FirstLight Home Care franchise unit economics
FirstLight Home Care franchisees run an in-home care agency billing caregiver hours for companion care, personal care and dementia care. Across 194 territories open at least thirteen months the average billed $1,545,697 with a median of $1,195,409. The average territory bills $39.55 an hour, pays caregivers $18.41, and serves 42 clients with 40 caregivers.
- Primary source
- FirstLight HomeCare Franchising, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 7 for cost to open; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 194 of 284 locations
- Our calculations
- Marked on the page with an asterisk. Method
- Last reviewed
- 26 September 2026
Disclosure-based. Not a forecast, not an offer to sell a franchise, and not advice.
FirstLight prints both halves of the equation every home care owner cares about: the average territory bills $39.55 an hour and pays its caregivers $18.41. The gap is $21.14 an hour, which is 53.5% of the rate charged. It also shows the range, one territory bills $70.44 an hour and another $21.33. So the single number you most want to benchmark is here in full.
- The average territory bills $39.55 an hour and pays $18.41. A $21.14 range, 53.5% gross profit. The median runs $37.78 and $18.06.
- Bill rates run from $21.33 to $70.44 across the network. Pay rates from $10.68 to $26.35. The best margin is 62.6%, the worst 49.9%.
- One caregiver per client is the staffing ratio. 42 clients and 40 caregivers at the average territory, 33 and 31 at the median.
- A client is worth about $36,800 a year, or 18 hours a week. $1,545,697 across 42 clients at $39.55 an hour.
- The minimum performance standard reaches $965,952 of annual revenue. From month 82, the minimum royalty is $48,298 a year whatever you bill.
How much does a FirstLight Home Care franchise make?
The average FirstLight Home Care unit reported $1,545,697 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,195,409. The brand’s disclosure document discloses revenue and not profit, so what an owner keeps depends on the cost structure set out below. Fees come off the top first, at about 6% 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 much locations differ
What you charge and what you pay.
| hourly rate | Pay rate | Range | gross profit | Clients | Caregivers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $39.55 | $18.41 | $21.14 | 53.5% | 42 | 40 |
| Median | $37.78 | $18.06 | $19.72 | 52.2% | 33 | 31 |
| Highest | $70.44 | $26.35 | $44.09 | 62.6% | 344 | 245 |
| Lowest | $21.33 | $10.68 | $10.65 | 49.9% | 3 | 2 |
The brand reported the hourly rate charged, the wage paid, the client count and the caregiver count. The figures cover 145 of 194 territories, those using the current client management system.
The share left after caregiver pay stays in a narrow range even where the hourly rates differ sharply. Bill rates run from $21.33 to $70.44, a factor of 3.3, and the implied shares kept still sit between 49.9% and 62.6%. Markets with a high hourly rate also have high wages. What holds constant is that roughly half of what you charge goes to the person doing the work.
The $21.14 an hour between the rate charged and the wage paid is what the business runs on. The average territory bills 39,082 hours a year. At $21.14 an hour that is about $825,402, which covers office staff, recruiting, insurance, rent, the brand's 6% and the owner. Every dollar you add to the hourly rate or shave off the pay rate is worth $39,082 a year at that volume.
Your pay rate sits against a national median of $17.21. The Bureau of Labor Statistics figure for home health and personal care aides, released in May 2026. FirstLight territories average $18.41, so the system is paying above the national median, which is one reason its bill rates hold where they do.
What a client is worth.
| Measure | Average territory |
|---|---|
| Annual revenue | $1,545,697 |
| Billed clients | 42 |
| Revenue per client | $36,802 |
| Hours per client per week | 17.9 |
| Total hours a week | 752 |
| Hours per caregiver a week | 18.8 |
Ours, combining the disclosed average revenue of $1,545,697 for territories open thirteen months or more with the disclosed averages of 42 billed clients, 40 paid caregivers and a $39.55 hourly rate.
A client buys about 18 hours a week and is worth $36,802 a year. That is roughly one long visit a day, or three longer visits a week. Losing one client costs you the equivalent of 2.4% of the year's revenue. That is why client retention deserves the same attention as caregiver retention in a business this concentrated.
You need about one caregiver per client. 40 caregivers serving 42 clients, at 18.8 hours each a week. Caregivers here are part time by design, which widens the recruiting pool and also means your schedule has forty people in it. Every caregiver who leaves takes 18.8 hours a week with them until you replace them.
Top performers
What separates the top FirstLight Home Care performers
FirstLight Home Care splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The best group averaged $11,254,775 a year. The worst averaged $152,398. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,195,409. The average was $1,545,697. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Trade area and site.A 73.9× gap between bands is not an operating gap. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building. Two owners with the same brand and different ground are running different businesses, and density decides how much driving sits between jobs.
- What you spend to open.Opening costs $151,425 to $256,380, a 1.7× range inside one brand. The high end usually buys more capacity, so the cheapest build is not always the cheapest route to the top band.
Live operating levers
- Billed hours, the operating driver.This model bills on billed hours. The owner pays for every hour worked and bills only the hours a client accepts, so the job is to keep those two close and to protect the gap between the rate charged and the rate paid. It is worth watching every week, because by the time it turns up in a monthly close the quarter is half gone.
- Fees, and where the minimum bites.Fees run about 6.0% of sales. A minimum sits underneath the percentage, so the low-volume location pays the higher effective rate. The brand charges the weakest locations the most. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum and know which side of it you are on, because the answer changes what an extra dollar of sales is worth.
- The first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up, so the ramp can be underwritten from the document rather than assumed. Read two things out of it: the month sales cross the point where costs are covered, and how much cash you fund before that month arrives. Everything before break-even is paid for by you.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.194 of 284 locations are behind these figures. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded, so the numbers describe locations that cleared that screen, not the system as a whole.
- What the disclosure leaves out.Item 19 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
Sales
Revenue by months in operation.
| Months open | Territories | Average | Median | Lowest | Highest | Above average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 to 24 | 25 | $576,920 | $500,438 | $152,398 | $1,578,522 | 9 (36%) |
| 25 to 36 | 15 | $1,351,912 | $1,401,927 | $250,672 | $2,775,032 | 8 (53%) |
| 37 and over | 154 | $1,721,841 | $1,392,915 | $320,169 | $11,254,775 | 55 (36%) |
| All 194 | 194 | $1,545,697 | $1,195,409 | $152,398 | $11,254,775 | 74 (38%) |
As the brand reported it.
How we calculated this
284 franchised territories were in operation at 31 December 2025. The figures leave out 52 territories that opened during 2025, 33 that did not run the two full-time staff the agreement requires, five that reported inaccurately and six that closed during the year.
Year three is where the revenue arrives. $576,920 at 12 to 24 months against $1,351,912 at 25 to 36. The median more than doubles, from $500,438 to $1,401,927. After that the median runs $1,392,915 past 37 months, slightly below the 25-to-36 figure.
The median stops climbing while the average keeps going. $1,401,927 at 25 to 36 months and $1,392,915 past 37, against averages of $1,351,912 and $1,721,841. So the highest-selling mature territories pull away (one bills $11,254,775) while the middle settles around $1.4 million. That is the number to plan a mature territory against.
In client terms the mature median is about 38 clients. $1,392,915 at $36,802 a client. Getting from the 12-to-24-month median of $500,438 to there is roughly 24 more clients. That is two a month for a year, each needing a caregiver alongside them.
What it costs to open.
| Low | High | |
|---|---|---|
| New franchise | $151,425 | $256,380 |
| Converting an existing agency | $67,275 | $106,850 |
As the brand reported it.
How we calculated this
$57,195 of the new-franchise figure goes to the franchisor or an affiliate, and up to $57,000 on a conversion.
Converting an existing agency costs less than half as much. $67,275 against $151,425 at the low end, and the franchisor may reduce the royalty for up to 24 months on a conversion. For an independent operator already running hours, that is the cheapest route into a brand in this category.
Fees and the network
The minimum performance standard.
| Months open | Standard per month | Standard per year | minimum royalty | minimum advertising charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 to 3 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 4 to 15 | $5,200 | $62,400 | $3,120 | $624 |
| 16 to 34 | $20,540 | $246,480 | $12,324 | $2,465 |
| 35 to 57 | $48,308 | $579,696 | $28,985 | $5,797 |
| 58 to 81 | $72,462 | $869,544 | $43,477 | $8,695 |
| 82 and beyond | $80,496 | $965,952 | $48,298 | $9,660 |
Monthly standards as the brand reported it.
