Molly Maid franchise unit economics
Molly Maid franchisees run residential cleaning businesses, sending crews from leased space into a zip-code territory measured in target households. Every charge is priced by the household. The territory costs $1.10 a household once. The minimum licence fee assumes $7.80 of sales for each household a year. Local marketing requirement starting at $1.00. The average franchisee bills $21.65 a household a year and the lowest-selling tenth bills $7.23.
- Primary source
- Molly Maid SPV LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
- Items read
- Items 5 and 6 for fees; Item 19 for sales and any profit figure; Item 20 for the location count
- Population
- 188 of 432 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.
The required local marketing spend is $1.00 for each target household a year until weekly sales pass $15,001, then it steps down to $0.50, $0.25 and finally $0.15. Set against what each group actually bills, that is 13.8% of sales at the lowest-selling tenth and 0.3% at the highest-selling ones. The businesses with the least money are required to spend 46 times more of it on marketing.
- The marketing requirement is 13.8% of sales at the bottom tenth and 0.3% at the top.$1.00 for each household a year against $0.15 *, on a 57,500-household territory, $57,500 a year at the bottom against $8,625 at the top, on revenue of $415,725 and $2,870,400.
- The license minimum assumes $7.80 of sales for each household. The bottom tenth bills $7.23.$0.15 a week times the household count from month 25 *, so the lowest-selling 19 franchisees pay a license fee on sales they failed to make. At the lowest business of all, $2.71 a household, that minimum is 18.7% of revenue.
- The territory costs $1.10 for a household that bills $21.65 a year.5.08% of a single year’s billing from the same household *, 2.20% at the top tenth’s $49.92 and 15.21% at the bottom tenth’s $7.23.
- 88.8% of the same businesses grew last year while the system lost 49.167 of 188 franchisees grew and 64 of them grew by 10% to 20%. Franchised outlets falling 481 to 432, 59 of the 70 departures were booked as ceased for other reasons.
- The license scale is marginal, so it changes by less than a tenth.6.50% at the bottom tenth against 4.97% at the top *, 1.53 points across a 6.9-fold range of sales, while the marketing requirement moves 13.5 points across the same range.
How much does a Molly Maid franchise make?
The 2026 FDD for Molly Maid does not publish unit revenue in a form that answers this directly. What it does publish is set out below, starting with Behind the figures: 188 franchisees, 402 businesses, 2025; Sales for each household: $21.65 average; Median: $18.77; Territory: 45,000 to 70,000 households at $1.10.
Top performers
What separates the top Molly Maid performers
Molly Maid publishes no revenue figures, so neither the average nor the spread between locations is disclosed.
Decided before you open
- Territory, and how much of it is real.This model sells from a territory rather than a building, quoted at 70,000 households. 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 $144,150 to $203,950, a 1.4× 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
- Recurring cleans, the operating driver.This model bills on recurring cleans. The owner works on how many cleans happen each week, how many customers are still there in six months, and how tightly the route is packed. 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 9.2% 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.
Context you underwrite around
- The reporting screen.188 of 432 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, no median, no performance bands. Anything below the sales line has to come from the franchisor or from owners you call.
- What the rest of the category shows.Across the 66 Home Services brands in this library that do publish bands, the top group sells 8.9× the bottom at the typical brand, and a median 35% of locations reach their own average *. Assume a spread of that order here until the franchisor shows you otherwise.
What a household is worth
Twenty-one dollars and sixty-five cents a door.
| Group | Average | Highest | Lowest | Median | Businesses | Reaching the average | At 45,000 households * | At 70,000 households * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | $49.92 | $99.84 | $37.84 | $44.78 | 19 | 8, 42% | $2,246,400 | $3,494,400 |
| 1st quartile | $30.39 | $36.69 | $24.66 | $30.68 | 38 | 19, 50% | $1,367,550 | $2,127,300 |
| 2nd quartile | $21.13 | $23.66 | $18.77 | $20.71 | 38 | 16, 43% | $950,850 | $1,479,100 |
| 3rd quartile | $16.59 | $18.73 | $14.43 | $16.61 | 37 | 19, 51% | $746,550 | $1,161,300 |
| 4th quartile | $11.15 | $14.18 | $9.17 | $11.11 | 37 | 18, 49% | $501,750 | $780,500 |
| Bottom 10% | $7.23 | $9.16 | $2.71 | $7.28 | 19 | 10, 53% | $325,350 | $506,100 |
| All franchisees | $21.65 | $99.84 | $2.71 | $18.77 | 188 | 72, 39% | $974,250 | $1,515,500 |
The per-household figures and counts are as the brand reported it. The two revenue columns are marked *, applying each average to the filed territory range of 45,000 to 70,000 target households.
