Best PlacesFranklin Plantation, Worcester, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Franklin Plantation, Worcester, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Several measures below read low, and the ranked lists name which ones. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
Franklin Plantation, Worcester ranks 3,129th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. Internet speeds pulls hardest against it, while it scores best on heat safety.
The best neighborhoods in Franklin Plantation, Worcester
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
Franklin Plantation, Worcester's strengths and weaknesses
Where Franklin Plantation, Worcester ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than 80% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 78% of neighborhoods
Where Franklin Plantation, Worcester ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 6% of neighborhoods
- Local economyBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,648 a month, better than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Franklin Plantation, Worcester
A household needs to earn about $88,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Franklin Plantation, Worcester home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $75,017, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses Franklin Plantation, Worcester's effective rate of 1.46%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Franklin Plantation, Worcester
Franklin Plantation, Worcester runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Franklin Plantation, Worcester.
Who works in Franklin Plantation, Worcester, and how
Work in Franklin Plantation, Worcester centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 79%
- Work from home 15%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Franklin Plantation, Worcester
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across Franklin Plantation, Worcester.
What the weather is like in Franklin Plantation, Worcester, month by month
Franklin Plantation, Worcester sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 28° | 19° |
| April | 58° | 46° | 36° |
| July | 83° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 64° | 53° | 44° |
Flying in and out of Franklin Plantation, Worcester
The nearest airport, Worcester Regional, is about 5 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 40 miles away.
The best schools in and around Franklin Plantation, Worcester
Schools across Franklin Plantation, Worcester average a D+, better than 18% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Jacob Hiatt MagnetC+ · 37% proficient
- Grafton StreetD− · 11% proficient
Top middle schools
- Worcester East MiddleF · 11% proficient
Top high schools
- North HighD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Franklin Plantation, Worcester school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Franklin Plantation, Worcester measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare Franklin Plantation, Worcester against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Franklin Plantation, Worcester
Is Franklin Plantation, Worcester a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Franklin Plantation, Worcester ranks 3,129th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, low crime, and clean air, and lowest on internet speeds and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Franklin Plantation, Worcester expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $307,609. The overall cost of living runs about 12% above the national average. Set against a $75,017 median income, cost of living beats 32% of neighborhoods.
Is Franklin Plantation, Worcester safe?
Yes, Franklin Plantation, Worcester is safer than 86% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $257 per resident a year.
Compare Franklin Plantation, Worcester with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Franklin Plantation, Worcester. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Franklin Plantation, Worcester represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
Franklin Plantation, Worcester detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Franklin Plantation, Worcester: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Franklin Plantation, Worcester: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Franklin Plantation, Worcester: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Franklin Plantation, Worcester: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Franklin Plantation, Worcester detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.