Franklin County, North Carolina Demographics
Population trends, housing costs, income, commuting, and health, all on one page.
Franklin County, NC 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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B
Health Around average
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C
Income Below averageWealthier than 79% of counties in North Carolina
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D
Education Well below average
Source: Map AI Methodology
Population: density and quick facts
| Metric | Franklin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 74,421 | 10,724,323 | 337,468,954 |
| Population density (per sq mi) | 150.4 | 199.1 | 86.4 |
| Population growth (%/yr) | 2.10% | 0.97% | 0.59% |
| Median age | 42.1 | 37.7 | 37.3 |
| Households | 28,530 | 4,279,225 | 130,235,071 |
Population in Franklin County grew by 29.9% from 2009 to 2024, reaching 74,421 in 2024.
Population Growth 2009–2024
Race & Ethnicity
Age & Sex
The largest generation in Franklin County is Gen X, aged 45–60, at 23.5% of residents. That is 3.0 points above North Carolina as a whole.
- Gen Z 13–28 14,628 19.7% -2.2 pts
- Millennials 29–44 15,162 20.4% -1.0 pts
- Gen X 45–60 17,501 23.5% +3.0 pts
- Boomers 61–79 12,899 17.3% +0.3 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 North Carolina, 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 50.4% of the people living in Franklin County and men 49.6%.
- Women 50.4% North Carolina 51.1%
- Men 49.6% North Carolina 48.9%
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 C, which means it is somewhat prosperous.
| Metric | Franklin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $74,339 | $72,438 | $80,455 |
| Income growth (%/yr) | 6.66% | 5.20% | 4.80% |
| Unemployment rate | 4.6% | 4.6% | 5.2% |
The median household income in Franklin County is about 3% higher than in North Carolina.
Housing
| Metric | Franklin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median home price | $292,591 | $278,288 | $248,835 |
| Median rent | $1,083 | $1,227 | $1,407 |
| Homeownership rate | 78.6% | 66.6% | 65.2% |
The median home price in Franklin County is about 22.5 years' worth of rent — buying at the median price costs roughly as much as paying the median rent of $1,083 per month for that long.
Commute Time & Mobility
Commuters in Franklin County spend about 65 minutes on the road round trip each working day. Over a typical 250-day work year, that adds up to roughly 269 hours, about 11.2 full days, spent commuting.
| Metric | Franklin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-way commute (min) | 32.3 | 21.9 | 22.4 |
| Round-trip commute (min) | 64.6 | 43.7 | 44.8 |
| Yearly time spent (hours) | 269 | 182 | 187 |
| Estimated yearly cost | $8,342 | $5,645 | $5,790 |
| Work from home | 12.5% | 16.3% | 15.0% |
| Highway traffic (vehicles/day) | 7,302 | 8,330 | 8,813 |
| Local road traffic (vehicles/day) | 1,435 | 1,609 | 1,355 |
Fastest commutes among counties in
North Carolina:
Macon County (17.2 min), Watauga County (17.2 min), Dare County (17.4 min).
Slowest:
Gates County (35.9 min), Currituck County (33.9 min), Tyrrell County (33.6 min).
The average commute time in Franklin County is 32 minutes, longer than the 22 minutes in North Carolina.
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 D, which means it is barely educated.
| Metric | Franklin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22.1% | 31.1% | 31.6% |
| Average household size | 2.56 | 2.44 | 2.53 |
Highest education index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.5), Wake County (0.4), Durham County (0.4).
Lowest:
Hyde County (0.2), Greene County (0.2), Tyrrell County (0.2).
Health
Franklin County has a health index of B, which means it is quite healthy.
| Metric | Franklin County | North Carolina Avg | U.S. Average |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy (years) | 77.1 | 77.1 | 78.3 |
| Self-rated poor health | 16.7% | 16.8% | 16.3% |
| Smokers | 21.0% | 20.7% | 19.0% |
Highest health index among counties in
North Carolina:
Orange County (0.8), Wake County (0.8), Watauga County (0.8).
Lowest:
Robeson County (0.8), Lenoir County (0.8), Halifax County (0.8).
Franklin County, NC Compared With Nearby Counties
Franklin County, NC is typical in size for this group, 74,421 residents against a local median of 78,543, so the measures below are close to a like for like comparison. Franklin County, NC's median home price, at $292,591, runs 84% above the $158,716 typical of the counties around it.
Commute tells the same story from another angle: 32.3 min against a local median of 21.7 min, 49% above it. The one measure here that carries a verdict is commute, and at 49% above the local median it puts Franklin County, NC at the weaker end of the local range. The counties themselves spread $316,169 on median home price, so Franklin County, NC sits at one end of an already wide local range rather than apart from it. Franklin County, NC has the 2nd highest median home price of the 5 areas compared here.
| Area | Population | Median household income | Median home price | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Franklin County, NC | 74,421 | $74,339 #2/5 | $292,591 #2/5 | 32.3 min #5/5 |
| Vance County, NC | 42,305 | $50,361 | $134,971 | 20.3 min |
| Nash County, NC | 96,212 | $64,380 | $182,462 | 20.5 min |
| Granville County, NC | 60,874 | $71,064 | $113,314 | 30.5 min |
| Wake County, NC | 1,178,613 | $105,784 | $429,483 | 22.9 min |
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Franklin County, North Carolina.
What is the population of Franklin County, North Carolina?
About 74,421 people live in Franklin County, North Carolina, in 28,530 households of 2.6 people on average. The median age is 42.1, so residents are older than the U.S. median of 37.3 by about 5 years.
Is Franklin County, North Carolina mostly urban or rural?
Averaged over its land area, Franklin County, North Carolina has 150 people per square mile, a density typical of a mix of suburbs, small towns and farmland. That is about 1.7 times the U.S. average of 86.
Is Franklin County, North Carolina an affordable place to live?
The median home costs 3.9 times the median household income ($292,591 against $74,339), compared with 3.1 times nationally. A ratio of about 3 is traditionally considered affordable. Median rent of $1,083 a month takes about 17% of the median household's income, below the 30% level at which HUD considers renters cost-burdened.
How common is a college degree in Franklin County, North Carolina?
22.1% of adults in Franklin County, North Carolina hold a bachelor's degree or higher (about 1 in 5), well below the U.S. share of 31.6%.
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