Goosehead Insurance Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $66K – $112K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- 5.9%
- on 47 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Goosehead Insurance is an independent insurance-agency franchise selling home, auto, life, and commercial policies across many carriers. Franchisees run an agency comparing and placing coverage, earning commissions and renewal overrides.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Goosehead Insurance franchise requires a total initial investment of $66K – $112K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 20.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. SBA 7(a) loans show a 5.9% charge-off rate across 47 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2026 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - the current year's filing
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $66K – $112K
- 43rd pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Projection
- Royalty
- 20.0%
- 48th pct Financial Ser…
- Units
- 1,022
- 75th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA charge-off
- 5.9%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Financial Services median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $66K – $112K including a $50K franchise fee, 20.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSEvery figure in this Item 19 is per individual PRODUCER — an insurance agent working for a franchisee — not per agency. The FDD counts 1,427 franchise producers across 866 franchised businesses (printed p.48), roughly 1.65 producers per agency, and reports average new-business gross revenue per producer by region and tenure year. No per-agency annual average is disclosed.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 5.9% across 47 loans (near or below the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHNegative: net -94 franchised outlets in the latest year (121 opened, 215 closed); 14 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -17.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Goosehead Insurance Agency, LLC
- Parent company
- Goosehead Insurance Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (GSHD)
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2026 FDD
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Mark Miller
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1500 Solana Boulevard, Suite 4500, Westlake, Texas 76262
- Auditor
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $365.3M
- vs $314.5M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- TWG
- of Texas Wasatch Insurance Services
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mark Miller
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 43
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about typical for a financial services franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown10 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Lease, Improvements, Furniture, Fixtures, Utilities | $0 | $6K | |
| Rent | $1K | $4K | |
| Signage and Media | $0 | $3K | |
| Office Equipment and Startup Supplies | $5K | $8K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $5K | |
| Licenses | $500 | $1K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $5K | |
| Training Expenses | $500 | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $6K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $66K | $112K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $66K – $112K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $6K – $20K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 20.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 22.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 20.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $590 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 22.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Goosehead Insurance is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Goosehead Insurance unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Every figure in this Item 19 is per individual PRODUCER — an insurance agent working for a franchisee — not per agency. The FDD counts 1,427 franchise producers across 866 franchised businesses (printed p.48), roughly 1.65 producers per agency, and reports average new-business gross revenue per producer by region and tenure year. No per-agency annual average is disclosed.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 22.0% — above the Financial Services median of 16.5%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports per-producer gross revenue by region and tenure year rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System contracting at -17.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Financial Services medians
How Goosehead Insurance Compares
Category median of published Financial Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1,022
- Opened
- 121
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 215
- Terminated
- 50
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 21.0%
- Company-owned
- 13
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -17.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -17.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 50
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 14
- 0.01 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 97
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 40 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
220 current owners across 37 states; 17 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- TX 58
- FL 21
- NC 11
- MI 9
- CO 8
- IL 8
- PA 8
- TN 8
- GA 7
- NY 7
- OK 6
- SC 6
- +25 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 47
- Loan volume
- $11.9M
- Median loan
- $100K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 5.9%
- on 47 loans · rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 94.1%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 30
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 8.7%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 6.0%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 157
- 1.3 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 11%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 38% went to startups / new businesses, 62% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in insurance agencies and brokerages, franchised businesses charge off at 6.0% vs 10.8% for independents — franchising is associated with 44% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Goosehead Insurance charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Goosehead Insurance franchisees
Showing 3 of 30 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Goosehead Insurance from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.2%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 74%
- Avg interest rate
- 8.65%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $27K
- Lender concentration
- 10.6%
- Job velocity
- 1.3 per $100K
- Startup risk premium
- -33.3pp
- NAICS benchmark
- 7.9%
- NAICS 524210
- Jobs supported
- 157
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 11% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Live Oak Banking Company | 5 | $5.1M | N/A |
| 2 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 4 | $95K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Capital Bank, National Association | 4 | $1.9M | N/A |
| 4 | TD Bank, National Association | 3 | $125K | 50.0% |
| 5 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 3 | $265K | N/A |
| 6 | Zions Bank, A Division of | 2 | $262K | 0.0% |
| 7 | BayFirst National Bank | 2 | $296K | N/A |
| 8 | The Central Trust Bank | 2 | $116K | N/A |
| 9 | Members Choice CU | 1 | $80K | 0.0% |
| 10 | Scott CU | 1 | $25K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXTexas | 12 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MOMissouri | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| COColorado | 4 | 0 | -- |
| FLFlorida | 4 | 1 | 100.0% |
| NJNew Jersey | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| PAPennsylvania | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| GAGeorgia | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NCNorth Carolina | 2 | 0 | -- |
| ALAlabama | 1 | 0 | -- |
| AZArizona | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 5.9% — 63% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Goosehead presents a contracting franchise system with unsustainable royalty economics, declining unit count, and litigation history that substantially outweighs the modest $66k entry investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Two prior actions (Williams Insurance wrongful termination settled 2020; Richie Heumann wrongful termination settled Feb 2026) plus 3 suits initiated against former franchisees for unpaid fees in last fiscal year (A.M.O Enterprise, Roveske Frazier, Gutschenritter Agency)
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Deloitte & Touche LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 45 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-8.5% YoY) signals system contraction and potential franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORExtremely high royalty burden: 20% initial + 50% renewal terms creates severe cash flow pressure on $90k average revenue
- 03MEDNo disclosed average net income prevents evaluation of actual profitability after 20-50% royalty extraction
- 04HIGHMultiple litigation cases involving franchisor collection actions and settled franchisee disputes indicate operational/relationship friction
- 05MINORUnprotected territory increases competition risk and customer poaching among franchisees
- 06MINORNo Item 19 financial data disclosure limits transparency and comparative performance benchmarking
- 07MINOR10-year term with 50% renewal royalty creates long-term financial lock-in with unfavorable economics
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 22.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | JAMS office nearest to franchisor's principal place of business (currently Westlake, Texas) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 5 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two prior actions (Williams Insurance wrongful termination settled 2020; Richie Heumann wrongful termination settled Feb 2026) plus 3 suits initiated against former franchisees for unpaid fees in last fiscal year (A.M.O Enterprise, Roveske Frazier, Gutschenritter Agency)
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 80 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 80 hrs
- Training location
- Westlake, Texas and franchisee location
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor must approve (Approved Location Amendment)
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Salesforce.com
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Salesforce.com
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
237 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Goosehead Insurance franchise?
The total investment to open a Goosehead Insurance franchise ranges from $66K – $112K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Goosehead Insurance franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Goosehead Insurance FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Goosehead Insurance?
Goosehead Insurance is franchised by Goosehead Insurance Agency, LLC. Its parent company is Goosehead Insurance Holdings, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Goosehead Insurance, Inc. (GSHD). Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Goosehead Insurance FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Goosehead Insurance FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Goosehead Insurance's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Goosehead Insurance has a charge-off rate of 5.9% across 47 loans, meaning 5.9% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Goosehead Insurance franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Goosehead Insurance has 1,022 total units in the United States, including 1,009 franchised units and 13 company-owned units. 121 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Goosehead Insurance a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Goosehead Insurance as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.