Data Deep-Dive
Most Profitable Franchises 2026: Revenue from 1,400 FDDs
The 20 highest-revenue franchise brands ranked by FDD Item 19 data, with investment ranges, royalty rates, and SBA loan performance. Home services dominates — not restaurants.
The most profitable franchises in 2026 are not always the ones you recognize from highway billboards. Based on FranchiseVerdict's analysis of FDD Item 19 revenue disclosures across 1,400+ franchise brands, the highest-grossing systems span home services, senior care, financial services, and quick-service restaurants — with average gross sales ranging from $1.7M to over $21M per location.
How we define "profitable"
Profitability in franchising is surprisingly hard to pin down. Most franchisors disclose gross revenue in FDD Item 19, but only a handful disclose net income. That means the franchise with $10M in revenue and 2% margins is technically less profitable than the one doing $2M at 20% margins — but the FDD only shows you the first number.
For this analysis, we ranked brands by average gross sales per location as disclosed in their most recent FDD. We then layered in investment cost, royalty rate, and SBA loan performance to give you a fuller picture. A franchise generating $8M in revenue but requiring a $6M investment is a very different proposition than one generating $3M on a $150K investment.
Top 20 most profitable franchises by revenue
The following table ranks franchise brands by average gross sales per location, based on the most recent FDD Item 19 disclosure. Click any brand name to see its full FranchiseVerdict profile.
| Rank | Brand | Avg. Gross Sales | Investment Range | Royalty | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Precision Garage Door Service | $21.8M | $164K–$360K | 6% | Home Services |
| 2 | Vital Care | $16.5M | $556K–$1M | — | Healthcare |
| 3 | Nick and Moe's | $10.1M | $254K–$3.2M | 5% | QSR |
| 4 | Closets By Design | $9.9M | $154K–$511K | — | Home Services |
| 5 | Chick-fil-A | $9.3M | $427K–$2.3M | 15% | Full-Service |
| 6 | City Wide Facility Solutions | $8.9M | $227K–$393K | — | Business Services |
| 7 | Always Best Care | $8.9M | $90K–$146K | 6% | Senior Care |
| 8 | USA Insulation | $8.8M | $266K–$410K | — | Home Services |
| 9 | 10X Health System | $8.0M | $216K–$523K | 12% | Healthcare |
| 10 | Design Pro Remodeling | $7.8M | $66K–$104K | 6% | Home Services |
| 11 | Go Painting | $7.7M | $129K–$172K | 7% | Home Services |
| 12 | Giordano's Restaurants | $7.6M | $609K–$2.1M | 6% | Full-Service |
| 13 | Best Choice Roofing | $7.5M | $117K–$193K | 6% | Home Services |
| 14 | Urban Air Adventure Park | $7.3M | $3.1M–$8.4M | 7% | Entertainment |
| 15 | First Day Homecare | $7.1M | $139K–$248K | — | Senior Care |
| 16 | Byrider | $7.0M | $947K–$1.6M | 2.5% | Automotive |
| 17 | Mr. Electric | $6.6M | $152K–$315K | 6% | Home Services |
| 18 | Service Experts | $6.3M | $146K–$285K | 6% | Home Services |
| 19 | Window World | $5.8M | $123K–$363K | — | Home Services |
| 20 | Ford's Garage | $5.7M | $3.7M–$6.6M | 5.5% | Full-Service |
The home services surprise
This surprises most people: seven of the top 20 highest-revenue franchises are home services brands, not restaurants. Precision Garage Door Service leads the entire list at $21.8M in average gross sales per territory — more than double Chick-fil-A's $9.3M per restaurant. The catch is that home services territories often cover larger geographic areas and may include multiple crews, so you are comparing a multi-unit operation to a single restaurant location.
Still, the pattern holds: home services franchises tend to generate outsized revenue relative to their initial investment. Design Pro Remodeling does $7.8M on a $66K–$104K investment. Best Choice Roofing does $7.5M on $117K–$193K. Compare that to Ford's Garage, which does $5.7M but requires $3.7M–$6.6M to open.
Revenue is not profit: what the numbers hide
Before you rush to open a home services franchise, understand what gross sales actually means. A Precision Garage Door Service territory generating $21.8M in revenue might employ dozens of technicians, multiple vehicles, and carry substantial overhead. The owner's take-home could be 5–15% of that top-line number.
By contrast, Always Best Care does $8.9M in gross sales on just a $90K–$146K investment with a 6.2% SBA charge-off rate across 45 loans. The margins on senior care tend to be thinner (labor-intensive model), but the capital efficiency is remarkable.
The best revenue-to-investment ratios
If you care about capital efficiency rather than raw revenue, the picture shifts considerably. Here are the brands with the highest revenue-to-investment ratios:
- Design Pro Remodeling — $7.8M revenue on $66K–$104K investment (75x ratio)
- Go Painting — $7.7M revenue on $129K–$172K investment (45x ratio)
- Best Choice Roofing — $7.5M revenue on $117K–$193K investment (39x ratio)
- Always Best Care — $8.9M revenue on $90K–$146K investment (61x ratio)
- First Day Homecare — $7.1M revenue on $139K–$248K investment (29x ratio)
These ratios look extraordinary because they represent territory-level revenue against initial franchise investment. The ongoing costs of labor, materials, vehicles, and overhead are not reflected. Still, the capital required to get started in home services is dramatically lower than restaurants or entertainment concepts.
