Five Star Painting franchise unit economics
Five Star Painting franchisees sell and project-manage residential and commercial painting work, delivered by subcontracted crews across a population-based territory.
Five Star Painting in the news
- Neighborly® Appoints Brent Korb as Chief Financial Officer · Franchising.com ·
The Five Star Painting headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this Five Star Painting link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Five Star Painting. Five Star Painting is in the Painting franchise guide.
Five Star Painting franchise at a glance
Five Star Painting's 2026 FDD reports 2025 sales for each head of territory population and for each job, by quartile, for 208 of its 245 businesses.
Item 19 of Five Star Painting’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026, reports Five Star Painting sales of $2.12 for each head of population and $4,439.87 for each job. A Five Star Painting franchise costs $82,200 to $194,600 to open, including a $45,000 initial franchise fee.
- Five Star Painting charges a royalty of 6% of sales, a 2% brand fund contribution and a $333 monthly technology fee.
- On Averan's reading, Five Star Painting's franchise fees come to about 8% of sales.
- Five Star Painting reported 245 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- Work out Five Star Painting's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Five Star Painting's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- The system average is about 84 painting jobs a year. $2.12 a head across 175,000 people is $371,000, and at $4,439.87 a job that is 83.6 jobs *, 1.6 a week, or 72 jobs on a 150,000-population territory and 95 on a 200,000-population one.
- Sales for each head vary 14.6 times between the end quartiles and ticket 2.2 times. $5.10 a head against $0.35, which is 14.6 times, against $6,020.30 a job against $2,715.60, which is 2.2 times *, so the highest-selling businesses sell more work.
- Four figures here disagree with four other figures here. The per-job quartiles weight to $4,238.70 against a stated $4,439.87. Both all-business rows show a narrower range than the quartiles inside them. The opening-cost columns add to $750 and $9,000 less than their own totals. The average fee paid of $27,790 sits $9,445 below the bottom of its own stated range.
- The fees paid to the brand are 8.0% above $300,000 and 31.4% at the bottom quartile. That is $29,680 on $371,000 of sales against $19,225 on $61,250 *, where the $18,000 license minimum applies below $300,000. The required local marketing spend comes on top.
- The base territory costs 25% less for each head at 200,000 people than at 150,000. $45,000 covers anywhere between 150,000 and 200,000 people, which is 30.0 cents a head at the bottom of that range and 22.5 cents at the top *, and every further 1,000 costs $230.
How much does a Five Star Painting franchise make?
The 2026 FDD for Five Star Painting does not publish unit revenue in a form that answers this directly. It reports 2025 results for 208 of its 245 businesses. Five Star Painting businesses averaged $2.12 of sales for each head of territory population and $4,439.87 for each job, which works out at about 84 jobs a year *.
Eighty-four jobs a year
Revenue per job, 2025
| Group | Businesses | Average | Median | Highest | Lowest | Reaching the average | Against the fourth quartile * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st quartile | 52 | $6,020.30 | $5,743.60 | $12,414.20 | $4,874.50 | 24, 46% | 2.22 times |
| 2nd quartile | 52 | $4,583.70 | $4,503.70 | $4,865.00 | $3,978.80 | 26, 50% | 1.69 times |
| 3rd quartile | 52 | $3,635.20 | $3,660.90 | $3,956.50 | $3,047.40 | 25, 48% | 1.34 times |
| 4th quartile | 52 | $2,715.60 | $2,924.30 | $3,028.20 | $1,256.90 | 23, 44% | n/a |
| All businesses | 208 | $4,439.87 | $3,696.30 | $6,466.30 | $3,059.60 | 98, 47% | 1.63 times |
Every figure is as the brand reported it apart from the final column, which is marked *.
Ticket size moves 2.2 times from the bottom quartile to the highest-selling one. $2,715.60 to $6,020.30 *, a real difference, and a small one next to the 14.6 times that separates the same two ends on sales for each head of population.
The middle two quartiles sit within $948 of each other. The two averages are $4,583.70 and $3,635.20 *, so half the Five Star Painting system prices a job within about a thousand dollars.
A business at the system average books about 84 jobs a year. $371,000 of revenue at $4,439.87 a job on a 175,000-population territory *, 72 jobs at the bottom of the standard territory range and 95 at the top, which is between 1.4 and 1.8 jobs a week.
Attainment sits near half in every quartile. 44% to 50% across the four groups and 47% overall, a distribution that is almost tail-free, which is what a market-priced ticket looks like.
The highest single ticket is $12,414.20 and the lowest $1,256.90. They are just under ten times apart.
Top performers
What separates the top Five Star Painting performers
Five Star Painting reports 2025 sales per person in the territory and sales per job, and no total sales per business. Its 208 businesses are split into quartiles of 52 on each measure, from an average of $5.10 per person in the top quartile to $0.35 in the bottom quartile.
Decided before you open
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $82,200 to $194,600, a 2.4× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 8.0% 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.
Live operating levers
- Jobs.Each job is won separately. Track how many quotes turn into work and the average job value.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.Five Star Painting’s figures cover 208 of 245 franchised businesses. The filing leaves out 5 that opened in 2025, 12 that changed hands without a full year of data, 12 multi-unit businesses that reported only in total and 8 missing four or more months of data.
- What the filing does not include.Five Star Painting’s Item 19 gives no total sales per business and no profit or cost data. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
- Sales spread in the category.Across 66 Home Services brands in this library, the top group sells 8.9× the bottom at the typical brand, and a median 35% of locations reach their own average *. Five Star Painting’s own spread is in the tables on this page.
Discounts available
- Five Star Painting takes 10% to 50% off for owners who roll in an existing similar business, scaled by its annual sales.
- Five Star Painting takes 50% off the minimum fee for the second and later franchises, for existing franchisees or new buyers of several at once.
- Five Star Painting takes 10% off for franchisees of its affiliate brands of at least 2 years.
- Five Star Painting takes 10% to 25% off for franchisee employees with 2 or more years of service (HIRE).
- Five Star Painting takes 20% off the $45,000 minimum fee for honorably discharged U.S. or Canadian veterans (VetFran).
From Item 5 of the Five Star Painting 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Sales per person
Revenue per head of territory population, 2025
| Group | Businesses | Average | Median | Highest | Lowest | At 150,000 * | At 175,000 * | At 200,000 * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st quartile | 52 | $5.10 | $4.73 | $16.60 | $2.49 | $765,000 | $892,500 | $1,020,000 |
| 2nd quartile | 52 | $2.02 | $1.99 | $2.49 | $1.55 | $303,000 | $353,500 | $404,000 |
| 3rd quartile | 52 | $1.01 | $0.99 | $1.55 | $0.66 | $151,500 | $176,750 | $202,000 |
| 4th quartile | 52 | $0.35 | $0.31 | $0.66 | $0.03 | $52,500 | $61,250 | $70,000 |
| All businesses | 208 | $2.12 | $2.00 | $5.32 | $1.18 | $318,000 | $371,000 | $424,000 |
The per-head figures and counts are as the brand reported it. The three revenue columns are marked *, applying each average to the stated territory range of 150,000 to 200,000 people.
The four quartile averages weight to $2.12 exactly. $5.10, $2.02, $1.01 and $0.35 across 52 businesses each *, which is the figure stated for all 208. So this table partitions the system cleanly and each quartile can be read on its own.
Each step down the quartiles roughly halves the number. That is $5.10, $2.02, $1.01, $0.35, a 2.5-fold, 2.0-fold and 2.9-fold drop. So this is a system where the distance between neighboring groups is as large as the distance from any of them to the average.
The first quartile runs from $2.49 to $16.60 a head. That is 6.7 times inside a single group *, against 1.6 times inside the second quartile. The high end is a long tail and the middle is tightly packed.
A 300,000-population territory at the system average bills $636,000 *. That is 143 jobs a year at $4,439.87, or 2.8 a week, and that is the practical ceiling of the standard offering.
