Franchise Performance Statistics 2026

Key Franchise Performance Statistics

The headline numbers, drawn from the International Franchise Association, FRANdata, the U.S. Census Bureau, and primary franchisee surveys.

1. U.S. franchise establishments are projected to reach 845,000 in 2026, up from 832,521 in 2025 (an increase of 1.5%). (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026 Franchising Economic Outlook)
2. Franchise economic output is expected to rise 1.6% to $921.4 billion in 2026. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
3. Franchising’s contribution to U.S. GDP is projected at $558.4 billion in 2026 — nearly 3% of total U.S. GDP. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
4. Franchise employment is anticipated to reach nearly 8.9 million jobs in 2026, an increase of more than 150,000 jobs (1.8%). (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
5. FRANdata tracks approximately 9,000 U.S. franchise brands across all 50 states and Washington, D.C. (Source: FRANdata, 2026)
6. The median franchise royalty fee is 5.00% of gross sales in the cited FRANdata data. Fees vary by industry and franchise agreement. (Source: FRANdata / BizBuySell royalty-fee research)
7. Among franchisees surveyed by Franchise Business Review in 2025, 46% reported business revenue over $1 million and 26% over $2 million. (Source: Franchise Business Review, 2025)
8. Multi-unit operators control 54% of all franchised units in the U.S. (Source: FRANdata, 2019)
9. 86% of franchisees surveyed by Franchise Business Review said they would recommend their franchise to others. (Source: Franchise Business Review, 2026)
10. The 2025 IFA Outlook projected $322 billion in economic output for quick-service restaurant franchises — more than a third of all U.S. franchising. (Source: International Franchise Association, 2025)

Industry Size & Growth

How large U.S. franchising is today and how fast it is expanding relative to the broader economy.

1. The number of U.S. franchise establishments was forecast to grow 2.5% to 851,000 units in 2025, an increase of more than 20,000 units (later revised to 832,521 in the 2026 Outlook). (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2025)
2. Franchise GDP was projected to increase 5% to $578 billion in 2025. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2025)
3. Franchising was expected to add approximately 210,000 jobs in 2025 (a 2.4% increase), bringing total franchise employment to more than 9 million. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2025)
4. In 2024, franchising added more than 189,000 jobs (employment growth of 2.2%) and franchise output reached $896.9 billion. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2025)
5. The 2017 Economic Census counted 498,234 franchise establishments in the United States. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic Census)
6. Those franchise establishments generated $1.7 trillion in sales and employed 9.6 million of the 63.3 million workers in the industries covered. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic Census)
7. Franchises made up 11.4% of all businesses in the industries covered, with nearly 300 industries offering franchise opportunities. (Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2017 Economic Census)

Unit Economics & Costs

What franchisees pay, earn, and keep — royalty fees, startup-cost structure, and revenue distribution.

1. The median franchise royalty fee is 5.00% of gross sales in the cited FRANdata data. Fees vary by industry and franchise agreement. (Source: FRANdata / BizBuySell royalty-fee research)
2. In the cited FRANdata royalty data, retail stores have a median minimum fee of 3.21%; business-related franchises have a median fee of 13.88% and automotive franchises 9.36%. (Source: FRANdata / BizBuySell royalty-fee research)
3. Among emerging franchisors (under 100 units), the cost of non-brand-specific services needed to get a franchisee open averaged 73% of initial franchise-fee revenue, ranging from 40% to 81%. (Source: FRANdata, 2020)
4. Providing training to a new franchisee costs emerging franchisors an average of 19% of the initial franchise fee. (Source: FRANdata, 2020)
5. Among franchisees surveyed by Franchise Business Review in 2025, 46% reported business revenue over $1 million and 26% over $2 million. (Source: Franchise Business Review, 2025)
6. Franchise Business Review’s 2025 article reported that 85% of surveyed franchisees enjoyed operating their business and 53% were considering buying additional units. (Source: Franchise Business Review, 2025)

Royalty benchmarks: FRANdata / BizBuySell. Median minimum and median fees are different measures.

Survival & Failure Rates

These U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures track all new private-sector establishments, not franchises alone. Each percentage refers to a specific opening cohort and observation date; it is not a franchise success rate.