A target household is a weighted count. Every household in the territory scores a point, a second point is added where combined income reaches $100,000, further points may follow from the age of occupants and children in the home. The total is multiplied by 0.15. So a territory of 57,500 target households sits behind a far larger number of front doors.
The highest-selling tenth bills 6.9 times the lowest-selling tenth from the same kind of ground. $49.92 against $7.23 for each household *. End to end the range runs $99.84 to $2.71, a difference of 36.8 times, on a measure that already allows for territory size.
The median franchisee bills $18.77 a household, which is 86.7% of the average. *, 72 of 188 reach the average, so this system is far less top-heavy than most in this library, where the median usually lands nearer 60%.
The four quarters by sales hold 150 businesses between them. The document states 188. Weighted by their own counts they come to $19.89 a household *, against the published $21.65. The gap of $1.76 a household is worth $101,200 of revenue on a 57,500-household territory. So treat the quarter rows as indicative and the all-franchisee row as the anchor.
Nine cleanings in ten go to a recurring customer. 90% on average and 91% at the median, with 114 of 188 franchisees at or above the average, occasional work is 10% of cleanings. Makes this a subscription book that happens to be delivered with a vacuum.
Marketing costs that only rise
The lowest-selling businesses are asked to spend the most.
| Group | Sales a household | Revenue * | Weekly sales * | Required spend a household | Required spend a year * | Share of sales * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | $49.92 | $2,870,400 | $55,200 | $0.15 | $8,625 | 0.30% |
| 1st quartile | $30.39 | $1,747,425 | $33,604 | $0.15 | $8,625 | 0.49% |
| 2nd quartile | $21.13 | $1,214,975 | $23,365 | $0.25 | $14,375 | 1.18% |
| All franchisees | $21.65 | $1,244,875 | $23,940 | $0.25 | $14,375 | 1.15% |
| 3rd quartile | $16.59 | $953,925 | $18,345 | $0.50 | $28,750 | 3.01% |
| 4th quartile | $11.15 | $641,125 | $12,329 | $1.00 | $57,500 | 8.97% |
| Bottom 10% | $7.23 | $415,725 | $7,995 | $1.00 | $57,500 | 13.83% |
The four spend groups and their weekly sales thresholds are as the brand reported it. Every dollar figure and share here is marked *, on a 57,500-household territory at the midpoint of the filed range.
The steps are $15,001, $20,001 and $25,001 of weekly sales. That is $780,052, $1,040,052 and $1,300,052 a year *. Once a level is reached and held for a quarter it applies until sales fall back, so the relief is earned quarterly and lost quarterly.
Crossing the first step is worth $28,750 a year on a 57,500-household territory. $1.00 a household falling to $0.50 *, a business at the 4th quartile average of $641,125 needs $138,927 more of sales to reach it. Gets 20.7% of that increase straight back in marketing it is free to stop spending.
The marketing requirement moves 13.5 points across the system while the license fee moves 1.5. 13.83% to 0.30% against 6.50% to 4.97% *. The charge that separates a high-selling business from a low-selling one is the one most owners treat as optionay.
A local marketing group can take a further 3% on top. Contributions to it count toward the required spend, as do pay-per-click, print, door hangers and review surveys. Recruitment advertising and vehicle decals are excluded in the first year of operation.
The brand fund is a flat 2% of sales, debited weekly. It is taken every Monday on the previous week's billing. At the system average that is $24,898 a year *, which is 1.7 times the required local spending at the same level.