The 208 businesses cover Five Star Painting and ProTect Painters together. Both brands sit in the same population, so these figures describe a combined painting system.
Fees and minimums
Brand and marketing fees at each sales level
| Group | Revenue * | License fee * | Brand fund * | Required local spend * | Paid to the brand * | Share of sales * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st quartile | $892,500 | $53,550 | $17,850 | $71,400 | $71,400 | 8.00% |
| All businesses | $371,000 | $22,260 | $7,420 | $29,680 | $29,680 | 8.00% |
| 2nd quartile | $353,500 | $21,210 | $7,070 | $28,280 | $28,280 | 8.00% |
| 3rd quartile | $176,750 | $18,000 | $3,535 | $20,000 | $21,535 | 12.18% |
| 4th quartile | $61,250 | $18,000 | $1,225 | $20,000 | $19,225 | 31.39% |
The rates and minimums are as the brand reported it and every dollar figure is marked. These figures use a 175,000-population territory at the midpoint of the standard range.
Two minimums switch on below $300,000 of sales. The $18,000 license minimum governs below $300,000 and the $20,000 marketing minimum below $250,000 *, so a third-quarter business at $176,750 is caught by both. A fourth-quartile one at $61,250 pays 31.4% of its revenue in fees to the brand, and the $20,000 marketing minimum adds a further 32.7%.
The license fee is a flat 6% for the whole term. It is paid monthly on the 15th for the prior month, with no minimum for the first twelve months and $18,000 a year after that. So the build-up allowance runs exactly one year.
The first two years have $135,000 of required local marketing between them. $60,000 in year one and $75,000 in year two, before the $20,000 annual minimum takes over. At the $371,000 system average, the second-year figure alone is 20.2% of sales *.
A local marketing group can take a further 3%. Of which up to 2% of gross sales may be directed to brand-level awareness work, and the contribution counts toward the required spend.
Software and the call center add about $8,200 to $9,400 a year before appointments. $333.25 a month for the software stack and $349.99 to $449.99 a month for the mandatory call center *, plus $15 for each booked appointment, on 84 jobs a year the appointment fees are a rounding line and the monthly charges are 2.2% to 2.5% of revenue at the system average.
Where the numbers disagree
Differences between stated figures
| What is stated | What the other figures give | Gap * |
|---|---|---|
| Sales for each job, all 208: $4,439.87 | The four quartiles weighted at 52 each: $4,238.70 | $201.17, or 4.53% |
| Sales for each job, all 208: high $6,466.30, low $3,059.60 | 1st quartile high $12,414.20, 4th quartile low $1,256.90 | The group range sits inside its own parts |
| Opening cost totals: $82,200 and $194,600 | The line items add to $81,450 and $185,600 | $750 and $9,000 |
| Average initial fee paid in 2025: $27,790 | Stated range of fees paid: $37,235 to $58,214 | $9,445 below its own minimum |
Both stated columns are as the brand reported it and the gap column is marked *.
The per-head quartiles reconcile to the stated average and the per-job quartiles do not. $5.10, $2.02, $1.01 and $0.35 average to $2.12 exactly, while $6,020.30, $4,583.70, $3,635.20 and $2,715.60 average to $4,238.70 against a stated $4,439.87 *, so the per-head table can be relied on quartile by quartile and the per-job table can be relied on only at the top line.
Both all-business rows print a narrower range than the quartiles inside them. The system high of $5.32 a head sits below the first quartile’s $16.60. The system low of $1.18 sits above the fourth quartile’s $0.03, a range that excludes its own extremes. That means those two rows describe something other than the whole population.
The average initial fee is below the lowest fee anyone paid. $27,790 against a minimum of $37,235 *, and since the standard fee is $45,000, the most likely reading is that the average covers a wider set of transactions than the range does.
The per-head table reconciles and splits the system into four equal groups. Each Five Star Painting per-head figure converts into revenue with one multiplication. The per-job quartiles do not reconcile, so the $4,439.87 system figure is the one to use for a job count.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks
How much does a Five Star Painting franchise make?
