BrightStar Care franchise unit economics
BrightStar Care franchisees run home-care and medical-staffing agencies that bill hourly personal care, skilled nursing and staffing for facilities.
BrightStar Care in the news
- BrightStar CEO Josh Wall Targets Memory Care, Childcare Service Line Expansion · Home Health Care News ·
- Josh Wall Appointed as CEO of BrightStar Care · HomeCare ·
Each BrightStar Care headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked these BrightStar Care links on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including BrightStar Care. BrightStar Care is in the Non-medical Home Care franchise guide.
BrightStar Care franchise at a glance
In its 2026 FDD BrightStar Care reports 2025 revenue for 207 agencies, with quartile averages, hours billed per client and gross profit after field staff pay.
BrightStar Care franchisees averaged $2,413,076 of sales in 2025, with a median of $1,943,606, according to Item 19 of BrightStar Care’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026. The 207 in that group are 52%* of BrightStar Care’s 396 locations. Fees paid to BrightStar Care come to about 5.25%* of sales. A BrightStar Care franchise costs $101,464 to $217,486 to open.
- BrightStar Care charges a royalty of 5.25% of sales.
- At the average BrightStar Care location, cost of goods took 58% of sales.
- Work out BrightStar Care's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from BrightStar Care's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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See what your numbers should look like every month.
Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- One extra hour per client per week is about $81,000 a year. The system averages 23.9 hours per client against a high of 102.3, and it costs you no new referrals.
- Gross profit runs from 20.0% to 63.9% across the system. What you sell and who pays for it decides it, well ahead of what you pay caregivers.
- The median is $1,943,606. Only about a third of agencies reach the $2,413,076 average, and a few very large operators create the whole gap.
- Royalty is due the week you invoice. The royalty is 5.25% of net billings, paid weekly, so the faster you grow, the more cash it takes.
- Several states raised caregiver pay in 2026, and federal Medicaid reductions arrive in 2027. Medicaid paid 11.9% of BrightStar Care system revenue in 2025.
How much does a BrightStar Care franchise make?
The average BrightStar Care unit reported $2,413,076 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,943,606. Item 19 of the BrightStar Care FDD publishes gross profit as a share of revenue for 203 first agencies open 12 months or longer, and what an owner keeps depends on the costs set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 5.2% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling businesses are below.
How the business works
Revenue by year of operation
Each row is a year of operation counted from the date an agency could run half the model. So the first-year figure is an actual first year and the sequence follows the same agencies as they age. The median column shows the agency in the middle.
| Year of operation | Agencies | Average revenue | Median revenue | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First year | 207 | $445,035 | $351,598 | $2,013,367 | $27,376 |
| Second year | 196 | $993,361 | $836,638 | $3,661,793 | $164,281 |
| Third year | 189 | $1,236,109 | $1,096,000 | $4,433,481 | $45,141 |
| Fourth year | 178 | $1,471,350 | $1,281,634 | $5,370,051 | $203,101 |
| Fifth year | 172 | $1,672,256 | $1,364,906 | $7,775,668 | $330,575 |
| Sixth year | 164 | $1,842,146 | $1,497,673 | $8,264,101 | $449,335 |
| Seventh year | 156 | $1,969,937 | $1,672,768 | $7,915,742 | $483,288 |
| Eighth year | 146 | $2,116,452 | $1,763,571 | $10,839,910 | $314,368 |
| Ninth year | 142 | $2,198,015 | $1,821,536 | $12,539,974 | $237,468 |
| Tenth year | 134 | $2,340,132 | $1,886,383 | $11,793,328 | $349,159 |
These figures are as the brand disclosed them.
A few very large agencies pull the average up in every row, so two thirds of owners fall short of it. Size your loan against the median instead. It runs about 81% of the average, and you are planning for an outcome half the system actually hits.
The agency count drops as you go down the rows, mostly because an agency that opened in 2019 has yet to reach a tenth year. Still worth asking the franchisor how many of those missing agencies closed.
Revenue by quartile, 2025
| quartile | Agencies | Average revenue | Median revenue | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| quartile 1 (top 25%) | 52 | $4,770,311 | $3,883,822 | $14,781,044 | $2,900,830 |
| quartile 2 | 51 | $2,405,989 | $2,367,704 | $2,875,457 | $1,962,981 |
| quartile 3 | 52 | $1,622,994 | $1,623,084 | $1,943,606 | $1,326,374 |
| quartile 4 (bottom 25%) | 52 | $852,873 | $878,698 | $1,323,093 | $48,123 |
| All agencies | 207 | $2,413,076 | $1,943,606 | $14,781,044 | $48,123 |
The 5.6× ratio between the top and bottom quartile averages is marked *.
