How Much Do Franchise Owners Make? 2026 Salary Guide

Franchise owner salary ranges by US state

The average franchise owner salary in the United States is $112,777 a year. This breaks down to $9,398/month or $56.39/hour.

But franchise owners’ average annual income varies a lot by state—see the chart below for a full breakdown. Keep in mind that these are estimates, not guarantees. You’ll earn less when you’re just starting out, or more if you own several locations.

Franchise profitability by industry

Some franchise business owners earn more money than others because their businesses have different demand, profit margins, or operating costs. Here’s a breakdown of several popular franchise types and how much you can earn as a business owner with each:

• Cleaning: According to ZipRecruiter, the average cleaning business owner earns $127,973/year. There’s a wide range in cleaning business owner salaries, starting at $25,500 and going as high as $339,500. It depends on your cleaning service pricing and the types of cleaning services you offer, like residential, commercial, or carpet cleaning.
• HVAC: The average HVAC business owner salary is $86,197/year. The low end of the salary range is $21,500, while the higher end is $294,500. You’ll earn more when you have high demand, low operating expenses, and profitable HVAC service pricing.
• Plumbing: A plumbing business owner can typically earn up to $120,000/year. You can earn more if you reduce operating costs, keep in-stock inventory lean, price your plumbing services for profit, and offer emergency services at higher rates.
• Lawn care and landscaping: The average lawn care or landscaping business owner makes $127,973/year. The full range is anywhere from $25,500 to $339,500. Lawn care can be summer-only work in some areas, but you can keep earning a salary year-round with seasonal business ideas like holiday lighting or snow removal.
• Locksmith: If your locksmith business makes $80,000–$200,000 in annual revenue, you could earn $45,000–$80,000/year as the business owner. Your locksmith salary can be even higher, depending on your location, the services you provide, and the number of service calls you handle.
• Pest control: As a pest control business owner, you could make anywhere from $70,000 to $100,000+ per year. This amount will vary depending on the types of pest removal services you provide and how much you charge for them.
• Painting: A painting business owner can earn up to $97,500 to $202,500 a year if the company makes $750,000 a year and has a net profit of 13–27%. Your house painting salary could be even higher as you grow your team or subcontract painting jobs.
• Roofing: Roofing business owners can make $70,000 to $150,000 a year. As with many industries, your roofer salary depends on how many jobs you complete, whether you offer residential or commercial services, and how profitable your roof pricing is.
• Handyman: Handyman business owner salaries vary depending on the services you offer and the number of years in business. However, there are some success stories, like one handyman who started a business that earned $156,000/year. While this amount was gross revenue, not net, it’s possible to earn a similar amount and minimize operating expenses to take home a bigger paycheck.

Factors that affect franchise owner earnings

Franchise owner earnings can vary widely, even within the same brand. That’s because your salary depends on several different factors. Let’s break down those factors so you can understand why salaries vary—and how to increase yours:

• Number of locations: You can often earn more when you have multiple locations, especially if you can spread fixed costs (like marketing) across them. This cuts down on expenses per franchise location and helps boost your revenue.
• Industry type: Some industries earn more revenue than others. For example, fast food franchises get more customers but have thinner profit margins than cleaning franchises.  Choosing a franchise with high demand or low operating costs can help you earn more revenue.
• Owner involvement: Hands-on owners may see higher profits because they can control operations and manage staff directly. Since they have a bigger stake in the franchise than an employee, they’re likely to put in extra work to make the business successful.
• Local market: Factors like population, competition, customer demand, rent, wages, utilities, and royalty fees all affect revenue and profits. Skilled labor and local minimum wage also play a part in payroll costs, which contribute to overhead and cut into profits.
• Time in business: Franchise locations often earn less in the first few years while they build brand awareness and figure out their operations. Established locations with consistent customer flow tend to earn steady, predictable income.
• Brand popularity: Well-known brands with strong marketing are more likely to earn more money. A smaller or newer brand might take more work to launch, but your initial franchise fee should be much lower.

How do I become a franchise owner?

Becoming a franchise owner is a great way to start a business with proven systems and an established brand, but there are still steps to follow. Here’s how to become a franchise owner:

• Confirm franchising is a good fit by assessing your budget, goals, and comfort with following another business owner’s structured system.
• Set your investment budget and create a funding plan, whether that comes from your savings, a small business loan, or franchise financing options.
• Choose your franchise industry and decide what type of business you’d like to run, like a plumbing, HVAC, or even restaurant franchise.
• Narrow down franchise brands that match your skills, market demand, and startup budget.
• Talk to current franchisees to understand how the business runs, how much they earn, and whether they’re happy with the brand.
• Review the FDD (franchise disclosure document) and talk to a franchise attorney before signing anything.
• Sign the franchise agreement, complete training, and launch your location with the franchisor’s help.

How to make more money as a franchise owner

To grow your net income as a franchise owner, you’ll need to control costs and find new sources of revenue. These are a few practical, high-impact ways to make your franchise more profitable:

• Own more than one location. Multi-unit owners earn more because they can spread fixed costs (like marketing and even labor) across multiple locations to increase revenue.
• Improve efficiency. If the franchise allows it, create processes that help your employees work faster and smarter. You can increase revenue by fitting more jobs into one day.
• Be involved in the business. You’ll earn more as a hands-on owner because you can quickly identify and solve any problems as they appear.
• Increase local marketing. Use local SEO, paid ads, reviews, referral programs, and community partnerships to bring in more customers.
• Encourage repeat business. Repeat customers cost less to win and are your biggest source of new business. Keep customers with upsells, memberships, maintenance plans, loyalty programs, or premium add-ons.
• Hire and keep high-performing staff. A great manager and a dedicated team will be more efficient, make fewer mistakes, and keep your customers happy.
• Use franchise training. Your franchise wants to see you succeed, so take advantage of the training materials and coaching they provide.
• Choose the right location. Dense, growing, or high-income markets tend to provide higher revenue, so pick a market and a service area where you can do more business.
• Know your numbers. High-earning franchisees check their financial statements regularly to catch cost increases and control spending before it becomes a problem.

How much does it cost to franchise your business?

Franchising your business can have a one-time cost of $26,000–$84,500. If you include first-year sales and development costs, it’s more like $48,500 to $160,000. Franchise costs can include:

• Creating a franchise disclosure document (FDD): $15,000–$45,000
• Developing a franchise operations manual: up to $30,000
• Documenting financial statements: $2,500–$5,000
• Incorporating, filing a trademark, and registering your FDD: $1,000–$4,500
• Sales and marketing (e.g., branding, website, paid ads, conferences): $22,500–$75,500