ENTREPRENEUR UNVEILS THE 43RD ANNUAL FRANCHISE 500® RANKINGS

NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneur, the media powerhouse at the forefront of the culture, mindset, and lifestyle of entrepreneurship, today unveiled its 43^rd annual Franchise 500 rankings. For the second consecutive year, Taco Bell tops the Franchise 500 rankings, with The UPS Store moving up to #2 in this year's rankings and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen rounding out the top three.

"This year's Franchise 500 rankings could be one of the most revealing looks at how our economy changed as a result of the past couple of years," says Entrepreneur Editor in Chief Jason Feifer. "Despite a year of economic uncertainty, false starts, abrupt change, and waves of fear, the franchise industry grew with spikes in ownership and interest from women, Generation Z, and a more diverse pool of new entrepreneurs than ever before."

The top ten companies on the 2022 Entrepreneur Franchise 500 list are:

1. Taco Bell
2. The UPS Store
3. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen
4. Jersey Mike's Subs
5. Culver's
6. Kumon
7. Planet Fitness
8. Servpro
9. 7-Eleven
10. Tropical Smoothie Cafe

The 2022 rankings also underscore significant change and growth in new franchise areas. As consumers continued to spend more time at home this past year, the home improvement category boomed — with 34 companies ranking in our Franchise 500 list (versus just 26 last year). In terms of average US franchise growth, it was the third-fastest growing category in the list, with its brands adding an average of 11+ new franchise units.

Perhaps as a direct result of the cultural shifts forced by the COVID pandemic and the rising demand for healthy choices and delivery services, the food industry reversed its sliding share in the rankings this year and saw the emergence of new categories, including salads, poke, and ghost kitchens. The quick-service category went from 80 ranked franchises in 2021 to 97 in 2022. Almost 20% of the top 500 are quick service, along with more than 25% of the top 100.

"There are still more challenges ahead, to be sure," adds Feifer. "But the franchising industry has made its point: It is built for resilience. Its franchisees and franchisors are full of grit and innovation. They will tackle everything with the spirit of entrepreneurship because that is what's at their core."

In Entrepreneur's continuing effort to best understand and evaluate the ever-changing franchise marketplace, the company's 43-year-old ranking formula continues to evolve as well. The editorial team researches and assesses several factors that go into the evaluation, including costs and fees, size and growth, support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Each franchise is given a cumulative score based on an analysis of more than 150 data points, and the 500 franchises with the highest cumulative scores become the Franchise 500® in ranking order. 

Over its 43 years in existence, the Franchise 500® has become both a dominant competitive measure for franchisors and a primary research tool for potential franchisees. To view the full ranking, visit www.entrepreneur.com/franchise500. Results can also be seen in the January/February 2022 issue of Entrepreneur, available on newsstands this month.

About Entrepreneur Media Inc.

Entrepreneur is the media powerhouse at the forefront of the culture, mindset, and lifestyle of entrepreneurship. For 43 years, Entrepreneur has helped business leaders start, run and grow their ventures. Today, the brand helps fuel creative ideas and strategize breakthrough growth plans with how-to content, books, podcasts, videos, consulting services, and more.

Entrepreneur magazine, Entrepreneur.com, GreenEntrepreneur.com and publishing imprint Entrepreneur Press provide solutions, information, inspiration and education read by millions of entrepreneurs and business owners worldwide.

SOURCE Entrepreneur Media Inc.