Outside the top quartile, average and median say the same thing. So if you land in the middle of this system your planning number is stable and you can trust it. The system-wide average is the figure pulled up by the largest agencies.
Top performers
What separates the top BrightStar Care performers
BrightStar Care splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The top group averaged $4,770,311 a year. The lowest averaged $852,873. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,943,606. The average was $2,413,076. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 5.6× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $101,464 to $217,486, a 2.1× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 5.2% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
- Cash needed in the first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up: the month sales cover costs, and how much cash you fund before then.
Live operating levers
- Field staff pay.BrightStar Care field staff pay takes about 58% of sales, leaving 42.0% gross profit. The levers are the service mix, the payer mix and the bill rate against the pay rate.
- Billed hours.You pay for every hour worked and bill only the hours a client accepts. Track hours worked against hours billed, and the rate charged against the rate paid.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 207 of 396 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
- What the filing does not include.Item 19 of the BrightStar Care FDD publishes gross profit as a share of revenue for 203 first agencies open 12 months or longer. Ask the franchisor or current owners for any cost line the filing leaves out.
Margin & mix
Operating statistics by quartile
Two numbers account for most of the gap between a top-quarter agency and a bottom-quarter one, and you control both of them. They are the place to start if you want to move a quartile this year.
| Measure | Average | Median | High | Low | Reached avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| gross profit | 42.0% | 41.7% | 63.9% | 20.0% | 95 (47%) |
| Hours billed per client per week | 23.9 | 22.7 | 102.3 | 2.8 | 93 (46%) |
These figures are as the brand disclosed them.
What an agency sells and who pays for it account for more of that range than caregiver wages do. Skilled nursing prices differently from companion care, and a VA contract differently from a family paying out of pocket. The agencies at the top of that range chose a different mix, and mix is something you decide.
Hours per client is the other lever, and it is the cheaper one. The system average is 23.9 hours per client per week against a high of 102.3. Deepening an existing client costs you no acquisition spend and no new intake. It asks your care team to spot the need and your schedulers to fill it. Adding clients grows the same line and costs considerably more to do.
What each lever is worth. One more hour per client each week is 4.2% more sales, about $81,000 a year at the middle agency, and about four points more kept. It needs no new referral. We calculated these from the disclosed averages.
Revenue by line of business and payor, 2025
| Line of business | Share | Payer, the insurer or family paying the bill, source | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Care | 51.0% | Self pay, private individual | 42.9% |
| Skilled Services | 38.6% | National Account | 17.7% |
| Companion Care / Child Care | 2.3% | Medicaid | 11.9% |
| Staffing | 8.1% | Veterans Administration | 9.1% |
| Local contract | 8.4% | ||
| Other | 7.1% | ||
| Self pay, business / facility | 1.6% | ||
| Long term care insurance | 1.3% | ||
| Total | 100.0% | Total | 100.0% |
These figures are as the brand disclosed them.
Most of the money in this system is owed by institutions. That sets both what you can charge and how long you wait to be paid, which is the cash problem covered on the Finance tab.
Discounts available
- BrightStar Care takes 10% off an additional franchise's fee for franchisees open 12+ months who meet expansion requirements (not for Medium Density or Small territories).
- BrightStar Care takes $5,000 off the first territory's fee for honorably discharged U.S. veterans.
From Item 5 of the BrightStar Care 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
What the money side covers
Ongoing fees
Royalty is owed weekly on what is invoiced. Most of the money arrives later, when the payer settles. Growth consumes cash here. Track how long each payer takes to pay. Some contracts fund the wage bill and some delay it.
| Fee | Rate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty / Continuing Fee | 5.25% of monthly Net Billings | Percentage of billings |
| Royalty on National Accounts | 6.25% | Percentage of the invoice BrightStar sends you |
| Minimum Monthly Royalty Fee | Applies on failure to meet Monthly Performance Standards | minimum |
As the brand reported it.
An agency in the middle produces roughly $816,000 of gross profit a year, before office rent, admin staff, your own pay or royalty. That applies the average margin to the middle sales figure. It is our calculation, and the two figures cover slightly different groups of agencies.