1. 77.9% of new private-sector establishments that opened in the year ended March 2024 survived their first year to March 2025. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, 2025)
2. Of establishments that opened in the year ended March 2021, 67.0% survived two years to March 2023 and 59.1% survived three years to March 2024. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, 2024)
3. 51.5% of new private-sector establishments that opened in the year ended March 2019 were still operating five years later, in March 2024. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, 2024)
4. 34.9% of private-sector establishments that opened in the year ended March 2014 were still operating ten years later, in March 2024. (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics, 2025)

Multi-Unit & Territory Performance

Historical FRANdata research shows the scale of multi-unit ownership. The ownership profile was published in 2019, growth figures cover 2010–2018, and the 2024 survey has a separate respondent sample.

1. FRANdata’s 2019 ownership article reported an average of 5 franchised locations per multi-unit owner, up from about 4.8 in 2011. (Source: FRANdata, 2019)
2. 9% of multi-unit operators (about 3,900) operate units across several different brands. (Source: FRANdata, 2019)
3. The number of large multi-unit operators (50+ units) grew 118.52% from 2010 to 2018, versus 25.39% growth across all multi-unit operators. (Source: FRANdata, 2018)
4. 43% of IFA/FRANdata survey respondents are multi-unit franchisees, while 57% are single-unit owners. (Source: IFA / FRANdata Annual Franchisee Report, 2024)

KPIs & Operating Benchmarks

Disclosure practices, franchisee satisfaction, cost pressures, and restaurant-operations benchmarks franchise operators measure against.

1. In Franchise Business Review’s 2026 survey, 86% of responding franchisees would recommend their franchise, 82% enjoyed operating their business and 85% enjoyed being part of their franchise organization. (Source: Franchise Business Review, 2026)
2. Owner satisfaction among the Top 200 Franchises averages 30% higher than other brands (based on 26,000 franchisees across 330 brands). (Source: Franchise Business Review, 2026)
3. In the 2024 IFA/FRANdata survey, 80% of responding franchisees reported lower business earnings over the past year, and 86% had raised prices to combat cost increases. (Source: IFA / FRANdata Annual Franchisee Report, 2024)
4. In the 2024 IFA/FRANdata survey, 87% of responding franchisees reported a moderate-to-substantial impact from inflationary pressures, and 65% expected costs to increase further. (Source: IFA / FRANdata Annual Franchisee Report, 2024)
5. Among limited-service restaurant respondents, labor costs including benefits represented a median of 31.7% of sales in 2024: 30.0% for profitable operators and 34.1% for those reporting losses. (Source: National Restaurant Association, 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract (2024 operating data))
6. Among full-service restaurant respondents, labor costs including benefits were a median of 36.5% of sales in 2024: 34.2% for profitable operators and 42.9% for those reporting losses. (Source: National Restaurant Association, 2025 Restaurant Operations Data Abstract (2024 operating data))
7. Sales at the Top 500 U.S. chain restaurants grew just 3% in 2024 to $437 billion, with 55% of chains falling short of the 4% foodservice inflation rate. (Source: Technomic 2025 Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report (2024 sales))

Food, Beverage & QSR Franchising

Quick-service restaurants are a major part of U.S. franchising. The beverage-market estimates below cover their stated geographies and categories; they do not measure franchise-only sales or predict an individual store’s performance.

1. The 2025 IFA Outlook projected 2.2% growth in fast-food franchise establishments, to 204,366 in 2025. (Source: International Franchise Association, 2025)
2. The 2025 IFA Outlook projected fast-food franchise employment above 4 million, up 2.6%, representing 45% of the franchise workforce. (Source: International Franchise Association, 2025)
3. The U.S. restaurant and foodservice industry is projected to reach $1.5 trillion in sales in 2025 and employ 15.9 million people. (Source: National Restaurant Association, 2025)
4. The U.S. fast food and quick-service market was valued at $254.11 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $311.99 billion by 2030, a 3.4% CAGR for 2025–2030. (Source: Grand View Research, forecast accessed October 11, 2026)
5. Grand View Research estimates the U.S. smoothies market at $5.7566 billion in 2025 and projects $10.2872 billion by 2033, a 7.61% CAGR for 2026–2033. (Source: Grand View Research, forecast accessed October 11, 2026)
6. Grand View Research estimates the global smoothies market at $14.7 billion in 2025 and projects $30.9 billion by 2033, a 9.8% CAGR for 2026–2033. (Source: Grand View Research, forecast accessed October 11, 2026)
7. Grand View Research estimates the global acai berry market at about $1.5 billion in 2024 and projects $2.2 billion by 2030, a 6.9% CAGR for 2025–2030. (Source: Grand View Research, forecast accessed October 11, 2026)
8. Grand View Research estimates the global cold-pressed juice market at $897.4 million in 2025 and projects $1.4 billion by 2033, a 6.2% CAGR for 2026–2033. (Source: Grand View Research, forecast accessed October 11, 2026)
9. Grand View Research estimates the global functional drinks market at $164.7 billion in 2025 and projects $315.9 billion by 2033, an 8.5% CAGR for 2026–2033. (Source: Grand View Research, forecast accessed October 11, 2026)
10. The global wellness market is estimated at $1.8 trillion in 2024, with the U.S. wellness market near $480 billion and growing 5–10% per year. (Source: McKinsey & Company, 2024)
11. 82% of U.S. consumers consider wellness a top or important priority in their everyday lives. (Source: McKinsey & Company, 2024)

2026 Outlook

What the franchise sector is expected to do in 2026, per the IFA/FRANdata Franchising Economic Outlook.

1. U.S. franchise establishments are projected to grow 1.5% to 845,000 units in 2026. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
2. More than 12,000 new franchised businesses are projected to launch in 2026. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
3. Franchise economic output is expected to rise 1.6% to $921.4 billion in 2026. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
4. Franchising’s contribution to U.S. GDP is projected to grow 1.8% to $558.4 billion in 2026 — nearly 3% of total U.S. GDP. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)
5. Franchise employment is anticipated to increase by more than 150,000 jobs (1.8%) to nearly 8.9 million in 2026. (Source: International Franchise Association / FRANdata, 2026)

What These Statistics Mean for a Juice Bar Franchise Buyer

Compare costs and store economics separately

Industry output measures the size of franchising, not what one store earns. Compare the startup costs and fees of the concept you are considering with its current Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Review Item 19, if provided, for the sales and earnings information, the locations included and the reporting period. Gross sales do not show what remains after ingredients, labor, rent, royalties and other expenses.

Use growth forecasts to investigate local demand

A smoothie-market forecast can help identify questions to ask about a territory. Check nearby competition, customer demand, store format and the menu before drawing conclusions about a particular location. Explore Pure Green’s acai bowl franchise model and franchise cost comparison for more context.

Ask owners about the operating work

Compare training and ongoing franchise support, then speak with current and former owners about their experience. Read the FTC’s franchise-buying guide and review the next steps toward ownership before making a decision.

Sources

Every statistic above is attributed to one of the following organizations and the year of the underlying report:

1. IFA / FRANdata: 2026 Franchising Economic Outlook
2. IFA / FRANdata: complete 2025 Economic Outlook and QSR tables
3. IFA / FRANdata: 2025 Franchising Economic Outlook (original forecast)
4. FRANdata: 2026 Outlook and brand research
5. U.S. Census Bureau: 2017 Economic Census franchise data
6. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: establishment survival by cohort
7. BizBuySell / FRANdata: franchise royalty fees
8. FRANdata: opening services and initial franchise fees (2020)
9. Franchise Business Review: 2025 owner revenue and satisfaction survey
10. Franchise Business Review: 2026 Franchising Outlook
11. Franchise Business Review: benchmarks from 330 brands
12. FRANdata: Multi-Unit Ownership Rules (2019)
13. FRANdata: Multi-Unit Growth by the Numbers (2019 article; 2018 data)
14. IFA / FRANdata: 2024 Annual Franchisee Report
15. National Restaurant Association: 2024 labor costs (2025 report)
16. National Restaurant Association: 2025 industry outlook
17. Technomic: 2025 Top 500 report (2024 sales)
18. Grand View Research: U.S. fast-food and QSR market
19. Grand View Research: U.S. smoothies market
20. Grand View Research: global smoothies market
21. Grand View Research: global acai berry market
22. Grand View Research: global cold-pressed juice market
23. Grand View Research: global functional drinks market
24. McKinsey: wellness market and consumer survey (2024)
25. Federal Trade Commission: A Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Franchise

Methodology & notes: Figures are quoted as published by each named source and labeled by report year. Where the IFA/FRANdata Outlook revised a prior-year projection (e.g., 2025 establishments), both the original projection and the revised figure are shown. Business-survival rates are U.S. BLS Business Employment Dynamics data for all private-sector establishments — a government longitudinal benchmark — and are not franchise-specific. Market-sizing estimates from research firms vary by category definition; each is attributed to the specific firm and report.