Franklin, Wisconsin

Area Profile

35,886 residents. Public schools, jobs, income, housing cost, climate and natural-hazard risk for Franklin, in Milwaukee County.

72out of 100
Area Score
Top 9% of 4,196 profiles measured

How we calculate this

How this area ranks

Data updated · 16 sources
OpportunityTop 6% of 4,199 cities measured81
SchoolsTop 14% of 4,162 cities measured79
Growth3,239th of 4,224 cities measured36
Housing affordabilityTop 44% of 4,218 cities measured69
Climate3,447th of 4,225 cities measured61
Physical resilienceTop 1% of 4,226 cities measured98
Access3,874th of 4,226 cities measured65
Economic stabilityTop 32% of 4,226 cities measured66
The quick read

Franklin ranks in the top 6% of cities measured for employment opportunity, with unemployment at 3.3% and median household income of $106,894.

Public schools test above most of the state: 55% of students met the mathematics standard, placing the area in the top 14% of published profiles for schools.

Residential permitting has slowed: 55 units authorized over the past twelve months, 27% below the prior year.

These sentences are written by fixed rules from the measurements below — a statement appears because a number crossed a stated threshold, and the values behind it are stored with it. No figure anywhere on this site is invented, estimated or inferred to fill a gap. How this works.

At a glance

Population
35,886
2024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income
$106,894
Top 15% nationally
Density
1,038/sq mi
34.6 sq mi of land
Median age
43.0
2024 ACS 5-Year
County
Wisconsin
Nearest major airport
ORD
63 mi · Chicago O'Hare Intl
Median home value
$364,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

Jobs & opportunity

Unemployment of 3.3%, lower than in 87% of the 4,226 measured US cities.

Employment grew 0.8% over the past year, to 17,423 employed residents.

44% of adults hold a four-year degree, higher than 85% of measured US cities.

Median household income of $106,894 is higher than in 85% of measured US cities.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Income of new arrivalsMilwaukee County, WI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$59,61826th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Income of those who leftMilwaukee County, WI’s figurefiling years 2022–2023$74,36455th percentileof 4,101filing years 2022–2023
Median household income ±$10,0312024 ACS 5-Year$106,894Top 15%of 29,2232024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income ±$2,9292024 ACS 5-Year$52,190Top 15%of 31,4202024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year6.8%Top 33%of 31,7732024 ACS 5-Year
Average commute ±0.9 min2024 ACS 5-Year24.7 minTop 39%of 31,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Bachelor's degree or higher ±3%2024 ACS 5-Year44.3%Top 15%of 31,9192024 ACS 5-Year
Drove alone to work ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year74.4%40th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
EmploymentJuly 202617,423Bottom 18%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (3 years)July 2026+0.5%Top 37%of 4,226July 2026
Employment change (year over year)July 2026+0.8%Top 21%of 4,226July 2026
Labor forceJuly 202618,02118th percentileof 4,226July 2026
Labor force participation ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year80.7%Top 41%of 31,5132024 ACS 5-Year
Mean annual wageMilwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$67,440Bottom 47%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Median annual wageMilwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area’s figure2025 OEWS$51,160Bottom 48%of 3,7292025 OEWS
Public transit to work ±0.2%2024 ACS 5-Year0.1%74th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment change (year over year)July 2026+0.2%Bottom 32%of 4,226July 2026
Unemployment rateJuly 20263.3%Top 13%of 4,226July 2026
Worked from home ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year16.0%78th percentileof 31,4332024 ACS 5-Year

Unemployment rate

2021/072022/072023/072024/072025/072026/073.92.2
Monthly unemployment rate from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, most recent value 3.3% in July 2026. It has been falling, over a series running from 2020-01 to 2026-07. A break in the line is a month the Bureau of Labor Statistics did not publish for this area — it is left empty rather than estimated.

Median household income, successive ACS releases

2021202220232024108k90k
Each point is a separate five-year estimate, most recently $106,894 in the 2024 ACS 5-Year. Consecutive releases share four years of sample, so AreaProfile shows them as a record of successive estimates and does not compute a year-over-year change from them.

Largest occupations — Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

OccupationPeople employedMedian annual wage
Home Health and Personal Care Aides30,090$37,020
Registered Nurses22,400$97,360
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand19,810$44,840
Retail Salespersons18,850$34,410
Fast Food and Counter Workers17,490$28,440
Cashiers15,050$30,400

Searches the 40 largest occupations here that have a published wage.

Occupational employment and wages are published for metropolitan areas rather than for individual cities or ZIP areas, so these describe the wider labor market this location sits in. 2025 OEWS, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

55% of students met the state standard in mathematics and 59% in reading, across the schools here that reported results.

There are 15.2 students for every full-time teacher across 8 public schools, fewer than in most measured places.

Public schools
8
2024-25 school year
Students per teacher
15.2
across all schools here
Math proficiency
55.3%
Top 21% in Wisconsin
Reading proficiency
58.6%
Top 9% in Wisconsin
All 8 public schools on record, largest first.
SchoolDistrictStudentsPer teacherMathReading
Franklin HighFranklin Public School District1,60516.533%53%
Forest Park MiddleFranklin Public School District1,05614.161%59%
Robinwood ElementaryFranklin Public School District43714.669%62%
Country Dale ElementaryFranklin Public School District43715.160%58%
Pleasant View ElementaryFranklin Public School District42215.679%68%
Southwood Glen ElementaryFranklin Public School District37015.480%73%
Ben Franklin ElementaryFranklin Public School District30813.464%53%
Milwaukee County Community Reintegration CenterFranklin Public School District3131.0——

22.0% of students here are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. That describes the circumstances families arrive with, not how the schools perform, so it is shown and not scored.

Public schools only, from the NCES Common Core of Data, placed by ZIP code — which schools are in this place, not which one a particular address is zoned for. A dash in a proficiency column is a gap in the federal file, not a bad result. Proficiency is measured against Wisconsin’s own standard, so it is ranked within state. How to read school figures.

Prices for everything a household buys run about 4% below the national average — the Bureau of Economic Analysis index reads 95.7, against 100 for the nation. Nationally, housing drives most of the spread between places in this index; other goods vary far less.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s house price index for the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area is up 52% over five years, and up 6.2% over the last year. It follows repeat sales of the same homes, so it measures price change rather than which homes happened to sell.

Homeowners here who pay a tax bill pay a median of $6,354 a year in real estate taxes, about 1.74% of the median home value.

HUD’s Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom, set near the 40th percentile of recent new leases, is $1,338, below the $1,458 tenants already here pay.

At HUD’s Fair Market Rent of $1,338 a month for a two-bedroom, keeping rent to 30% of income takes a household income of about $53,500 a year, about 50% of the median household income here of $106,894.

The typical renter household here spends 32% of its income on rent, above the 30% threshold at which a household is considered cost-burdened. Median gross rent runs $1,458 a month.

A median home at $364,200 costs 3.0 times the median income of its owner-occupied households, $123,120, close to the historic benchmark for an affordable market.

Cost of living
95.7

Prices here run about 4% below the national average. The spread between places is driven mostly by housing — goods vary far less — and this excludes taxes.

Published for the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area as a whole. Prices are regional — people shop, commute and rent across a metropolitan area rather than within a city boundary — so this describes the cost of living around this place better than a figure drawn to its own limits would.

Rent as a share of income
32.0%
Above the 30% cost-burdened threshold
Home price to income
3.0×
median home value ÷ owner household income
Market rent, two bedroom
$1,338
what a new lease costs · FY2026
Median gross rent
$1,458
what tenants now pay · 2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value
$364,200
2024 ACS 5-Year

The figures above are measured against Franklin’s median household income of $106,894, which describes the place rather than you. Enter your own and the ratio is recomputed against it. It stays in this browser.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Cost of living indexthe Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area’s figure202395.7Top 29%of 3,7002023
Home price change (1 year)the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+6.2%88th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (5 years)the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+51.9%84th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price change (10 years)the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI Metro Area’s figure2026 Q2+100.9%64th percentileof 4,1542026 Q2
Home price to income ±0.22024 ACS 5-Year3.0Bottom 36%of 26,8152024 ACS 5-Year
Homeownership rate ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year77.3%53rd percentileof 31,7172024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units ±4962024 ACS 5-Year14,54096th percentileof 32,1772024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, one bedroomFY2026$1,119Top 31%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, three bedroomFY2026$1,648Top 26%of 4,072FY2026
Market rent, two bedroomFY2026$1,338Top 30%of 4,072FY2026
Median gross rent ±$1182024 ACS 5-Year$1,458Bottom 21%of 23,1202024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value ±$8,5122024 ACS 5-Year$364,20079th percentileof 29,1112024 ACS 5-Year
Median property taxes ±$1132024 ACS 5-Year$6,35495th percentileof 26,4402024 ACS 5-Year
Owner household income ±$9,8082024 ACS 5-Year$123,120Top 14%of 27,5482024 ACS 5-Year
Property tax rate ±0.05%2024 ACS 5-Year1.74%87th percentileof 20,5432024 ACS 5-Year
Rent as a share of income ±6%2024 ACS 5-Year32.0%Bottom 31%of 22,9502024 ACS 5-Year
Seasonal and second homes ±212024 ACS 5-Year01st percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year
Second homes2024 ACS 5-Year0.0%1st percentileof 31,8952024 ACS 5-Year
Vacancy rate2024 ACS 5-Year2.8%25th percentileof 31,7692024 ACS 5-Year
Vacant housing units ±2122024 ACS 5-Year40287th percentileof 32,3302024 ACS 5-Year

These measures come from the same ACS release as the income they are compared with. They compare housing cost with local earnings only: transport, groceries, healthcare, insurance and taxes are not in them. How to read affordability, the two rent figures and the cost-of-living index.

Development Momentum

36/ 100
Ranks 3,239 of 4,224 published city profiles
Permitting has been falling for the last 2 years of a series running from 2020 to 2025. That is the direction of the recent run. The chart below compares the first year with the last, which can point the other way.

An AreaProfile calculation combining permit volume per resident, its direction over one and three years, population change and employment growth. Permit volume alone is not the measure.

Population has grown 1% since 2020, reaching 36,591 in 2024.

New construction is predominantly single-family: of 55 units permitted over the past twelve months, none were in buildings of five or more homes.

Federal tax returns show Milwaukee County, which contains Franklin, lost about 0.8% of its residents through moves within the US in the most recent year, counting those who arrived against those who left. Households that moved in reported an average income of $59,618, below the $74,364 of households that moved out.

At 1.5 permitted units per 1,000 residents, building activity is below the median for measured US cities.

Units permitted
55
12 months ending July 2026
Per 1,000 residents
1.5
Bottom 34% nationally
Year over year
−27%
vs the prior twelve months
Multifamily share
0.0%
units in 5+ unit buildings

Population, annual estimates

2020202120222023202437k35k
Census Population Estimates Program, July 1 of each year. These annual estimates are designed for year-over-year comparison, unlike the ACS five-year figure shown as this profile's population. It has been rising for the last 2 years, over a series running from 2020 to 2024.

People moving in and out

Net migration
−0.8%
of residents, in a year
Arrivals from another state
52%
of people moving in
Income of arrivals
$59,618
average per tax return
Income of those who left
$74,364
average per tax return

Where newcomers came from

  1. Waukesha County, WI 4,625 people · 18% of arrivals
  2. Racine County, WI 1,401 people · 5.4% of arrivals
  3. Cook County, IL 1,387 people · 5.3% of arrivals
  4. Dane County, WI 918 people · 3.5% of arrivals
  5. Ozaukee County, WI 866 people · 3.3% of arrivals

Where people who left went

  1. Waukesha County, WI 7,631 people · 24% of departures
  2. Racine County, WI 1,966 people · 6.2% of departures
  3. Ozaukee County, WI 1,489 people · 4.7% of departures
  4. Washington County, WI 1,300 people · 4.1% of departures
  5. Cook County, IL 1,073 people · 3.4% of departures

Based on the address on federal tax returns, compared with the same filers a year earlier. It counts people who file, and sees a move only when the address on a return changes. Domestic moves only: people arriving from abroad are left out. This is the figure for Milwaukee County, WI. IRS Statistics of Income, filing years 2022–2023.

Housing units permitted per year

20202021202220232024202527774
Annual totals from the Census Building Permits Survey. Permitting in 2025 was lower than 2020 (−24%).

Weather & climate

5 of the twelve months have a normal average temperature between 55°F and 80°F. July averages a high of 82°F and January a low of 17°F.

Normal annual precipitation is 34.6 inches, including 48.7 inches of snow.

Air quality measures a median index of 43, in the Good band, and about 6 days a year pass 100, the threshold at which the air is unhealthy for sensitive groups.