What about SBA loan performance?
High revenue does not guarantee you can repay your startup loans. We cross-referenced our revenue rankings with SBA 7(a) charge-off data to flag brands where the revenue looks great but the loan performance tells a different story:
- Closets By Design generates $9.9M in average sales but has a 17.1% SBA charge-off rate across 45 loans. That elevated default rate despite strong revenue suggests margin problems.
- Urban Air Adventure Park does $7.3M per location but requires $3.1M–$8.4M to open and has a 4.6% charge-off rate across 145 SBA loans. The revenue is real, but so is the capital risk.
- Mr. Electric does $6.6M in revenue with a 9.6% SBA charge-off rate across 136 loans. That is below the franchise-wide average of 23.1%, but well above the top performers.
The brands with both high revenue and near-zero SBA defaults are the true standouts: Chick-fil-A (0% on 2 loans), City Wide Facility Solutions (0% on 56 loans), and Service Experts (0% on 81 loans).
How to evaluate profitability for any franchise
This ranking is a starting point. To actually assess profitability before you invest:
- Read the Item 19 disclosure carefully. Some brands report average revenue, others report median, and others report only gross sales for the top quartile. Averages can be heavily skewed by a few top performers. Check whether the FDD discloses expenses alongside revenue.
- Use the FranchiseVerdict screener to filter brands by revenue, investment, category, and risk grade. The screener lets you find brands that match your capital and risk tolerance.
- Cross-reference with SBA data. Visit the brand's SBA profile to check loan performance. A high-revenue franchise with a high charge-off rate is a red flag that something is not translating from revenue to owner income.
- Talk to current franchisees. Item 20 of every FDD lists franchisee contact information. Call at least 10 and ask about actual take-home pay after all expenses. Our contacts product provides verified contact details for hundreds of brands.
Methodology
Revenue figures in this article are sourced from FDD Item 19 financial performance representations filed with state franchise regulators. "Average gross sales" represents the mean gross revenue per franchise location or territory as disclosed by the franchisor. Not all franchisors disclose revenue data; approximately 1,400 of the 5,000+ brands in our database include Item 19 disclosures. Investment ranges are from FDD Item 7. SBA charge-off rates are calculated from SBA 7(a) loan data obtained through FOIA requests. For our full methodology, see the methodology page.
The bottom line
Profitability is harder to measure than revenue, and the franchise industry's transparency problem makes it harder still. Only 34% of franchise brands disclose revenue at all, and even fewer disclose net income. The brands on this list generate impressive top-line numbers, but revenue without margin data is an incomplete picture. A $21.8M territory with 5% margins and a $7.8M territory with 15% margins produce similar owner income — yet they look very different on a revenue ranking. Always cross-reference revenue with SBA default rates and talk to actual franchisees about take-home pay before investing.
Related franchise research
Continue your research with our 7-Eleven franchise analysis, Ace Hardware franchise analysis, and best food franchises guide.
Research this brand further
- 📄 Download the full FDD summary — $5 per brand
- 📞 Get verified franchisee contacts — $49 per brand. Call real owners before you sign.
- 📊 Compare all profitable franchise brands with our profitability report — $99.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the most profitable franchise to own?
- Based on FDD Item 19 revenue data, the highest-grossing franchise brands include Precision Garage Door Service ($21.8M avg. gross sales), Vital Care ($16.5M), Closets By Design ($9.9M), and Chick-fil-A ($9.3M). However, gross sales do not equal profit. To assess actual profitability, you need to account for labor, materials, overhead, royalties, and debt service. Home services and senior care franchises tend to have the highest revenue-to-investment ratios.
- How much do the most profitable franchise owners make?
- Owner income varies dramatically by brand and category. Most FDDs do not disclose net income, only gross revenue. As a rough benchmark, franchise owners typically take home 5-20% of gross sales depending on the business model. A QSR doing $3M in revenue might yield $150K-$300K in owner income, while a home services territory doing $7M might yield $350K-$700K, though with very different day-to-day demands.
- Are food franchises or non-food franchises more profitable?
- The data tells a different story than most people expect. While iconic food brands like Chick-fil-A generate enormous revenue ($9.3M), home services franchises dominate the top of the revenue rankings with lower investment requirements. Seven of the top 20 highest-revenue franchises are in home services. Non-food franchises also tend to have lower SBA loan charge-off rates, suggesting better financial outcomes for owners.
- What franchise has the best return on investment?
- The best ROI franchises are those with high revenue relative to initial investment. Design Pro Remodeling ($7.8M revenue on a $66K-$104K investment), Go Painting ($7.7M on $129K-$172K), and Always Best Care ($8.9M on $90K-$146K) show the highest revenue-to-investment ratios. However, ROI also depends on ongoing operating costs, which most FDDs do not fully disclose.
- What is the difference between franchise profit and franchise revenue?
- Revenue (gross sales) is the total money a franchise location collects before any expenses. Profit (net income) is what remains after subtracting royalties (typically 4-8%), ad fund fees (1-5%), labor, materials, rent, insurance, and debt service. Most FDDs only disclose revenue through Item 19, not profit — which is why a $21.8M-revenue franchise (Precision Garage Door) is not necessarily more profitable than a $2.4M-revenue franchise (BrightStar Care) with lower overhead. Franchise owners typically take home 5-20% of gross sales depending on the business model, so always look beyond the revenue headline.