Miracle-ear Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Miracle-ear franchise requires a total initial investment of $120K – $403K, including a $30K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $428K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $120K – $403K
- 12th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $428K
- Outlet subset3rd pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 1,595
- 43rd pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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
- COSTTotal investment $120K – $403K including a $30K franchise fee.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $428K/year (median $368K) (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 56/100 (higher is better).
- SCALEEstablished system with 1,595 units across 42 years of franchising. Strong brand recognition and operational playbook.
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
- FDD year
- 2026
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 37% below the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $80K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $60K | $293K |
| Total initial investment | $120K | $403K |
Source: Miracle-ear 2026 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
- $30K
- 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?
Average unit sales run 53% below the retail norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Miracle-ear until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$316K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Miracle-ear 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 royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for royalty rate, ad fund rate, 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
- Avg gross sales
- $428K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $368K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 1,008 outlets
- vs category median 46 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $19K→$2.1M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
Compared against 278 Retail brands
vs Retail averages
How Miracle-ear Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 1,595
- Opened
- 29
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 38
- Turnover rate
- 2.4%
- Company-owned
- 412
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 74%
- vs corporate-owned
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
- 10
- Loan volume
- $4.8M
- Median loan
- $260K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- no resolved loans yet — rate needs a terminal outcome
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 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: 50% went to startups / new businesses, 50% 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Miracle-ear's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 4-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
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 2026 · 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 $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Miracle-ear franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Miracle-ear FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $428K. The median is $368K. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Miracle-ear 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 Miracle-ear FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Miracle-ear's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Miracle-ear (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
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, including 1,183 franchised units and 412 company-owned units. 29 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Miracle-ear a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Miracle-ear as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 56 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.
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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.