The State of Franchising 2026
Investment, fee, and royalty benchmarks across 11 industries — built from the reviewed Franchise Disclosure Documents of the 146 franchise brands listed on FranchiseCloser. Data snapshot: 2026-09-12.
Executive summary
Median investment & fees by industry
| Industry | Brands | Median investment (Item 7) | Median franchise fee (Item 5) | Median royalty (Item 6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food & Beverage | 26 | $479.4K – $1.1M | $39K | 6% |
| Health & Fitness | 11 | $408.7K – $798K | $50K | 6% |
| Home Services | 48 | $118.7K – $185.6K | $49.7K | 6.5% |
| Beauty & Wellness | 5 | $242K – $600K | $49.5K | 6% |
| Automotive | 4 | $410.1K – $1.2M | $41.5K | 5.5% |
| Education & Tutoring | 25 | $100K – $250K | $45K | 7% |
| Pet Care | 17 | $200K – $461K | $45K | 6% |
| Senior Care | 4 | $98.5K – $180.8K | $49.3K | 6% |
| B2B Services | 4 | $92.6K – $128.5K | $47.3K | 8% |
| Retail | 1 | $66.7K – $97.5K | $24.9K | 1% |
Largest systems by open units
| Franchise | Total units (Item 20) | Total investment (Item 7) |
|---|---|---|
| TheKey Senior Care |
200 | $100K – $250K |
| RNR Tire Express Automotive |
200 | $703.6K – $1.7M |
| Green Home Solutions Home Services |
198 | $102.1K – $198.6K |
| Patrice & Associates B2B Services |
196 | $105.1K – $121.1K |
| PJ's Coffee of New Orleans Food & Beverage |
181 | $915K – $1.7M |
| Top Rail Fence Home Services |
172 | $113K – $213K |
| PremierGarage Home Services |
161 | $185.2K – $298.7K |
| Pet Wants Pet Care |
159 | $137.9K – $219K |
Methodology
Figures are aggregated from the Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) of the 146 active franchise brands listed on FranchiseCloser as of 2026-09-12 — investment ranges from Item 7, initial franchise fees from Item 5, royalties from Item 6, and unit counts from Item 20. Only brands whose FDD data has passed our review are included; demo and test listings are excluded. Medians are shown rather than averages so outliers can't skew the picture. This report covers fees and costs only: FranchiseCloser does not republish, project, or interpret financial performance representations — for any earnings information, read Item 19 of the brand's current FDD and consult a licensed franchise attorney.
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