Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety90#1,521/15,637
Economy99#130/15,631
Housing69#4,591/14,977
Health92#1,213/15,609
Healthcare94#887/15,650
Environment53#7,291/15,453
Education99#230/15,649
Infrastructure90#1,512/15,650
Community88#1,892/15,651
Leisure & amenities77#3,550/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Franklin, Tennessee ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Williamson County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Child care cost burden · low12.3%
100/100Tennessee 22.4%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWilliamson County value
Reading scores · high3.74
100/100Tennessee 2.99United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWilliamson County value
Math scores · high3.80
100/100Tennessee 2.99United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteWilliamson County value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.9 /10k
99/100Tennessee 1.2 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWilliamson County value
Arts, entertainment and recreation · high15.2 /10k
98/100Tennessee 5.5 /10kUnited States 5.5 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWilliamson County value
Hospital quality rating · high5.0
98/100Tennessee 3.1United States 3.2Jul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesWilliamson County value

Weaknesses

Distance to an Amtrak station · high122 mi
7/100Tennessee 93 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauWilliamson County value
Home price to income ratio · high5.9×
11/100Tennessee 4.1×United States 4.1×2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B25077
Public libraries · low0.3 /10k
17/100Tennessee 0.4 /10kUnited States 0.5 /10k2024Institute of Museum and Library ServicesWilliamson County value
High ozone days · high3 days
21/100Tennessee 2 daysUnited States 7 days2022Centers for Disease Control and Prevention · U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyWilliamson County value
Grocery stores · low1.2 /10k
23/100Tennessee 1.4 /10kUnited States 1.7 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsWilliamson County value
Comfortable days · low24.1%
27/100Tennessee 25.3%United States 26.8%2016-2025NOAA National Centers for Environmental InformationWilliamson County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

PopulationRising
77,939 (2015-2019) → 87,133 (2020-2024)
+12%5 yearsCensus table B01003US 328,329,953 → 340,003,797
Home price to income ratioWorsening
4.2× (2015-2019) → 5.9× (2020-2024)
+41%5 yearsCensus table B25077US 3.5× → 4.1×
New homes permittedWorsening
14.5 /1k (2021) → 8.8 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−39%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
40.8% (2015-2019) → 47.1% (2020-2024)
+6.3 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Child poverty rateImproving
8.2% (2015-2019) → 3.6% (2020-2024)
−4.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Median household incomeImproving
$98,231 (2015-2019) → $119,528 (2020-2024)
+22%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Franklin, Tennessee improved on 6 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 1. 6 moved within the margin of error and 1 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved6

Child poverty−4.6 points8.2% → 3.6%
Unemployment−1 points3.2% → 2.2%
Uninsured−1.8 points7.0% → 5.3%
Poverty−2 points6.6% → 4.6%
Household income+22%$98,231 → $119,528

Declined1

Price / income+1.7×4.2× → 5.9×

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Franklin, Tennessee between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.3 min2015-2019	23.9 min2020-2024	−1.4 min	Within the margin of error	64%
Bachelor's degree or higher	61.5%2015-2019	64.5%2020-2024	+3 points	Within the margin of error	51%
Broadband subscriptions	91.9%2015-2019	96.0%2020-2024	+4.1 points	Improved	26%
Child poverty rate	8.2%2015-2019	3.6%2020-2024	−4.6 points	Improved	67%
Effective property tax rate	0.58%2015-2019	0.39%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Little change	56%
High school diploma or higher	95.1%2015-2019	95.5%2020-2024	+0.5 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Home price to income ratio	4.2×2015-2019	5.9×2020-2024	+1.7×	Declined	6%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4252015-2019	0.4342020-2024	+0.009	Within the margin of error	42%
Median household income	$98,2312015-2019	$119,5282020-2024	+22%	Improved	36%
Poverty rate	6.6%2015-2019	4.6%2020-2024	−2 points	Improved	62%
Rent as share of income	26.6%2015-2019	28.7%2020-2024	+2.1 points	Within the margin of error	39%
Rent-burdened households	40.8%2015-2019	47.1%2020-2024	+6.3 points	Within the margin of error	34%
Unemployment rate	3.2%2015-2019	2.2%2020-2024	−1 points	Improved	69%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	7.0%2015-2019	5.3%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Improved	67%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Franklin, Tennessee five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Franklin, Tennessee in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Franklin, Tennessee itself moved −3.7 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

87,133 residents (±73)

Men
Women

80 and over
70–79
60–69
50–59
40–49
30–39
20–29
10–19
Under 10

Share of all residents, each sex

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: 40–49 men (+1.1 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B01001View table on data.census.gov

Race and Hispanic origin

87,133 residents (±73)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

White74%64,787
Black5.3%4,575
Hispanic or Latino8.1%7,052

Education

59,436 residents (±1,024)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

No high school diploma4.5%2,646
High school or GED12%6,885
Some college14%8,165

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

33,998 households (±825)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $25k6.2%2,094
$25k–50k12%3,953
$50k–75k13%4,400
$75k–100k11%3,686
$100k–150k21%7,178
$150k–200k13%4,289
$200k or more25%8,398

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: $200k or more (+9.3 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B19001View table on data.census.gov

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

33,998 households (±825)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Own64%21,687
Rent36%12,311

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Own (−2.6 points).

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B25003View table on data.census.gov

Rent paid

12,054 households (±765)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $7505.1%†613
$750–1,0001.5%†183
$1,000–1,5008.8%1,057

Home values

21,687 homes (±776)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under $150k2.4%†517
$150k–250k2.4%†519
$250k–400k6.2%1,341

Age of homes

36,239 homes (±718)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

2010 or later32%11,671
2000–200921%7,721
1980–199934%12,240

Size of homes

36,239 homes (±718)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Studio2.1%†752
1 bedroom11%4,052
2 bedrooms24%8,614

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

46,072 workers (±1,158)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Drive alone62%28,497
Carpool5.5%2,551
Public transit0.1%†54
Walk0.8%†366
Bike0.1%†60
Work from home30%14,003
Other1.2%†541

Biggest shift since 2015–2019: Work from home (+20.3 points).

† Wide margin of error (more than 30% of the estimate): read with care.

Table view

American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024 · Table B08301View table on data.census.gov

Time to get to work

32,069 workers (±1,439)

Franklin, Tennessee
Tennessee share

Under 15 min28%9,063
15–29 min38%12,223
30–44 min21%6,834

Counts are survey estimates, each with a margin of error. The grouping into ranges is ours; every count is the Census Bureau's.

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Williamson County, the county holding most of Franklin's residents.

Williamson County has 8,707 employer establishments, 329 for every 10,000 residents (1.32× the US rate of 248; 1.57× Tennessee's), with 149,544 paid employees at an average annual pay of $78,308. The Census Bureau also counts 35,479 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 8,707; 35,479 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 329; US 248 · Tennessee 210
Paid employees: 149,544
Average annual pay: $78,308; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Williamson County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Ambulatory health care services	814	30.7	1.47×More than typical	18,950	$96,307	1,836
Restaurants and other eating places	518	19.6	1.06×About typical	12,414	$25,474	92
Lessors of real estate	443	16.7	1.36×More than typical	3,163	$93,420	5,044
Management, scientific and technical consulting	435	16.4	2.45×More than typical	3,147	$105,397	2,753
Specialty trade contractors	335	12.6	0.82×About typical	4,547	$69,220	1,186
Construction of buildings	305	11.5	1.52×More than typical	2,774	$115,171	739
Offices of physicians	283	10.7	1.65×More than typical	6,674	$83,357	611
Insurance agencies and brokerages	251	9.5	2.16×More than typical	3,403	$98,198	748
Services to buildings and dwellings	241	9.1	1.35×More than typical	1,836	$50,735	944
Computer systems design and related services	228	8.6	1.99×More than typical	3,042	$99,739	521
Offices of other health practitioners	227	8.6	1.41×More than typical	5,284	$93,972	913
Religious organizations	226	8.5	1.54×More than typical	2,969	$32,650	—

Rank places for an industry Open Williamson County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 264,898 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $17.8M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Franklin, Tennessee: $204 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $17.8M; +355% vs FY2025
Per resident: $204; US $1,994
Sole-source: 66%; US 30%
Single offer: 8.5%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Federal Prison System / Bureau of Prisons$11.1M62%
Department of Veterans Affairs$2.9M16%
U.S. Customs and Border Protection$1.2M6.6%
Federal Highway Administration$801.8K4.5%
U.S. Coast Guard$783.1K4.4%
Department of the Army$407.3K2.3%
Department of the Navy$259.6K1.5%
Federal Acquisition Service$165.9K0.9%

Top recipients

Spending by fiscal year

2.4MFY2017
1.8MFY2018
1.3MFY2019
4.2MFY2020
6.1MFY2021
5.6MFY2022
5MFY2023
7.1M

Top industries (NAICS)

General medical and surgical hospitals · 6221$10.5M59%
Software publishers · 5132$1.2M6.9%
Computer and peripheral equipment manufacturing · 3341$1.2M6.7%
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing · 3345$1.2M6.6%
Machinery, equipment, and supplies merchant wholesalers · 4238$1.1M6.2%
Highway, street, and bridge construction · 2373

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Franklin, Tennessee, so they do not add up across cities.

Franklin, Tennessee's figures are part of those of Williamson County, TN ($194.5M in FY2026), never added to them: 9.1% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Franklin is mostly in Williamson County.

See federal money in Williamson County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Franklin, Tennessee is split between congressional districts: each representative is shown with the share of its residents in their district (current boundaries).

House

Senate

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Williamson County96100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN57

Other cities and towns in Williamson County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/4727740

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends