70,871 people (2024 Census estimate, −0.1% since 2020)
699 square miles of land · 101 people per square mile
“Highest” and “lowest” are just order, not grades: a high rank for poverty or hazard losses means more of it. Each figure's source is in its section below.
26 active community water systems list Franklin County in the area they serve, reporting 50,236 people served in all (a system that crosses county lines counts its whole population).
| GREENFIELD WATER DEPARTMENT surface water · local government · MA1114000 | 17,768 served |
| TURNERS FALLS WATER DEPT groundwater · local government · MA1192000 | 8,080 served |
| ORANGE WATER DEPT buys surface water · local government · MA1223000 | 6,526 served |
| SOUTH DEERFIELD WATER SUPPLY DISTRICT surface water · local government · MA1074001 | 3,800 served |
| SUNDERLAND WATER DISTRICT groundwater · local government · MA1289000 | 3,190 served |
| SHELBURNE FALLS FIRE DISTRICT groundwater · local government · MA1268000 | 1,806 served |
| BERNARDSTON FIRE WATER DIST groundwater · local government · MA1029000 | 1,471 served |
| DEERFIELD FIRE DISTRICT groundwater · local government · MA1074000 | 1,300 served |
Source: U.S. EPA Safe Drinking Water Information System (SDWIS), active community systems, . Look up any system's violations and test results with EPA's search using its ID.
About 186 people were held in Franklin County's jail, in Vera's latest figure (2025). In 2020 it was about 147.
Source: Vera Institute of Justice, Incarceration Trends (built from federal Bureau of Justice Statistics jail surveys). Counties without their own jail, or that share one, may show no figure.
18 school districts have their office in Franklin County. School taxes are usually the largest part of a property tax bill.
Spent $42.9 million — $38.3 million to run schools, about $25,948 per student, plus $110,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $11.3 million local (mostly property tax), $20.8 million state, $4 million federal. Long-term debt: $20.7 million.
Spent $28 million — $26.3 million to run schools, about $30,106 per student, plus $195,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.4 million local (mostly property tax), $11.3 million state, $2.3 million federal.
Spent $25.9 million — $24.9 million to run schools, about $31,210 per student, plus $136,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $15.5 million local (mostly property tax), $9.8 million state, $1.9 million federal. Long-term debt: $304,000.
Spent $18 million — $17.2 million to run schools, about $26,006 per student. Money in: $11.4 million local (mostly property tax), $6.9 million state, $1.1 million federal.
Spent $15.6 million — $15 million to run schools, about $24,259 per student, plus $140,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $10.9 million local (mostly property tax), $5.3 million state, $743,000 federal.
Spent $16.5 million — $16.3 million to run schools, about $27,008 per student, plus $127,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.8 million local (mostly property tax), $8.3 million state, $1.3 million federal.
Spent $16.6 million — $15.4 million to run schools, about $28,603 per student, plus $12,000 on buildings and equipment. Money in: $8.8 million local (mostly property tax), $8.4 million state, $1.7 million federal. Long-term debt: $700,000.
Spent $36.3 million — $9.8 million to run schools, about $18,458 per student, plus $24.9 million on buildings and equipment. Money in: $69,000 local (mostly property tax), $23.3 million state, $1.7 million federal.
And 10 more.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 Annual Survey of School System Finances. Districts are listed by the county of their main office; some serve neighboring counties too.
Source: County Health Rankings & Roadmaps 2025 (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute), which gathers federal data (CDC, Census, and others); measures cover different recent years. Blank lines aren't reported for small counties.
Overall risk: Relatively Low compared with other U.S. counties. FEMA estimates natural hazards cost Franklin County about $22.9 million a year on average in buildings, crops and lives. Ability to bounce back (community resilience): Very High; social vulnerability: Relatively Low.
Source: FEMA National Risk Index (December 2025), expected annual loss. Ratings compare counties nationwide; they're estimates, not predictions.
314 bridges in Franklin County: 99 in good condition, 176 fair, and 39 poor (12.4%). “Poor” means a main part — the deck, the beams, or the supports — is rated 4 or lower on the federal 0–9 scale. It doesn't mean unsafe to drive; unsafe bridges are closed.
| ST 2 A/MAIN ST over RR GWRR · built 1847 | 26,700 vehicles a day |
| US 5 /ST10/BNDSTN over WATER CHERRY RUM BROOK · built 1964 | 19,397 vehicles a day |
| HWY COLRAIN ST over I 91 · built 1964 | 13,319 vehicles a day |
| ST 2 A/LOWER MAIN over WATER GREEN RIVER · built 1957 | 12,396 vehicles a day |
| HWY FIFTH ST over WATER UTILITY CANAL · built 1954 | 10,000 vehicles a day |
| ST 10 CHURCH ST over WATER FALL RIVER · built 1959 | 9,900 vehicles a day |
Source: Federal Highway Administration, National Bridge Inventory (2025 submission). Includes state, county and city bridges.
Federal grants paid for $27.7 million of work in Franklin County in fiscal 2025, about $390 per resident — to the county, cities, schools, hospitals, nonprofits and others.
Source: USAspending.gov, grants by place of performance, fiscal 2025 (Oct. 2024 to Sept. 2025). Search it by county to see each award.
From Grants.gov: posted grants listing county governments as eligible, soonest deadline first; research-only and overseas programs left out; list updated 2026-10-13, refreshed weekly. 62 are open in all. Cities, towns, school districts and nonprofits have their own lists there.
State election: Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Early voting: 2026-10-17 to 2026-10-30. Last day to register to vote: 2026-10-24. Mail ballot request deadline: 2026-10-27. Election Day: 2026-11-03. Last day for mailed ballots to arrive: 2026-11-06.
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 Information for Voters, p. 4 · Cambridge Election Commission, 2026 State Election guide (return deadlines) · Mass. General Laws ch. 54, sec. 93
The budget, property tax rates, audits, local officials and offices for Franklin County come from the county's own records, which we haven't gathered — not gathered, never hidden. See what a full county site looks like, or ask to have Franklin County built: brayden.ozark@gmail.com.
More of Massachusetts: the state government and every county in Massachusetts.
Nearby counties: Hampshire County (17 mi) · Windham County, VT (29 mi) · Cheshire County, NH (29 mi) · Hampden County (31 mi) · Berkshire County (35 mi) · Worcester County (38 mi).