Franklin County was created on June 24, 1811, from the northern third ofHampshire County. It was named forBenjamin Franklin.[3] Franklin County's government was abolished by the state government in 1997, at the county's request.[4]
Like several other Massachusetts counties, Franklin County exists today only as a geographic region and has no county government. The Franklin County Commission voted itself out of existence, and all former state-mandated county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1997. The sheriff and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county region. Counties in Massachusetts and New England generally are historically weak governmental structures.[5]The primary subdivision of the Commonwealth is the municipal town. Communities are permitted to form regional compacts for sharing services. The municipalities of Franklin County have formed the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.[6] The regional council provides various services on a regional basis, and a majority of the county's towns are members of the Franklin County Solid Waste Management District, which provides municipal waste disposal and recycling services to its members. Public transportation throughout the county and in the North Quabbin area of northwestern Worcester County is provided by the Franklin Regional Transit Authority.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 724.57 square miles (1,876.6 km2), of which 699 square miles (1,810 km2) is land,25 square miles (65 km2) and (3.5%) is water.[9] Central and southern Franklin County is dominated by the northern end of thePioneer Valley, with steep hills rising on either side of theConnecticut River.
The high point of Franklin County isCrum Hill, 2,841 feet (866 m), located in the town ofMonroe.
The climate in Franklin County is typically cool temperate. The area is also somewhat maritime, with relatively high year-round precipitation. Summers are warm and humid with frequent evening storms, and winters are cool to cold with frequent snow and subfreezing (below 31 °F) temperatures.
At the2000 census there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families in the county. The population density was 102 inhabitants per square mile (39/km2). There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile (18/km2). Theracial makeup of the county was 95.40%White, 0.89%Black orAfrican American, 0.29%Native American, 1.04%Asian, 0.03%Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 1.99%.[17] wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 16.2% were ofEnglish, 12.2%Irish, 12.0%Polish, 10.2%French, 7.0%French Canadian, 6.7%German, 6.1%Italian and 6.0%American ancestry according toCensus 2000. Most of those claiming to be of "American" ancestry are actually of English descent, but have family that has been in the country for so long, in many cases since the early seventeenth century that they choose to identify simply as "American".[18][19][20][21][22] 94.5% spokeEnglish and 1.8%Spanish as their first language.
Of the 29,466 households 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.9% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 29.0% of households were one person and 10.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.95.
The age distribution was 23.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median household income was $40,768 and the median family income was $50,915. Males had a median income of $36,350 versus $27,228 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,672. About 6.5% of families and 9.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.
At the2010 census, there were 71,372 people, 30,462 households, and 18,317 families in the county.[23] The population density was 102.1 inhabitants per square mile (39.4/km2). There were 33,758 housing units at an average density of 48.3 per square mile (18.6/km2).[24] Theracial makeup of the county was 94.2% white, 1.3% Asian, 1.1% black, 0.3% American Indian, 1.0% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.2% of the population.[23] The largest ancestry groups were:[25]
Of the 30,462 households, 26.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.8% were married couples living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 39.9% were non-families, and 30.5% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 44.2 years.[23]
The median household income was $52,002 and the median family income was $65,760. Males had a median income of $45,480 versus $37,309 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,544. About 7.7% of families and 11.3% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 14.8% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.[26]
Population density of Franklin County by census block (2020)[27]
The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[28][29][30]
^United States Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (1981).State and Local Roles in the Federal System: A Commission Report. US Government Printing Office. p. 19.In New England the state and municipalities/townships were most prominent; counties drew almost a complete blank, reflecting their historically weak or non-existent position in that region.
^Reynolds Farley, 'The New Census Question about Ancestry: What Did It Tell Us?',Demography, Vol. 28, No. 3 (August 1991), pp. 414, 421.
^Stanley Lieberson and Lawrence Santi, 'The Use of Nativity Data to Estimate Ethnic Characteristics and Patterns',Social Science Research, Vol. 14, No. 1 (1985), pp. 44-6.
^Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters, 'Ethnic Groups in Flux: The Changing Ethnic Responses of American Whites',Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 487, No. 79 (September 1986), pp. 82-86.
^Mary C. Waters,Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1990), p. 36.
