Industry data·Report

Top 10 US states by franchise location density (2026)

Where US franchise locations actually are — ranked by total count and by locations per 100,000 residents.

By Franchismo ResearchApril 22, 2026· 4 min read

Last reviewed: June 2026 · Corrections: research@awaregtm.com

Quick answer: Texas, California, and Florida lead the US in total franchise location count. On a per-capita basis, Nevada, Tennessee, and Georgia punch above their population weight.

Top 10 US states by total franchise locations (2026)

  1. Texas — ~85,000 franchise locations
  2. California — ~78,000
  3. Florida — ~62,000
  4. New York — ~46,000
  5. Pennsylvania — ~38,000
  6. Illinois — ~36,000
  7. Ohio — ~34,000
  8. Georgia — ~31,000
  9. North Carolina — ~30,000
  10. Michigan — ~26,000

Top 10 states by franchise locations per 100,000 residents

  1. Nevada
  2. Tennessee
  3. Georgia
  4. South Carolina
  5. Oklahoma
  6. Arizona
  7. Florida
  8. Kentucky
  9. Indiana
  10. Missouri

What this means for go-to-market teams

Sales territory and field-rep planning that uses population alone misses the franchise opportunity. A rep in Nashville or Las Vegas has materially more franchise operators per square mile than a rep in Manhattan, even though Manhattan has more total population.

Franchismo's location data is mapped to MSA and county, so you can build territories by real franchise density — not by population proxy.

Numbers above are approximate, aggregated from FDD filings and state registrations. Refreshed monthly inside Franchismo.

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