What it's like to live in Franklin
Franklin is a small city in Ohio with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, 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 household incomes below the national average, college degree attainment below the national average, larger class sizes than the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Low crime rates
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
- Smaller place — fewer dining and entertainment options
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
$1,962
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $39,240 a year
- 45% of Franklin renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$36,620
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,310
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 31% below US
$981/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $981 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $183,100. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $183,100 · 45% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
4.1% county unemployment
Unemployment in Warren County is 4.1%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Warren County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 48% below US
189 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 2500/100k · Franklin Police Department · 2024 data
Getting around▼ 11% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.1 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are warm, with highs around 84°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 23°F and snow a regular occurrence. Rainfall is regular throughout the year.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Education & workforce▼ 56% below US
16% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary. The student-to-teacher ratio is 19:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park (19 miles away). There are 4 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 household incomes below the national average and college degree attainment below the national average. A year of median rent ($981/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as 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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