From month 82 franchise fees cost $57,958 a year before any revenue-based calculation. The minimum royalty of $48,298 plus the minimum advertising spend of $9,660. That equals 6% only at $965,952 of annual revenue. The mature median territory bills $1,392,915, so most clear it. But the lowest mature territory disclosed bills $320,169. That is where the minimums work out to 18.1% of revenue.
The standard escalates faster than the median territory does. $246,480 at months 16 to 34 against a 12-to-24-month median of $500,438; $869,544 at months 58 to 81 against a mature median of $1,392,915. The gaps narrow as you go, and the standard rises with inflation each year whatever your revenue does.
What the fees come to at each stage.
| Territory | Revenue | Total fees | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 to 24 months, average | $576,920 | $36,955 | 6.41% |
| 25 to 36 months, average | $1,351,912 | $83,455 | 6.17% |
| 37+ months, median | $1,392,915 | $85,915 | 6.17% |
| 37+ months, average | $1,721,841 | $105,650 | 6.14% |
| Lowest mature territory | $320,169 | $60,297 | 18.83% |
We worked this out, applying the 5% royalty, the 1% advertising fund and the $2,340 yearly software fee, using each stage's sales standard as the minimum.
Above the standard the load is a steady 6.1% to 6.4%. With 53.5% left after caregiver pay, the brand's fees take about an eighth of that. Above the sales standard an owner pays the percentage. Below it, the minimum costs far more.
The network of locations. (Item 20)
| Year | Start | End | Net change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 195 | 203 | +8 |
| 2024 | 203 | 238 | +35 |
| 2025 | 238 | 284 | +46 |
As the brand reported it.
The network grew 46% in two years, from 195 to 284 territories. That is the fastest growth of any senior care brand in this series, and 52 of those territories opened during 2025 alone. Expect the system averages to be pulled down in the next filing as that group reports its first full years at around $576,920.
Questions we get asked
What should my hourly rate and pay rate be?
The average territory charges $39.55 an hour and pays $18.41. The gap is $21.14, which is 53.5% of the rate charged. The median runs $37.78 and $18.06 at 52.2%. Across the network the hourly rate charged runs from $21.33 to $70.44 and pay rates $10.68 to $26.35. The share left after caregiver pay stays between 49.9% and 62.6%. Markets with high rates pay high wages. So the ratio matters more than either number alone.
How many clients and caregivers do I need?
The average territory serves 42 clients with 40 caregivers; the median serves 33 with 31. A client buys about 18 hours a week and is worth roughly $36,802 a year. Caregivers average 18.8 hours a week each, so this is a part-time workforce by design. Reaching the mature median of $1,392,915 means about 38 clients.
What should my territory be billing at my age?
The median runs $500,438 at 12 to 24 months, $1,401,927 at 25 to 36 months and $1,392,915 past 37 months. Year three is the step, the median nearly triples. After that the middle of the distribution settles while the highest-selling territories keep climbing toward the $11,254,775 top end.
What happens if I fall below the performance standard?
Royalty and the advertising fund are charged on the standard instead of your actual revenue. From month 82 that means $48,298 of royalty and $9,660 of advertising, equal to 6% only at $965,952 of revenue. At the lowest mature territory disclosed, $320,169, those minimums reach 18.8% of revenue. The standard also rises annually with inflation, so clearing it once leaves next year open.
Who does bookkeeping for a FirstLight Home Care franchise?
hourly rate against pay rate is the number the whole business turns on. So the close needs revenue and caregiver wages both expressed per hour. Overtime separated out, an hour paid at time and a half against a $39.55 hourly rate takes the margin on that hour from 53.5% to about 30%. Gross Revenues for royalty are defined on payments received, so collections timing moves your fee month to month. Track the minimum performance standard against your rolling twelve-month revenue, since crossing under it changes your effective royalty overnight. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
- No profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- No cost lines. Wages, rent and cost of goods are not broken out, so margin cannot be rebuilt from the document.
Questions worth putting to FirstLight Home Care
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- What separates the highest-selling locations from the lowest: trade area, years open, size, or the owner?
- 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 FirstLight Home Care locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Finance Diagnostic 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. 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.
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast, and reporting, so you know where you stand against the disclosed rates.
Request the review