County, Maine?
The typical home price in %s, reported as the median sale price, is %s. The median is used instead of a mathematical average because it is not skewed by a small number of very expensive or very cheap homes, so it better reflects what a typical buyer pays.
What is the median rent in Franklin County, Maine?
The median gross rent in Franklin County, Maine is $759 per month, lower than the Maine average of $1,084.
What was the median gross rent in Franklin County in 2020?
In 2020, the median gross rent in Franklin County, Maine was $719 per month.
What is the price-to-rent ratio in Franklin County, Maine?
The price-to-rent ratio in Franklin County, Maine is about 9.7, meaning it would take roughly 9.7 years of rent payments at the median rent to equal the median home price. That is a relatively low price-to-rent ratio, which tends to favor buying over renting in Franklin County.
Are home prices or rent rising faster in Franklin County, Maine?
Home prices and rent are moving in opposite directions in Franklin County: home prices fell about 6.4% a year while rent rose about 3.2% a year. That is an unusual pattern worth watching.
What is the homeownership rate in Franklin County, Maine?
45.5% of households in Franklin County, Maine own their home, lower than the Maine average of 58.4%.
What is the vacancy rate in Franklin County, Maine?
The housing vacancy rate in Franklin County, Maine is 40.9%, higher than the Maine average of 21.1%.