Kampgrounds Of America Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Kampgrounds Of America franchise requires a total initial investment of $40K – $16.7M, including a $15K – $45K franchise fee. The latest FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 27 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified
Overview
- Investment
- $40K – $16.7M
- 0th pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1st pct Lodging
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 481
- 50th pct Lodging
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Lodging · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Lodging avg · 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
- Total investment $40K – $16.7M including a $15K franchise fee.
- Item 19 does not disclose whole-campground average gross sales. Section A discloses average annual site-class registration revenue per site (Camping Cabins, Deluxe Cabins, RV, Tent) across 448 franchised KOA Campgrounds for 2025, broken out further by Brand Position, season, weekday/weekend, and region. Section B discloses average Gross Profit and Operating Profit on a per-camper-night (PCN) basis by Brand Position for 2024 KOA Campgrounds. Section C lists 2021-2025 registration revenue history for 72 individual Converted Campgrounds without a stated aggregate average.
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 89/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 27 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- Item 19 reports "segment_metrics_non_whole_unit" instead of annual gross sales. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Kampgrounds of America, Inc.
- Parent company
- KOAH, Inc.
- CEO title
- Director, President and Chief Executive Officer
- Toby L. O'Rourke
- Incorporated in
- Montana
- HQ
- 1205 N. Transtech Way, Billings, Montana 59102
- Auditor
- Eide Bailly LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $184.6M
- vs $195.3M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisor of KOA-branded recreational vehicle park/campground businesses offering camping sites to travelers using RVs, travel trailers, and tents.
- CEO
- Toby L. O'Rourke
- Headquarters
- Montana
- Founded
- 1960
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 18% below the typical lodging franchise.
Source: FDD · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15K | $15K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $16K | $116K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $10K | $16.5M |
| Total initial investment | $40K | $16.7M |
Source: Kampgrounds Of America FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $40K – $16.7M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $16K – $116K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8% of Total Registration Receipts, stepping down to 6% on…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
| Inventory (initial) | $1K – $40K |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD · Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 19 does not disclose whole-campground average gross sales. Section A discloses average annual site-class registration revenue per site (Camping Cabins, Deluxe Cabins, RV, Tent) across 448 franchised KOA Campgrounds for 2025, broken out further by Brand Position, season, weekday/weekend, and region. Section B discloses average Gross Profit and Operating Profit on a per-camper-night (PCN) basis by Brand Position for 2024 KOA Campgrounds. Section C lists 2021-2025 registration revenue history for 72 individual Converted Campgrounds without a stated aggregate average.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports "segment_metrics_non_whole_unit" rather than annual gross sales. Not directly comparable across brands.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (-0.7% 3-year CAGR) with 481 units.
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 Lodging averages
How Kampgrounds Of America Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 481
- Opened
- 20
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 7
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 5
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.1%
- Company-owned
- 49
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 90%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +2.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -0.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 19
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 5
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 3
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 27
- Loan volume
- $32.5M
- Median loan
- $859K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 20
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 6.4%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 7212
- Jobs supported
- 192
- 0.6 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 15%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Top lenders financing Kampgrounds Of America franchisees
Showing 3 of 20 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.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 27 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% 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
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Eide Bailly LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 7 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Montana |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 14 hrs
- Training location
- Home Office, Billings, Montana
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects; franchisor must approve site
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- KampSight/K2
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: KampSight/K2
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Kampgrounds Of America franchise?
The total investment to open a Kampgrounds Of America franchise ranges from $40K – $16.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Kampgrounds Of America franchise owners earn?
Kampgrounds Of America does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Kampgrounds Of America's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Kampgrounds Of America has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 27 loans, meaning 0.0% 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 Kampgrounds Of America franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Kampgrounds Of America has 481 total units in the United States, including 432 franchised units and 49 company-owned units. 20 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Kampgrounds Of America a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Kampgrounds Of America as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 89 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Kampgrounds Of America, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.