City · Franklin city, Virginia

Franklin, Virginia

Franklin is a city in Franklin city, Virginia. It has 8,250 residents. Franklin, Virginia has a quality-of-life score of 32 out of 100 (low), ranking #10,674 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Virginia it ranks #331 of 375 cities and towns. It ranks best on distance to an emergency room (low), pharmacies (high) and gyms and fitness centers (high). It ranks worst on life expectancy (low), premature death (high) and reading scores (low).

32Low

Quality-of-life score: #10,674 of 15,651 cities and towns
Virginia: #331 of 375 in VA
Population: 8,250 (2020-2024)
Land area: 8 mi²
Density: 996.7 /mi²
FIPS code: 5129600

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 70 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

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

Safety4#15,057/15,637
Economy16#13,155/15,631
Housing43#8,539/14,977
Health11#13,906/15,609
Healthcare80#3,114/15,650
Environment60#6,257/15,453
Education29#11,078/15,649
Infrastructure39#9,566/15,650
Community64#5,621/15,651
Leisure & amenities58#6,539/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Franklin, Virginia ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Franklin city 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

Distance to an emergency room · low2.3 mi
99/100Virginia 5.8 miUnited States 5.5 miJul 2026Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesFranklin city value
Pharmacies · high3.5 /10k
98/100Virginia 1.7 /10kUnited States 1.8 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin city value
Gyms and fitness centers · high2.4 /10k
96/100Virginia 1.6 /10kUnited States 1.3 /10k2025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin city value
Social associations · high15.6 /10k
93/100Virginia 11.1 /10kUnited States 9.1 /10k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value
Access to exercise opportunities · high98.0%
92/100Virginia 83.8%United States 84.5%2022 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value
Primary care physicians · high109 /100k
87/100Virginia 76 /100kUnited States 76 /100k2022University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value

Weaknesses

Life expectancy · low67.1 yrs
1/100Virginia 77.8 yrsUnited States 77.6 yrs2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value
Premature death · high18,784 /100k
1/100Virginia 7,587 /100kUnited States 8,123 /100k2021-2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value
Reading scores · low2.41
1/100Virginia 3.16United States 3.052019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value
Math scores · low2.32
1/100Virginia 3.27United States 3.032019University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value
Average weekly wage · low$839
2/100Virginia $1,540United States $1,5142025U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsFranklin city value
Food environment index · low5.6
2/100Virginia 8.9United States 7.62019 & 2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteFranklin city value

Trends

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

Broadband subscriptionsImproving
72.9% (2015-2019) → 92.2% (2020-2024)
+19 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
Median household incomeImproving
$40,417 (2015-2019) → $63,245 (2020-2024)
+56%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Child poverty rateWorsening
22.7% (2015-2019) → 31.4% (2020-2024)
+8.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Bachelor's degree or higherImproving
19.1% (2015-2019) → 27.3% (2020-2024)
+8.2 pts5 yearsCensus table B15003US 32.1% → 35.7%
Unemployment rateImproving
13.6% (2015-2019) → 7.9% (2020-2024)
−5.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B23025US 3.7% → 4.0%
Poverty rateWorsening
14.7% (2015-2019) → 19.3% (2020-2024)
+4.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 12.3% → 12.1%

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, Virginia improved on 4 of 14 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 10 moved within the margin of error and 0 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.

Improved4

Broadband+19 points72.9% → 92.2%
Household income+56%$40,417 → $63,245
Uninsured−4.5 points8.0% → 3.5%
Bachelor's++8.2 points19.1% → 27.3%

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 14 measures

Change of every measure of Franklin, Virginia between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	25.0 min2015-2019	23.3 min2020-2024	−1.6 min	Within the margin of error	67%
Bachelor's degree or higher	19.1%2015-2019	27.3%2020-2024	+8.2 points	Improved	85%
Broadband subscriptions	72.9%2015-2019	92.2%2020-2024	+19 points	Improved	89%
Child poverty rate	22.7%2015-2019	31.4%2020-2024	+8.7 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Effective property tax rate	0.82%2015-2019	0.81%2020-2024	−0 points	Within the margin of error	17%
High school diploma or higher	86.3%2015-2019	86.2%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	32%
Home price to income ratio	4.1×2015-2019	4.1×2020-2024	−0.0×	Within the margin of error	79%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4332015-2019	0.4262020-2024	−0.007	Within the margin of error	57%
Median household income	$40,4172015-2019	$63,2452020-2024	+56%	Improved	89%
Poverty rate	14.7%2015-2019	19.3%2020-2024	+4.7 points	Within the margin of error	13%
Rent as share of income	32.8%2015-2019	32.7%2020-2024	−0.1 points	Within the margin of error	56%
Rent-burdened households	54.2%2015-2019	53.8%2020-2024	−0.4 points	Within the margin of error	58%
Unemployment rate	13.6%2015-2019	7.9%2020-2024	−5.7 points	Within the margin of error	97%
Uninsured residents (under 65)	8.0%2015-2019	3.5%2020-2024	−4.5 points	Improved	85%