10°30°50°70°90°JFMAMJJASOND
Solid line: normal daily high. Dashed line: normal daily low. 1991-2020 normals from NOAA station MILWAUKEE MITCHELL AP, 7.3 miles from this location.

Precipitation

JFMAMJJASOND4.4"
Normal monthly precipitation, in inches.
MetricValueSource period
90th percentile air quality index2024 calendar year652024 calendar year
Annual precipitation1991-2020 Normals34.6"1991-2020 Normals
Annual snowfall1991-2020 Normals48.7"1991-2020 Normals
Average January low1991-2020 Normals17°F1991-2020 Normals
Average July high1991-2020 Normals82°F1991-2020 Normals
Comfortable months1991-2020 Normals51991-2020 Normals
Days above AQI 1002024 calendar year62024 calendar year
Median air quality index2024 calendar year432024 calendar year
Seasonal temperature swing1991-2020 Normals49°F1991-2020 Normals

Air quality

Median air quality index
43
Good on a typical day
Worst tenth of days
65
90th percentile index
Days above 100
6
unhealthy for sensitive groups

A comfortable median and a bad tail are different problems. Wildfire smoke and summer ozone show up in the worst tenth of days, not in the middle of the year.

Climate figures are thirty-year normals, not current conditions. Air quality is measured by EPA monitors and published by county only where a monitor sits; a county without one shows nothing rather than an estimate, and a county reading is still the county’s. How to read climate and air quality.

Physical risk

98 / 100
Physical resilience

The hazards accounting for most of this area's expected annual loss are cold wave, inland flooding and tornado, with cold wave alone responsible for 52% of it. Every one of these is independently rated low or minimal nationally — this describes how a small risk is composed, not a large one.

Overall hazard risk is lower than 99% of measured US cities.

LightningModerate

Low or minimal exposure: cold wave, heat wave, tornado, inland flooding, winter weather, strong wind, hail, earthquake, ice storm, coastal flooding, landslide, wildfire, hurricane, drought, avalanche, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Hazard ratings are AreaProfile calculations derived from the FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0 (December 2025). FEMA publishes at county level. City values are the population-weighted mean of the counties the city overlaps, using AreaProfile place-to-county land-area weights. FEMA does not endorse this presentation. Higher physical resilience means lower exposure.

Violent crime
52
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year
Property crime
990
per 100,000 residents · 2025 calendar year

Below these are deaths rather than offenses, published for the county. The two measure different things and are not comparable with each other.

Franklin's police department reported 52 violent offenses per 100,000 residents, lower than most places with a department reporting. Property crime runs at 990.

Milwaukee County records 18.7 homicide deaths per 100,000 residents a year, higher than most counties measured. The CDC does not publish this below county level.

Firearm deaths of all intents run at 24.8 per 100,000 — more than the homicide rate, since the figure counts suicides and accidents as well as homicides.

Drug overdose deaths run at 35.0 per 100,000 residents in Milwaukee County.

Homicide
18.7
per 100,000 residents
Firearm deaths, all intents
24.8
per 100,000 residents
Drug overdose
35.0
per 100,000 residents
Suicide
15.4
per 100,000 residents

Firearm deaths count every intent together, and nationally the majority are suicides rather than homicides, so the firearm figure and the homicide figure above it count some of the same deaths twice over. They overlap and should not be added together.

Offenses are reported to the FBI by Franklin’s own police department and shown only where it reported every month of the year; a partial year is withheld rather than scaled up. Reported crime is what police recorded, which is not the same as what happened. Death rates are crude rates — deaths divided by population, not adjusted for age — except where a count was too small for the CDC to publish and it modeled the rate, which the card marks. They come from provisional death certificate records, published by the CDC by county and not below it. So they describe the county around Franklin (Milwaukee County) rather than Franklin itself. Neither is part of the Area Score. How to read crime rates and death rates.

What this profile does not cover

Each of these is absent for a reason, not by oversight. The Area Score is calculated without them; the weighting is on the methodology page.

Taxes
Income and sales taxes are not published: no source covers them nationally with a method open enough to check. Property taxes are shown in the housing section but are not part of the score. The cost-of-living index above is a price level for all consumption, not a household budget, and it excludes taxes. Nothing here is individualized tax advice.
Anything about a specific address
Every figure describes an area, not a street or a house.