The license minimum
Paying on sales you failed to make.
| Annual gross sales | Rate on that slice | Minimum gross sales assumed, for each household | |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 – $500,000.99 | 6.5% | Months 7–12 | $0.075 a week, $3.90 a year * |
| $500,001 – $800,000.99 | 6.0% | Months 13–24 | $0.125 a week, $6.50 a year * |
| $800,001 – $1,200,000.99 | 5.5% | Month 25 onward | $0.15 a week, $7.80 a year * |
| $1,200,001 – $1,600,000.99 | 5.0% | n/a | |
| $1,600,001 – $2,000,000.99 | 4.5% | n/a | |
| $2,000,001 – $2,400,000.99 | 4.0% | n/a | |
| $2,400,001 – $2,800,000.99 | 3.5% | n/a | |
| $2,800,001 and over | 3.0% | n/a | |
The rate groups, the worked example and the weekly minimum gross sales figures are as the brand reported it. The annual equivalents and the effective rates below are marked *.
| Group | Revenue | License fee | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | $2,870,400 | $142,612 | 4.97% |
| 1st quartile | $1,747,425 | $99,134 | 5.67% |
| All franchisees | $1,244,875 | $74,744 | 6.00% |
| 2nd quartile | $1,214,975 | $73,249 | 6.03% |
| 3rd quartile | $953,925 | $58,966 | 6.18% |
| 4th quartile | $641,125 | $40,968 | 6.39% |
| Bottom 10% | $415,725 | $27,022 | 6.50% |
Ours throughout, applying the filed marginal groups to each group average on a 57,500-household territory.
The scale is marginal, so it behaves like an income tax. The brand's own example shows it. On $1,000,000 of sales the fee is 6.5% of the first $500,000, 6% of the next $300,000 and 5.5% of the last $200,000. Is $61,500. So reaching a threshold changes only the next dollar. Timing a December invoice gains you zero.
From month 25 the minimum assumes $7.80 of sales for each household a year. The bottom tenth averages $7.23 a household *, which is 92.7% of the minimum. Those 19 owners are charged on sales they did not make. The lowest of them, at $2.71 a household, is charged on nearly three times what it earned.
On a territory of 57,500 households the minimum licence fee is $29,152 a year. 6.5% of $7.80 for each household *. Against sales of $155,825, at $2.71 a household, that is 18.7% of sales. It is owed whether the crews go out or stay in.
The minimum doubles between month 7 and month 25. $3.90 a household a year, then $6.50, then $7.80 *. The lower rates end at two years, which is how long an owner has to get above $7.80 a household.
Above the fee sit a technology package and a call center. $155.45 a month for technology and $405 a month for the field software. The call center costs $250 to $449.99 a month. $25 to $40 for each booked appointment, roughly $9,725 a year of fixed software and call handling before a single appointment fee *.
Growing units, shrinking system
The businesses are growing and the system is shrinking.
| 2024 against 2025 | Franchisees | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Growth above 20% | 19 | 10.11% |
| Growth above 10% and up to 20% | 64 | 34.04% |
| Growth above 5% and up to 10% | 51 | 27.13% |
| Growth above 0% and up to 5% | 33 | 17.55% |
| Decline above 0% and up to 5% | 16 | 8.51% |
| Decline above 5% and up to 10% | 4 | 2.13% |
| Decline above 10% and up to 20% | 1 | 0.53% |
| Decline above 20% | 0 | 0% |
| Grew | 167 | 88.83% |
Every count and percentage is as the brand reported it apart from the closing row, which is marked *.
| Year | At start | Opened | Terminations | Non-renewals | Reacquired | Ceased, other | At end | Net * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 481 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 464 | −17 |
| 2024 | 464 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 448 | −16 |
| 2025 | 448 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 432 | −16 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it apart from the net column. That is marked *, and company-owned outlets stood at zero in all three years.
167 of 188 franchisees grew and the system still lost 49 businesses. 88.83% of businesses grew, a third of them by 10% to 20% *. Owner-run outlets fell from 481 to 432 over the same three years, so businesses are getting bigger while the count of them falls.
188 franchisees hold 402 businesses. 2.14 territories each *. Existing owners are taking on the territories.
59 of the 70 departures are booked as ceased for other reasons. 84.3% *, against 9 terminations and 2 non-renewals across three years, and that column, by its own definition, holds businesses transferred to another franchisee alongside genuine closures.
Openings ran 7, 9 and 5. Against 24, 25 and 21 departures, that is three openings for every ten departures *. Sales per business rise while the number of businesses falls, which turns growth into a contracting system.