“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, Virginia five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Franklin, Virginia 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, Virginia itself moved +9.1 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

8,250 residents

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79
60–69

Income

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

Household income

3,454 households (±229)

Franklin, Virginia
Virginia share

Under $25k21%719
$25k–50k19%†664
$50k–75k19%646

Homes

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

Owners and renters

3,454 households (±229)

Franklin, Virginia
Virginia share

Own54%1,861
Rent46%1,593

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

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

How people get to work

3,196 workers (±323)

Franklin, Virginia
Virginia share

Drive alone84%2,699
Carpool4.1%†130
Public transit0.0%0

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 Franklin city, the county holding most of Franklin's residents.

Franklin city has 263 employer establishments, 316 for every 10,000 residents (1.27× the US rate of 248; 1.31× Virginia's), with 3,369 paid employees at an average annual pay of $30,232. The Census Bureau also counts 524 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 263; 524 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 316; US 248 · Virginia 241
Paid employees: 3,369
Average annual pay: $30,232; US $68,342

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

Ambulatory health care services	43	51.7	2.48×More than typical	617	$34,190	43
Restaurants and other eating places	23	27.6	1.50×More than typical	416	$16,986	—
Home health care services	14	16.8	13.9×More than typical	394	$20,180	22
Offices of other health practitioners	13	15.6	2.57×More than typical	84	$40,679	14
Lessors of real estate	12	14.4	1.17×About typical	26	$34,115	50
Limited-service restaurants	12	14.4	1.80×More than typical	271	$16,162	—
Full-service restaurants	10	12	1.56×More than typical	145	$18,490	—
Insurance agencies and brokerages	10	12	2.74×More than typical	42	$61,405	7
Gasoline stations	9	10.8	3.34×Too few to compare	95	$26,526	—
Offices of physicians	9	10.8	1.67×Too few to compare	89	$77,820	5
Automotive repair and maintenance	7	8.4	1.67×Too few to compare	18	$39,111	8
Personal care services	7	8.4	1.76×Too few to compare	15	$20,133	50

Rank places for an industry Open Franklin city

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

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 8,323 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 $2.3M of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Franklin, Virginia: $280 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $2.3M; +1,425% vs FY2025
Per resident: $280; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; 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

Department of the Army$2M86%
Department of the Air Force$179.6K7.8%
Federal Highway Administration$134.8K5.8%

Top recipients

NANTRAK TACTICAL LLC$2.2M94%
CES CONSULTING, LLC$134.8K5.8%

Spending by fiscal year

16.4KFY2017
12.7KFY2018
508.8KFY2019
36.9KFY2020
989.8KFY2021
109.9KFY2022
249.9KFY2023
3.2MFY2024

Top industries (NAICS)

Scientific research and development services · 5417$2.2M94%
Architectural, engineering, and related services · 5413$134.8K5.8%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Franklin, Virginia

A254-P030 - 40MM ELECTRONIC EFFECTS PAYLOADS$2M
NANTRAK TACTICAL LLC· Franklin city, VA· Research & development· Jan 29, 2026 – Jan 29, 2026· W5170126CA039
TANGOTRAK 40MM SATELLITE NAVIGATION WARFARE AND COMMUNICATIONS DECOY ELECTRONIC WARFARE PROJECTILES$1.8M
NANTRAK TACTICAL LLC· Franklin city, VA· Research & development· Jul 1, 2024 – Mar 31, 2026· FA864924P0523
TANGOTRAK ELECTRONIC WARFARE SYSTEM$179.9K
NANTRAK TACTICAL LLC· Franklin city, VA· Research & development· Mar 30, 2026 – Mar 30, 2026· FA238526PB003
THE PURPOSE OF THIS CONTRACT ACTION IS TO PROCURE THE SERVICES OF CONSTRUCTION INSPECTION SERVICES, CONSTRUCTION INSPECTOR LEVEL II FOR PROJECT BLRI PVT PRES FY25(1). THIS ACTION IS IN COMPLIANCE WITH 23 U.S.C. 109 AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION UNDER 23 CFR

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, Virginia, so they do not add up across cities.

Franklin, Virginia's figures are part of those of Franklin city, VA ($2.3M in FY2026), never added to them: 99.8% of that total.

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

See federal money in Franklin city

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, Virginia is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Jennifer A. KiggansR-VA-2 · 100% of residentsWith party 95%Missed 1.8%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

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

Franklin city39100% of residents

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/5129600

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends