What it's like to live in Franklin
Franklin is a small city in Indiana with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, unemployment below the national average, and crime rates well below the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Franklin deals with cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low unemployment
- Low crime rates
- Growing population
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Cold winters
- Car-dependent — few commuters use transit
How Franklin compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Franklin
Based on Franklin's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,372
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $47,440 a year
- 44% of Franklin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$46,300
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $23,150
- Homes cost 2.8× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 16% below US
$1,186/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,186 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $231,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $231,500 · 44% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 16% below US
3.6% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.6%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 67% below US
110 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 774/100k · Franklin Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 25 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 12% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 83°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 20°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits, rated 5.0 out of 5 by Medicare. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 23% below US
28% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
7 public schools inside the boundary
There are 7 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 16:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is William Howard Taft National Historic Site (86 miles away). There are 2 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Franklin's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are cold winters and a car-dependent commute, with few people using transit. A year of median rent ($1,186/mo) equals 17% of the median household income here, less than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and anyone prioritizing low crime. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Franklin
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