Item 19 of Five Star Painting’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026, reports Five Star Painting sales of $2.12 for each head of population and $4,439.87 for each job. A Five Star Painting franchise costs $82,200 to $194,600 to open, including a $45,000 initial franchise fee.
What does a Five Star Painting business bill?
Sales are stated for each head of territory population. Across 208 businesses the 2025 average was $2.12 a head and the median $2.00, with quartile averages of $5.10, $2.02, $1.01 and $0.35. On a 150,000 to 200,000 population territory the system average works out at $318,000 to $424,000 of revenue on our reading. The first quartile works out at $765,000 to $1,020,000.
How many jobs is that at Five Star Painting?
Sales for each job averaged $4,439.87 across the same 208 businesses, with a median of $3,696.30 and quartile averages of $6,020.30, $4,583.70, $3,635.20 and $2,715.60. Dividing revenue by ticket gives roughly 72 to 95 jobs a year at the system average, depending on territory size, about one and a half a week.
What fees does Five Star Painting charge?
The license fee is 6% of gross sales, paid monthly on the 15th, with no minimum for the first twelve months and $18,000 a year afterwards, plus a 2% brand fund contribution. There is also a required local marketing spend of $60,000 in year one, $75,000 in year two and then the greater of $20,000 or 8% of the previous year’s sales. A local marketing group may take up to a further 3%.
What does that work out to at Five Star Painting?
On our reading, on a 175,000-population territory, Five Star Painting fees paid to the brand take 8.00% of sales at the first and second quartiles and at the system average, 12.18% at the third quartile and 31.39% at the fourth. That is where the $18,000 license minimum binds. The required local marketing spend comes on top.
How big is the Five Star Painting territory?
A Five Star Painting territory holds 150,000 to 200,000 people for the standard $45,000 fee, with a maximum of generally 300,000, and each further 1,000 people costs $230. That makes the base fee 30.0 cents a head at 150,000 and 22.5 cents at 200,000. So the size you negotiate inside the base group is worth 25% of the entry price on our reading.
How much does a Five Star Painting franchise cost to open?
The stated totals are $82,200 to $194,600, although the line items add to $81,450 and $185,600. The business runs from home or a small office of about 500 square feet. The printed marketing line is $15,000 to $50,000, which sits below the $60,000 the agreement requires in year one.
How stable is the Five Star Painting system?
Five Star Painting had 245 franchised businesses at the end of 2025, up from 230 three years earlier, with no company-owned outlets. Across 2023 to 2025, 46 opened and 31 left, 24 terminations, 1 non-renewal and 6 that ceased for other reasons. Openings ran 14, 21 and 11 while departures held at 10, 10 and 11.
Which two numbers should run monthly at Five Star Painting?
Track jobs completed against seven a month, because that is what the system average works out at and it is the number the whole model turns on. Then track sales for each head of your own population against $2.12, because it is the one figure here that compares your territory to every other one on equal terms.
- The filing gives no total sales per business. Five Star Painting reports sales per person in the territory and per job, with an average, median, high and low for each quartile.
- The filing gives no profit figure. The filing reports sales and not earnings, so what an owner keeps is not disclosed.
- The filing breaks out 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 Five Star Painting
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 did the highest and lowest locations sell last year, and what explains the gap?
- 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 Five Star Painting 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 →How many jobs did you book last month?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around seven jobs a month, $2.12 of sales for each head of your territory. The two minimums that govern everything below $300,000.
Talk to Averanthe franchise library, all 447 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Five Star Painting reads against the rest of the painting group: 360 Painting · CertaPro Painters · Fresh Coat · WOW 1 DAY PAINTING. The painting 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.
- At what point do spreadsheets stop coping?It explains what changes at around ten units and why lenders care.
- I run several locations. Which ones actually make money?It shows each location's contribution to profit and the reporting it takes to see it.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Five Star Painting SPV LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Five Star Painting® 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: Five Star Painting SPV LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 1 April 2026.