Franklin County is a county in Pennsylvania, United States, in the south-central part of the state along the Maryland line. It had a population of 155,932 at the 2020 census and covers 773 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 772 square miles is land, centred near 39°56′N 77°43′W.
Chambersburg is the county seat, and its postal code is 17201. The county has 7 boroughs, 15 townships, and dozens of unincorporated villages and crossroads communities. Franklin County sits in the Eastern time zone and was organised on September 9, 1784, taken from Cumberland County.
Towns & Villages in Franklin County
Franklin County’s incorporated places are its 7 boroughs — Chambersburg, Waynesboro, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Mont Alto, Orrstown, and Shippensburg (Shippensburg’s borough limits mostly lie in neighboring Cumberland County, with only a small southern edge in Franklin). Everything else on the list below is an unincorporated village, hamlet, or crossroads inside one of the county’s 15 townships — most have no separate census population.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chambersburg | City · seat | — | — | 17201 |
| Waynesboro | Town | — | — | 17268 |
| Greencastle | Town | — | — | 17225 |
| Mercersburg | Town | — | — | 17236 |
| Mont Alto | Town | Quincy | — | 17237 |
| Orrstown | Town | Southampton | — | 17244 |
| Shippensburg | Town | Southampton | — | 17257 |
| Altenwald | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Amberson | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Amberson Valley Estates | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Aqua | Unincorp. | Greene | — | — |
| Bear Lick | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Beartown | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Biesecker Gap | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Bino | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Blue Ridge Summit | CDP | Washington | — | 17214 |
| Boggstown | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Brown Mills | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Brownsville | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Buchanan Summit | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Buena Vista Springs | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Caledonia Park | Unincorp. | Quincy | — | — |
| Carlton Heights | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Carrick Valley | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Cashtown | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Charlestown | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Charmian | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Cheesetown | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Church Hill | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Clay Hill | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Claylick | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Cold Spring | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Concord | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Coseytown | Unincorp. | Warren | — | — |
| Cove Gap | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Cowans Village | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Cress | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Culbertson | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Dickey | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Doylesburg | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Doylestown | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Dry Run | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Duffield | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Dutchtown | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| East Fayetteville | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Eastland Hills | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Edenville | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Elbrook | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Fairview | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Falling Spring | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Fannettsburg | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Fayetteville | CDP | Guilford | — | 17222 |
| Five Forks | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Fort Loudon | Unincorp. | Peters | — | 17224 |
| Fox Hill | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Franklin Furnace | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Freestone | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Germantown | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Glen Forney | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Green Village | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Greendale | Unincorp. | Greene | — | — |
| Greenwood | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Guilford | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Guilford Hills | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Guilford Siding | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Guilford Springs | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Hamilton Heights | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Housum | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Johnston | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Jugtown | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Kasiesville | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Kauffman | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Keefers | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Kensington Heights | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Knepper | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Laurel Grove | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Ledy | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Lemasters | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Lenwood Heights | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Lurgan | Unincorp. | Lurgan | — | — |
| Mainsville | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| Maple Grove | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Marion | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | 17235 |
| Markes | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Mason and Dixon | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| McKinney | Unincorp. | Warren | — | — |
| Mercersburg Junction | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Metal | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Midvale | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Milnor | Unincorp. | Warren | — | — |
| Mongul | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| Monterey | Unincorp. | Quincy | — | — |
| Mount Rock | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Mount Union | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Mountain Green | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Mowersville | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| New Franklin | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Newbridge | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Nicodemus | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Nova | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| Nunnery | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Nyesville | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Old Forge | Unincorp. | Quincy | — | — |
| Otterbein | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Pen Mar | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Pennersville | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Pinola | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Pleasant Hall | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | 17264 |
| Pleasant View | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Polktown | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| Pond Bank | Unincorp. | Greene | — | — |
| Quincy | Unincorp. | Quincy | — | — |
| Quinsonia | Unincorp. | Greene | — | — |
| Red Bridge | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Richmond Furnace | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Roadside | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Rockdale | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Rouzerville | Unincorp. | Washington | — | 17250 |
| Roxbury | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Saint Thomas | Unincorp. | St. Thomas | — | 17252 |
| Salem | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Sandy Hook | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Scotland | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | 17254 |
| Shady Grove | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Shimpstown | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Slabtown | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Smoketown | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Social Island | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| South Mountain | Unincorp. | Quincy | — | — |
| Spring Run | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | 17262 |
| Springtown | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| State Line | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| Stony Point | Unincorp. | Warren | — | — |
| Stoufferstown | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Sweetwater | Unincorp. | Peters | — | — |
| Sylvan | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Tomstown | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Turkeyfoot | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Tuscarora Summit | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | — |
| Upper Strasburg | Unincorp. | Letterkenny | — | — |
| Upton | Unincorp. | Metal | — | — |
| Vanilla | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Waterloo | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Wayne Heights | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Waynecastle | Unincorp. | Washington | — | — |
| Welsh Run | Unincorp. | Montgomery | — | — |
| West Fayetteville | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| West Hamilton Heights | Unincorp. | Hamilton | — | — |
| White Rocks | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Williamson | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Willow Hill | Unincorp. | Fannett | — | 17271 |
| Wingerton | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Woodstock | Unincorp. | Southampton | — | — |
| Worleytown | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Yeakle Mill | Unincorp. | Guilford | — | — |
| Zentmyer | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | — |
| Zullinger | Unincorp. | Antrim | — | 17272 |
Two names in the table are easy to confuse: the village of Saint Thomas is distinct from St. Thomas Township, the township named for it, and Doylesburg and Doylestown are two separate small villages a few miles apart in Fannett Township, not a duplicate entry. Township attributions for the smallest crossroads are approximate — several sit close enough to a township line that county maps disagree on the exact side.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Guilford | — | Scotland, Fayetteville, Falling Spring |
| Antrim | — | Greencastle, Zullinger, Marion |
| Washington | — | Waynesboro, Rouzerville, Blue Ridge Summit |
| Hamilton | — | Green Village, Brown Mills |
| Letterkenny | — | Roxbury, Upper Strasburg, Letterkenny Army Depot |
| Peters | — | Fort Loudon, Lemasters |
| Southampton | — | Shippensburg (part), Orrstown |
| Quincy | — | Mont Alto, Old Forge, Caledonia Park |
| Metal | — | Cove Gap, Richmond Furnace |
| Fannett | — | Willow Hill, Fannettsburg, Spring Run |
| Montgomery | — | State Line, Welsh Run |
| St. Thomas | — | Saint Thomas |
| Greene | — | Pond Bank, Quinsonia |
| Lurgan | — | Lurgan |
| Warren | — | Milnor, McKinney |
Franklin County’s 2020 township-level population breakdown was not available to verify at time of writing, so figures are omitted rather than estimated; the settlements listed for each township are drawn from their historical village centers.
