Miracle-ear Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Miracle-ear franchise requires a total initial investment of $120K – $403K, including a $20K 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 10 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified
Overview
- Investment
- $120K – $403K
- 11th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 22nd pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 1,595
- 42nd pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail 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 $120K – $403K including a $20K franchise fee.
- Item 19 discloses average/median Net Sales (gross revenue) by month, by full-time vs part-time status, and by urbanicity group for 1,008 Reporting Franchised Locations for calendar year 2025; also discloses average HAE (hearing aid evaluation) appointment counts and new/existing customer counts per location (Parts 3-4). Underlying tables are severely OCR/redline-corrupted, preventing reliable extraction of specific average/median dollar figures.
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 64/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- Item 19 reports "revenue_only" 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
- Miracle-Ear, Inc.
- Parent company
- Amplifon (USA), Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Amplifon S.p.A.
- Incorporated in
- Minnesota
- HQ
- Fifth Street Towers, 150 South 5th Street, Suite 2300, Minneapolis, MN 55402
Overview
About
Miracle-Ear franchisees operate retail hearing aid centers, selling a complete line of hearing aids and related products (in-the-ear and behind-the-ear types) and providing presale and post-sale services to hearing-impaired consumers under the Miracle-Ear trademark.
- Headquarters
- Minnesota
- Founded
- 1972
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 36% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $80K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $70K | $303K |
| Total initial investment | $120K | $403K |
Source: Miracle-ear 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
- $120K – $403K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $80K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Flat monthly fee ($104.15/month per FT or PT location; $4…
- Ad fund
- National Marketing Fund contribution is $76 per wholesale…
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Royalty is a flat monthly fee: $104.15 per month per full-time or part-time location, $41.21 per month per service location, plus $48.80 for each Miracle-Ear hearing aid sold and $30.15 for each AudioTone Pro sold. May be adjusted annually up to the lesser of 105% of prior year's Royalty or the then-current rate charged to new franchisees. |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $10K |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD · Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 19 discloses average/median Net Sales (gross revenue) by month, by full-time vs part-time status, and by urbanicity group for 1,008 Reporting Franchised Locations for calendar year 2025; also discloses average HAE (hearing aid evaluation) appointment counts and new/existing customer counts per location (Parts 3-4). Underlying tables are severely OCR/redline-corrupted, preventing reliable extraction of specific average/median dollar figures.
vs Retail averages
How Miracle-ear Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1,595
- Opened
- N/A
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 412
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 74%
- vs corporate-owned
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 10
- Loan volume
- $4.8M
- Median loan
- $260K
- 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
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 8.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- NAICS 4461
- Jobs supported
- 68
- 1.4 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 20%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 0% went to startups / new businesses, 100% to established operators
Top lenders financing Miracle-ear franchisees
Showing 3 of 6 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 10 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
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: 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 |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Territory type | exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Minneapolis, Minnesota |
| Governing law | Minnesota |
| Litigation count | 3 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Training location
- Franchisee's office or another location at Miracle-Ear's discretion; also virtual/webinar-based
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor-approved, franchisee proposes with Miracle-Ear consultation and required approval
- POS system
- Sycle.net
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Sycle.net
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Miracle-ear franchise?
The total investment to open a Miracle-ear franchise ranges from $120K – $403K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Miracle-ear franchise owners earn?
Miracle-ear 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 Miracle-ear's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Miracle-ear has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 10 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 Miracle-ear franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Miracle-ear has 1,595 total units in the United States.
Is Miracle-ear a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Miracle-ear as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 64 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
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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.