Access

5 major airports lie within 100 miles, the nearest Chicago O'Hare Intl at 63 miles.

MetricValueCompared nationallySource period
Broadband access ±4%2024 ACS 5-Year90.6%Top 46%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
Distance to major airportNASR current cycle63 miBottom 7%of 4,226NASR current cycle
Major airports within 100 milesNASR current cycle5Top 45%of 4,226NASR current cycle
No internet access ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year7.9%Bottom 48%of 31,5882024 ACS 5-Year
AirportCodeDistanceLongest runway
Chicago O'Hare IntlORD63 mi11,245 ft
Dane County Rgnl/Truax FldMSN69 mi9,006 ft
Wittman RgnlOSH81 mi8,002 ft

Airport identity, position and runway data come from the FAA. “Major airport” is an AreaProfile classification — a public-use civil airport with a paved runway of at least 8,000 feet — not an FAA hub designation. Distances are straight-line, not driving distance.

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Area Score
72
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—

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Other cities in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI

Same metropolitan area, measured the same way
CityCountyPopulationArea ScoreCompare
MilwaukeeMilwaukee County566,97351Milwaukee vs Franklin
WaukeshaWaukesha County71,23370Waukesha vs Franklin
West AllisMilwaukee County59,61264West Allis vs Franklin
WauwatosaMilwaukee County48,52971
BrookfieldWaukesha County41,27373
New BerlinWaukesha County40,27072
Menomonee FallsWaukesha County39,53977
GreenfieldMilwaukee County37,34561
Oak CreekMilwaukee County37,32571
West BendWashington County32,03070
MuskegoWaukesha County25,40672
MequonOzaukee County25,27075

Every city here is measured on the same scale from the same source releases, so the comparison is like for like. A higher Area Score reflects AreaProfile’s standardized weighting rather than a judgment about which is the better place to live.

Compare

Put Franklin side by side with a similar place.

Franklin vs PewaukeeFranklin vs New Berlin

Moving to Franklin from somewhere else?

You get the difference in prices, rent and weather, and the income that would keep pace.

Data & methodology

Used forSourceSource period
AccessFederal Aviation Administration
Airports (NASR) — Aeronautical Data Delivery Service
NASR current cycle
SafetyFederal Bureau of Investigation, Crime Data Explorer
Summarized offense counts by law enforcement agency
2025 calendar year
Physical riskFederal Emergency Management Agency
National Risk Index
National Risk Index December 2025 (v1.20.0)
Demographics, IncomeInternal Revenue Service, Statistics of Income Division
U.S. Population Migration Data (county to county)
filing years 2022–2023
ClimateNOAA National Centers for Environmental Information
U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (Monthly)
1991-2020 Normals
HousingU.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis
Regional price parities and county personal income
2023
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
2025 OEWS
JobsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Local Area Unemployment Statistics
July 2026
DemographicsU.S. Census Bureau
Population Estimates Program
July 1, 2024 estimate
DevelopmentU.S. Census Bureau
Building Permits Survey
12 months ending July 2026
Access, Demographics, Housing, Income, JobsU.S. Census Bureau
American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (Table-Based Summary File)
2024 ACS 5-Year
SafetyU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics
Provisional county-level mortality by intent
March 2025 to February 2026; May 2025 to April 2026
SchoolsU.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics
Common Core of Data and EDFacts assessments
2018-19 school year; 2024-25 school year
HousingU.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of Policy Development and Research
Fair Market Rents
FY2026
ClimateU.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Air Quality System
Daily Air Quality Index by county
2024 calendar year
HousingU.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency
House Price Index (traditional, all-transactions)
2026 Q2
Current conditionsNOAA National Weather Service
National Weather Service current conditions
Live observation, read when the page opens

Profile recalculated October 8, 2026. Recalculation is not the same as new source data — each figure above shows the period its source actually covers. Read the full methodology, or every source with how often each updates.

ZIP codes in Franklin

1 ZIP area

Every ZIP area in Franklin with census figures of its own, largest first. The ones linked below diverge enough from the city as a whole to carry a full profile; the rest track Franklin closely, so their figures are here rather than on a page that would repeat this one. An Area Score is calculated for published profiles only, which is why it is blank on those rows.

ZIPPopulationMedian household incomeMedian home valueArea Score
5313235,433$109,850$367,500—