ZIP Codes
- 17201 — Chambersburg (also serves the southern half of Guilford Township)
- 17202 — Chambersburg (northern delivery zone)
- 17268 — Waynesboro
- 17225 — Greencastle
- 17236 — Mercersburg
- 17237 — Mont Alto
- 17257 — Shippensburg
- 17244 — Orrstown
- 17222 — Fayetteville
- 17224 — Fort Loudon
- 17252 — Saint Thomas
- 17271 — Willow Hill
- 17214 — Blue Ridge Summit
- 17250 — Rouzerville
- 17235 — Marion
- 17254 — Scotland
- 17262 — Spring Run
- 17264 — Pleasant Hall
- 17272 — Zullinger
Most of the small crossroads communities in the table above have no post office of their own and share a rural-route ZIP code with the nearest listed town.
Geography
Franklin County lies mostly within the Cumberland Valley, a broad limestone lowland between two ridges of the Appalachians: South Mountain forms the county’s eastern edge, and Tuscarora Mountain and the Kittatinny Ridge run along its western side. The Conococheague Creek and its tributaries drain most of the county south toward the Potomac River. Caledonia State Park straddles the South Mountain gap on the Franklin–Adams county line, and part of the Michaux State Forest lies within the county’s eastern townships.
Franklin County borders Cumberland County to the northeast, Adams County to the east, Fulton County to the west, and Washington County, Maryland to the south, with Frederick County, Maryland touching its southeastern corner.
Demographics
Franklin County’s population was 155,932 at the 2020 census, spread across a mostly rural landscape at a density of about 202 people per square mile of land. Chambersburg and Waynesboro are the county’s two largest communities, together holding roughly a fifth of the county’s residents. Household income in Franklin County trails the Pennsylvania median of $73,824; the county’s economy leans more on manufacturing, logistics, and agriculture than the state’s metro counties, which pulls its median down relative to Philadelphia- and Pittsburgh-area counties.
Economy & Local Life
Franklin County’s economy centers on warehousing and distribution — its position on Interstate 81 midway between Harrisburg and the Baltimore-Washington corridor has drawn large logistics centers near Chambersburg and Greencastle. Letterkenny Army Depot, a U.S. Army logistics and munitions facility in Letterkenny Township, is one of the county’s largest employers. Waynesboro retains a manufacturing base rooted in its 19th-century foundry and machine-shop history. Agriculture, especially fruit orchards and dairy farming in the Cumberland Valley, remains part of the local economy, and the county holds an annual fair in Chambersburg each summer.
History
Franklin County was formed on September 9, 1784, out of the western part of Cumberland County, and named for Benjamin Franklin. Before that, the area had passed through Lancaster County (from 1729) and York County (from 1749) as the colonial frontier moved west. The county was the scene of Confederate cavalry raids during the Civil War; Chambersburg was burned by Confederate troops under Gen. John McCausland in July 1864 after the town refused a ransom demand, one of the few Northern towns destroyed during the war.
Getting There
Interstate 81 runs the length of Franklin County north–south, and U.S. Route 30 crosses it east–west through Chambersburg on its way to Gettysburg. State routes 16, 75, and 997 connect the smaller boroughs.
- Harrisburg — 50 miles north
- Gettysburg — 25 miles east
- Hagerstown, Maryland — 15 miles south
- Baltimore — 75 miles southeast
The nearest commercial airport is Harrisburg International Airport (MDT), about an hour’s drive north.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Franklin County, Pennsylvania?
It’s in the south-central part of the state, on the Maryland line, within the Cumberland Valley between South Mountain and Tuscarora Mountain.
What is the population of Franklin County?
155,932 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Franklin County?
773 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 772 square miles is land.
What is the Franklin County seat?
Chambersburg is the county seat.
How many towns are in Franklin County?
The county has 7 boroughs — Chambersburg, Waynesboro, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Mont Alto, Orrstown, and Shippensburg (partial) — plus 15 townships holding dozens of unincorporated villages.
What ZIP codes are in Franklin County?
Chambersburg uses 17201 and 17202; other main ZIPs include 17268 (Waynesboro), 17225 (Greencastle), and 17236 (Mercersburg).
What happened to Chambersburg in the Civil War?
Confederate cavalry burned most of the town in July 1864 after it refused to pay a ransom, making it one of the few Northern towns destroyed in the war.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Pennsylvania.