U.S. franchise establishments 2007-2024 with 2025 forecast
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In 2024, there were an estimated 811,000 franchise establishments in the United States. Franchising is a business concept where a franchisee is contractually permitted to use the franchisor’s ideas and business model.
Franchising in the United States
The franchise industry in the United States allows for companies to put licenses on their brand and distribute to a separate business. These smaller businesses work under the title of the bigger company. Franchises are available through different types of establishments. More notably, the franchise industry is commonly known for its fast food sector. In 2024, the economic output of franchise establishments in the United States was about 897 billion U.S. dollars. Contributing to the economic output of franchise establishments in the United States were more than 8 million people who worked for a franchise business.
Leading U.S.-based franchises
The most famous and most lucrative U.S. based franchise is McDonald’s, bringing in 129.5 billion U.S. dollars in sales in 2023. Following McDonald’s was 7-Eleven, where roughly 98 billion U.S. dollars was made in sales. In 2023, McDonald’s generated around 65.6 billion U.S. dollars in revenue from its franchised restaurants. The first step in contributing to McDonald’s economic franchise success is the startup cost.
