Franklin Township is a township in Warren County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's population was 2,968, a decrease of 208 (−6.5%) from the 2010 census count of 3,176, which in turn reflected an increase of 408 (+14.7%) from the 2,768 counted in the 2000 census.Table 7. Population for the Counties and Municipalities in New Jersey: 1990, 2000 and 2010, New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, February 2011. Accessed May 1, 2023.
Franklin was incorporated as a township by the New Jersey Legislature on April 8, 1839, from portions of Greenwich Township, Mansfield Township, and Oxford Township.Snyder, John P. The Story of New Jersey's Civil Boundaries: 1606-1968, Bureau of Geology and Topography; Trenton, New Jersey; 1969. p. 245. Accessed October 25, 2012. The township is named for Benjamin Franklin.Hutchinson, Viola L. The Origin of New Jersey Place Names, New Jersey Public Library Commission, May 1945. Accessed August 31, 2015.About Franklin Township, Franklin Township - Warren. Accessed August 31, 2015. "The Township of Franklin was settled during the period preceding the Revolutionary War. Its name was in honor of Benjamin Franklin."
Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township had a total area of 23.51 square miles (60.89 km2), including 23.42 square miles (60.66 km2) of land and 0.09 square miles (0.23 km2) of water (0.38%).
Asbury (with a 2020 Census population of 270), Broadway (213) and New Village (399) are unincorporated communities and census-designated places (CDPs) located within the township.GCT-PH1 - Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County -- County Subdivision and Place from the 2010 Census Summary File 1 for Warren County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2, 2013.2006-2010 American Community Survey Geography for New Jersey, United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2, 2013.New Jersey: 2010 - Population and Housing Unit Counts - 2010 Census of Population and Housing (CPH-2-32), United States Census Bureau, p. III-5, August 2012. Accessed June 2, 2013.
Other unincorporated communities, localities and place names located partially or completely within the township include Willow Grove.Locality Search, State of New Jersey. Accessed April 28, 2015.
Franklin Township borders the municipalities of Greenwich Township, Harmony Township and Washington Township in Warren County; and Bethlehem Township and Bloomsbury in Hunterdon County.Municipal Directory, Warren County, New Jersey. Accessed July 30, 2023.New Jersey Municipal Boundaries, New Jersey Department of Transportation. Accessed November 15, 2019.
Demographics
The township's economic data (as is all of Warren County) is calculated by the U.S. Census Bureau as part of the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ Metropolitan Statistical Area.Karp, Gregory. "Lehigh Valley, Warren County reunited as a metro area ** Economies, social patterns similar, federal office says.", The Morning Call, June 22, 2003. Accessed February 15, 2022. "This time, new rules for defining MSAs determined that because the Phillipsburg area was the biggest cluster of people in Warren County, the whole county should be lumped with the nearby Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton metro area."
2010 census The 2010 United States census counted 3,176 people, 1,122 households, and 885 families in the township. The population density was 132.1 per square mile (51.0/km2). There were 1,219 housing units at an average density of 50.7 per square mile (19.6/km2). The racial makeup was 94.43% (2,999) White, 1.48% (47) Black or African American, 0.13% (4) Native American, 2.33% (74) Asian, 0.00% (0) Pacific Islander, 0.19% (6) from other races, and 1.45% (46) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% (122) of the population.
Of the 1,122 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18; 70.4% were married couples living together; 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present and 21.1% were non-families. Of all households, 16.9% were made up of individuals and 6.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.21.
24.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 35.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.6 years. For every 100 females, the population had 101.9 males. For every 100 females ages 18 and older there were 100.6 males. The Census Bureau's 2006–2010 American Community Survey showed that (in 2010 inflation-adjusted dollars) median household income was $85,893 (with a margin of error of +/− $7,764) and the median family income was $98,333 (+/− $7,142). Males had a median income of $69,784 (+/− $9,633) versus $59,750 (+/− $16,881) for females. The per capita income for the borough was $38,178 (+/− $4,746). About 7.2% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.6% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.DP03: Selected Economic Characteristics from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates for Franklin township, Warren County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2, 2013.
2000 census As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 2,768 people, 972 households, and 750 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,019 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.04% White, 0.83% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.99% of the population.Census 2000 Profiles of Demographic / Social / Economic / Housing Characteristics for Franklin township, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2, 2013.DP-1: Profile of General Demographic Characteristics: 2000 - Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data for Franklin township, Warren County, New Jersey , United States Census Bureau. Accessed June 2, 2013.