Opening costs $144,150 to $203,950, and the two required vehicles sit outside that. A new vehicle costs $23,500 to $26,500 before tax, and the business must start with two. The real opening cost is nearer $191,150 *. The territory fee alone is $49,500 to $77,000 of the printed total.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks.
What does a Molly Maid business bill?
Sales are stated for each target household. Across 188 franchisees the 2025 average was $21.65 a household and the median $18.77, on a range from $2.71 to $99.84. By group the averages run $49.92 at the top tenth, $30.39, $21.13, $16.59 and $11.15 across the four quartiles, and $7.23 at the bottom tenth. On a territory of 45,000 to 70,000 households, the system average works out at $974,250 to $1,515,500 of revenue on our reading.
What is a target household?
A weighted score. Each household in the territory zip codes scores a point, a second point is added where combined annual income reaches $100,000, further points may follow from the age of occupants and children in the home. The total is multiplied by 0.15. A typical territory holds 45,000 to 70,000 target households and the territory is non-exclusive.
What does the brand take?
A licence fee charged in steps, from 6.5% on the first $500,000 of sales a year down to 3% above $2,800,000. It is taken every Monday, subject to a minimum. The minimum is set as sales for each household. $0.075 a week in months 7 to 12, $0.125 in months 13 to 24 and $0.15 from month 25. On top of that a 2% brand fund contribution, a local marketing group of up to 3%, and technology and call center fees.
What does the marketing requirement cost?
$1.00 a year for each target household until weekly sales pass $15,001, then $0.50, then $0.25 above $20,001 and $0.15 above $25,001. On a 57,500-household territory and our reading of each group’s revenue, that is 13.83% of sales at the bottom tenth, 8.97% at the fourth quartile, 1.15% at the system average and 0.30% at the top tenth.
What does that work out at in total?
On our reading, and on a 57,500-household territory. Roughly 9.2% of sales at the system average, combining a 6.00% license fee, the 2% brand fund and a 1.15% marketing requirement. At the bottom tenth the same three come to about 22.3%. That is because the marketing requirement alone is 13.83% and the license fee is at its 6.5% ceiling.
What does it cost to open?
$144,150 to $203,950 as printed, of which $49,500 to $77,000 is the territory fee at $1.10 a household and $14,900 the initial franchise fee. The business must begin with two branded vehicles and a new one costs $23,500 to $26,500 before tax, which sits outside that total. Additional funds for the first three months run $50,000 to $60,000. In 2025 the initial fees actually paid averaged $68,244 across a range of $38,091 to $84,379.
How stable is the system?
432 franchised businesses at the end of 2025, down from 481 three years earlier, with zero company-owned outlets throughout. Between 2023 and 2025, 21 businesses opened and 70 left. The brand ended 9, 2 were not renewed and 59 are recorded as ceased for other reasons, a column that includes businesses transferred to another franchisee. Against that, 167 of 188 reporting franchisees grew their sales from 2024 to 2025.
Which two numbers should run weekly?
Sales for each target household against $21.65, because every charge in this agreement is priced on the same basis and the comparison is exact. Track weekly sales against $15,001, $20,001 and $25,001. Holding a level for a quarter halves the required local spending, then quarters it, then all but removes the required marketing spend.
- No revenue figures. The filing makes no financial performance representation, so there is no disclosed sales number for any location.
- 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.
- No range. The filing does not show the highest and lowest locations, so the spread inside the system is unknown.
Questions worth putting to Molly Maid
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 Molly Maid 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 →What is a door worth in your territory?
A structured review of your unit economics, cash forecast. Reporting, built around sales for each target household against $21.65, the marketing group your weekly sales are sitting in. The $7.80 minimum the license minimum assumes.
Request the reviewthe franchise library, all 243 brands · how franchise unit economics work · running the books across several locations · what Averan does for franchise owners
Molly Maid reads against the rest of the residential cleaning group: MaidPro · Merry Maids · The Cleaning Authority · Two Maids. The residential cleaning 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?How royalty, ad fund and minimums actually work on a monthly statement.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?A 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?Usually it is a revenue problem wearing a payroll costume.
- I run several locations. Which ones actually make money?Location-level contribution, and what it takes to see it.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?What a financial performance representation does and does not tell you.