Franklin County is Changing - How Do Those Changes Impact Us?

We love our seniors! But…

It’s not just that we are losing families and adding seniors, but when we compare the US American Community Survey (ACS) data from 2010 to 2024, we are also seeing a decrease of 7% of our 35 - 44 year olds and a 5% decrease in 45 - 54 year olds. Our increase in seniors, and overall population growth is from immigration. People moving here from other states. They can afford to pay cash for a house. And we love our seniors but increase in seniors actually creates an increase in the need for service workers and that is where Franklin County is struggling. People who work in the county are struggling to afford housing on the wages they can earn int he county. This is unsustainable.

There is a term the age dependency ratio which measures the proportion of dependents, children under 15 and elderly over 64, relative to the working-age population (15–64), indicating the economic burden on the workforce. The US Average is 54.5. That means for every 100 working Americans, they are supporting 54.5 children under 15 or seniors over 64. In Franklin County, the ACS shows our age dependency ratio to be 72.7 We really do love our seniors and Franklin County is a great place to retire but we must have workers and EMS and health care to support them. In order to keep our families with children and to attract workers we must have housing they can afford.

How Much is Too Much?

Look around the county and you will see houses going up everywhere. Large, beautiful houses! Is that really what the community needs? It’s what the market will support. But that data shows that 65% of households in Franklin County consist of one or two people and yet. 68% of our houses and nearly all the houses being developed are three bedrooms or more. What’s available limits who is able to afford to purchase a home. We know that 52% of those who are employed and live in the county, leave the county for work. We also know that families with children have decreased by 16% along with those between 35 and 54 - prime working ages. So, while we ask how much is too much - perhaps that should be directed at the types of housing we are building. We are missing starter homes and housing for downsizing seniors. We have very few one-bedroom units. What would it take to ensure some of our development is designed for those who work in our county?