There were 972 households, out of which 39.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.6% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.8% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.84 and the average family size was 3.28.
In the township, the population was spread out, with 28.8% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $69,115, and the median income for a family was $72,763. Males had a median income of $47,569 versus $31,906 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,224. About 2.4% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.9% of those under age 18 and 15.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy The Edison Portland Cement Company, a venture of Thomas Edison, was founded in 1899 in the New Village section of the township. the company went on to supply the concrete for the construction of Yankee Stadium in 1922. The company went bankrupt in the 1920s.Pries, Allison. "Jersey’s own Thomas Edison is known for a lot of inventions, but did you know he built concrete houses?", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, November 6, 2022. Accessed October 9, 2024. "He found he could sell the debris from the rock crushing to cement manufacturers and by 1899 decided to go into the cement business himself, establishing the Edison Portland Cement Company in New Village, part of Franklin Township in Warren County, according to the Thomas A. Edison Papers Project, a research center at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences....Cement became a more popular building material in the early 1900s and Edison’s was used to build the first concrete highway in New Jersey in 1912 in Franklin Township and the original Yankee Stadium in 1922."
Government Local government Franklin Township is governed under the Township form of New Jersey municipal government, one of 141 municipalities (of the 564) statewide that use this form, the second-most commonly used form of government in the state.Inventory of Municipal Forms of Government in New Jersey , Rutgers University Center for Government Studies, July 1, 2011. Accessed June 1, 2023.Cerra, Michael F. "Forms of Government: Everything You've Always Wanted to Know, But Were Afraid to Ask", New Jersey State League of Municipalities, March 2007. Accessed January 1, 2025. The Township Committee is comprised of five members, who are elected directly by the voters at-large in partisan elections to serve three-year terms of office on a staggered basis, with either one or two seats coming up for election each year as part of the November general election in a three-year cycle.2012 New Jersey Legislative District Data Book, Rutgers University Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, March 2013, p. 8."Forms of Municipal Government in New Jersey" , p. 7. Rutgers University Center for Government Studies. Accessed June 1, 2023. At an annual reorganization meeting, the Township Committee selects one of its members to serve as Mayor and another to serve as Deputy Mayor.
, members of the Franklin Township Committee are Mayor Sarah Payne (R, term on committee ends December 31, 2028; term as mayor ends 2026), Deputy Mayor Bonnie Butler (R, term on committee ends and as deputy mayor ends 2026), David Guth (R, 2027), Richard Herzer (R, 2028) and Michael Toretta (R, 2027).Township Committee, Franklin Township. Accessed February 26, 2026.2024 Municipal User Friendly Budget, Franklin Township. Accessed February 26, 2026.Warren County Summary Results Report Official Results 2025 General Election - 11-4-2025, Warren County, New Jersey, published November 17, 2025. Accessed January 1, 2026.Summary Results Report 2024 General Election November 5, 2024 Official Results, Warren County, New Jersey, updated November 21, 2024. Accessed January 1, 2025.Warren County 2023 General Election November 21, 2023 Official Results, Warren County, New Jersey, published November 29, 2023. Accessed January 1, 2024.
In 2018, the township had an average property tax bill of $9,022, the highest in the county, compared to an average bill of $8,767 statewide.Marcus, Samantha. "These are the towns with the highest property taxes in each of N.J.’s 21 counties", NJ Advance Media for NJ.com, April 22, 2019. Accessed November 5, 2019. "The average property tax bill in New Jersey was $8,767 last year. But there can be big swings from town to town and county to county.... The average property tax bill in Franklin Township was $9,022 in 2018, the highest in Warren County."
Federal, state, and county representation Franklin Township is located in the 7th Congressional DistrictPlan Components Report, New Jersey Redistricting Commission, December 23, 2011. Accessed February 1, 2020. and is part of New Jersey's 23rd state legislative district.Municipalities Sorted by 2011-2020 Legislative District, New Jersey Department of State. Accessed February 1, 2020.2019 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed October 30, 2019.Districts by Number for 2011-2020, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed January 6, 2013. Prior to the 2010 Census, Franklin Township had been part of the , a change made by the New Jersey Redistricting Commission that took effect in January 2013, based on the results of the November 2012 general elections.2011 New Jersey Citizen's Guide to Government , p. 57, New Jersey League of Women Voters. Accessed May 22, 2015.