Franklin County
Regional Housing Study Dashboard

FRCOG has launched a planning process to understand the local housing landscape and develop strategies and solutions that help meet current and projected needs across income levels. As a first step, FRCOG commissioned a housing study to gauge housing supply and demand across the county. This summer, FRCOG begins extensive community engagement to share findings from the study and promote ideas and recommendations that can help Franklin County communities expand the housing supply to better meet the needs of local residents.

Though Franklin County’s population is expected to decline over the next several years, the number of households will continue increasing, driving ongoing need for more housing units across the region. The phenomenon of declining population combined with growing household counts and increased housing demand is not unique to Franklin County.

Many parts of the country are experiencing similar trends which are driven by two simultaneous factors: 1) larger families have fragmented into multiple households as children grow up and move out to form their own households. 2) household size is shrinking as seniors increasing live as empty nester couples or singles and their adult children have fewer children of their own.

The housing study observed significant shortages of affordable housing across Franklin County. There are not enough units priced at levels affordable to low-income and low-income households. On the other hand, there are more than enough units affordable to moderate-income and middle-income households. However, this misalignment between incomes and housing prices creates competition for the limited units available such that, in practice, most lower- and middle-income households likely feel the supply does not meet demand overall.

Prior to the pandemic, homeownership was financially attainable to the average household in Franklin County: until 2022, a household earning the area’s median income could generally afford the area’s median home price. However, as housing markets have tightened, prices increased, and interest rates risen, an affordability gap has emerged that continues to trend in the wrong direction. As of this summer, a household earning the median area income falls $200k short of being able to afford the current median home price.

Franklin County’s population is expected to dramatically shift toward older households over the coming years. Between 2010 and 2027, the 65+ age group will grow by over 7,000 households while nearly all other age groups shrink substantially.

As the population ages and families have fewer children, local school enrollment has declined in nearly all county districts. More growth is needed - including new families with kids - to keep schools operating efficiently and avoid closures or consolidation.

To meet the changing needs of Franklin County’s current and future households, Franklin County needs more housing units of a greater variety than currently exist in most local communities. In general, residents need more compact and efficient units suitable to smaller households that are more likely to include seniors. Options should include both rental and ownership across housing types.

GIven the high cost of construction and limited availability of development sites in many local communities, housing production should also include retrofitting existing structures.

Many of the most effective solutions to today’s housing challenges start with new policies at the local level. This requires action and engagement by community members interested in seeing change. To help make a difference, residents should get involved in the policymaking discourse through, for example, joining or contributing to planning boards, advocating at town meetings, participating in local planning activities, and writing letters to lawmakers and newspapers.