Questions we get asked
How much does a BrightStar Care franchise make?
BrightStar Care franchisees averaged $2,413,076 of sales in 2025, with a median of $1,943,606, according to Item 19 of BrightStar Care’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026. The 207 in that group are 52%* of BrightStar Care’s 396 locations. Fees paid to BrightStar Care come to about 5.25%* of sales. A BrightStar Care franchise costs $101,464 to $217,486 to open.
How long does a BrightStar Care agency take to build-up?
The middle agency roughly doubles between year one and year two, then settles into single-digit growth from about year five. In dollars, that is $351,598, $836,638, $1,096,000 and $1,281,634 across the first four years, reaching $1,886,383 by year ten. Plan for the first two years to need the most cash, and build your model on the later, slower growth rate.
Which number should I benchmark my BrightStar Care agency against?
Benchmark against the median of $1,943,606. Only about a third of agencies reach the $2,413,076 average, and a few very large operators create the whole gap. Find the quarter an agency sits in, then work on the two figures that separate it from the quarter above, which are gross profit after field staff pay and hours per client.
Does BrightStar disclose how profitable an agency is at BrightStar Care?
The document reports one cost line. On average 42.0% is left after field staff pay. Office rent, admin wages, software, local marketing, royalty and your own pay all come out of what remains. Your own P&L is the only place a net number exists. That is an argument for a chart of accounts that lines up with the way the system reports.
Why does who pays the bill matter so much in home care at BrightStar Care?
It sets both your rate and your timing. Families pay close to the time of service. More private-pay work means money arrives sooner and more is kept. Institutional payers settle on their own schedule, and royalty is charged on billings.
Who does bookkeeping for a BrightStar Care franchise?
This looks like a services business and runs like a receivables business. Record sales by who pays and by service line, and track how long each payer takes to pay. Put field wages in cost of goods with its full burden so the 42.0% benchmark means something.
Record field wages with payroll taxes, benefits, screening, workers compensation, bond and liability included, then the 42.0% figure becomes something you can measure yourself against. Accrue royalty the day you raise the invoice, and a fast-growing month will read honestly. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
Get that wrong and the P&L says you are profitable while the bank balance says otherwise.
Who owns BrightStar Care, and who runs it?
Peak Rock Capital acquired BrightStar in March 2025. Josh Wall became CEO in July 2026 from Unleashed Brands. BrightStar has named memory care, childcare and in-home therapies as expansion lines, which would change the mix you sell. The system reported 420 locations in mid-2026.
Sources: Home Health Care News, July 2026 · PR Newswire, 3 August 2026
- Item 19 of the BrightStar Care FDD gives no profit after every cost. It publishes gross profit as a share of revenue for 203 first agencies open 12 months or longer, so what an owner keeps after all costs is not disclosed.
Questions worth putting to BrightStar Care
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- How would wages and rent at a new BrightStar Care location compare with the figures in the filing? Item 19 of the BrightStar Care FDD publishes gross profit as a share of revenue for 203 first agencies open 12 months or longer.
- Which factors does BrightStar Care see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many BrightStar Care locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →Run these numbers against your own agency.
We review your unit economics, cash forecast and reporting, so you know where you stand against the disclosed averages.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from BrightStar Franchising, LLC's 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. The figures describe past performance at other agencies. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear. This page is an educational summary and is not legal or tax advice. BrightStar Care® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: BrightStar Franchising, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 1 April 2026.
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BrightStar Care reads against the rest of the non-medical home care group:
All 27 brands
- 1Heart Caregiver Services
- 2nd Family
- A Better Solution In Home Care
- ActiKare
- Always Best Care
- Assisting Hands Home Care
- CareBuilders At Home
- Caring Senior Service
- ComForCare
- Comfort Keepers
- Executive Home Care
- FirstLight Home Care
- Griswold
- Hallmark Homecare
- Home Helpers Home Care
- Home Instead
- Home Matters Caregiving
- Homewatch CareGivers
- Interim HealthCare
- Nurse Next Door
- One You Love Homecare
- Qualicare
- Right at Home
- Senior Helpers
- Seniors Helping Seniors
- SYNERGY HomeCare
- Visiting Angels
The non-medical home care guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- Do I need a bookkeeper, a controller, or a CFO?It explains what each role owns and when the next hire pays for itself.
- Revenue was the highest it has been. Why did profit not move?It traces where the extra revenue went, line by line.