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When looking into franchises, there’s a lot to understand, from who typically owns one to how much revenue they drive. If you’ve found this list of franchise statistics, you likely want to know everything there is to know about owning and operating a franchise.

On this page, we’ll cover over 40 franchise statistics that provide you with insight into the various facets of the franchise industry!

Keep reading to learn more!

*Page last updated March 4, 2024.

General franchise industry statistics

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Every 8 minutes

a new franchise opens in a single business day.

Source: Appsthatdeliver.com

First on this list of franchise statistics for 2024, let’s look at some general statistics on franchises:

  1. Over 8.5 million people are employed by a franchise.
  2. There are over 3000 unique franchises in the U.S.
  3. 300 companies begin franchising operations each year.
  4. 10–20 years is the typical length of a franchise agreement.
  5. The U.S. has over 70 of the world’s top 100 franchises.
  6. A new franchise opens every 8 minutes during a single business day.
  7. $827 billion is the economic output of franchises across the U.S.
  8. 80% of franchises are local or regional brands.
  9. 53% of franchises are owned by multi-unit franchise owners.
  10. 37% of franchises are classified under “food-related” — the rest of the franchises are spread across 28 other sectors.
  11. 16% of franchises are national or global franchises.
  12. 10% of all businesses in the U.S. are franchises.
  13. 5%–6% is the royalty percentage of a franchise.

Franchise statistics on owners

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69% of franchise owners

are men.

Source: Zippia.com

Want a better understanding of who runs franchises? Here’s a list of franchising statistics regarding owners:

  1. 44 years old is the average age of a franchise owner.
  2. 83% of franchise owners work for a private company.
  3. 69% of franchise owners are men.
  4. 67% of franchise owners are White.
  5. 62% of franchise owners hold a bachelor’s degree.
  6. 31% of franchise owners are women.
  7. 24% of franchise owners stay at their franchise for 1–2 years
  8. 21% is how many franchise owners stay at their franchise for 3–7 years.
  9. 19% of franchise owners work in the hospitality industry.
  10. 15% of franchise owners are Latino.
  11. 14% of franchise owners work for public companies.
  12. 13% of franchise owners work in the professional industry.
  13. 11% of franchise owners work in manufacturing.
  14. 9% of franchise owners work in retail.
  15. 6% of franchise owners are Asian.
  16. 6% of franchise owners are Black.

Fast food franchise statistics

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37% of Americans

consume fast food every day.

Source: Zippia.com

When you think of franchises, the first thing that typically comes to mind is fast-food restaurants. People visit these popular franchises every day to grab a quick bite to eat, making them a desirable franchise option.

Here are some franchise industry data on fast-food establishments:

  1. Quick service restaurants account for $276 billion dollars in economic output for the franchise industry.
  2. The market size of the pizza chain industry in the U.S. is $65 billion.
  3. The gross annual sales of the largest pizza chain — Domino’s — is $17 billion.

Screenshot of the map of Domino's locations worldwide

  1. It costs $1–$2 million to invest in a McDonald’s franchise location.
  2. There are 192,000 franchised fast-food establishments in the U.S.
  3. With $23 billion in annual revenue, McDonald’s is the largest franchise in the world.

Screenshot of McDonald's franchising page

  1. It costs $10,000 to set up a Chick-fil-A franchise.
  2. Over 35,000 pizza restaurants are chain restaurants.
  3. Subway is the most franchised store, with over 20,000 locations across the U.S.
  4. 93% of McDonald’s restaurants were franchises as of 2019.
  5. 82% of quick service restaurants are owned by multi-unit franchise owners.
  6. 59% of the pizza market share is held by chain stores.
  7. 37% of Americans consume fast food every day.

Other franchising statistics

To wrap up this list of franchising statistics, let’s look at some stats about other sectors within the franchise industry:

  1. The pack-and-ship franchise industry is worth $3 billion.
  2. The market size for sports franchises is $34 billion.
  3. There are 969 businesses in the sports franchise industry.

    Screenshot of different sports franchises on Google SERPs

  4. The healthcare franchise expenditure is expected to reach $6.2 trillion by 2028.
  5. The healthcare franchise industry is expected to generate $100 billion in revenue by 2024.
  6. The annual worth of the urgent care health franchise is $30 billion.
  7. The urgent care franchising industry is projected to grow by 9% in the next five years.

Go beyond these franchise statistics for 2024

Knowing these franchise statistics is a great way to keep your finger on the industry’s pulse. But staying informed is only a fraction of the job ­­— you need to focus on running your operation and driving more customers to your business.

With franchise digital marketing services from WebFX, you can. Our team of 500 marketing experts will help you get your franchise in front of more interested people so you can increase customers and revenue.

To learn more about what franchise marketing can do for you, contact us online or call us today at 888-601-5359 to speak with a strategist!

We Drive Results for Franchise Companies

  • 500+ digital experts spanning 10+ different departments
  • Data-driven decision making that’s generated $3B in revenue for clients

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