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.
Molly Maid in the news
- Neighborly® Appoints Brent Korb as Chief Financial Officer · Franchising.com ·
The Molly Maid headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this Molly Maid link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Molly Maid. Molly Maid is in the Residential Cleaning franchise guide.
Molly Maid franchise at a glance
Molly Maid's Item 19 reports 2025 sales per target household for 188 franchisees by quartile and for the bottom tenth, with the number of franchisees whose sales grew on 2024.
Item 19 of Molly Maid’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026, reports 2025 sales per target household for 188 Molly Maid franchisees, an average of $21.65 a household a year and a median of $18.77. A Molly Maid franchise costs $144,150 to $203,950 to open, including a $14,900 initial franchise fee.
- Molly Maid charges a royalty of 6.5% of sales and a 2% brand fund contribution.
- Molly Maid reported 432 franchised locations in its 2026 FDD.
- 39% of reporting Molly Maid locations reached the average.
- Work out Molly Maid's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
- Molly Maid's lowest-selling businesses are required to spend 46 times more of their sales on local marketing than the highest-selling ones.
These figures come from Molly Maid's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
Own this franchise?
See what your numbers should look like every month.
Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- The marketing requirement is 13.8% of sales at the bottom tenth and 0.3% at the top.That is $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.From month 25 the Molly Maid minimum is $0.15 a week times the household count*, so franchisees in the bottom tenth below that level pay a license fee on sales they did not 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.That is 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 Molly Maid franchisees grew last year while the system lost 49 businesses.167 of 188 franchisees grew and 64 of them grew by 10% to 20%. As franchised outlets fell from 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.The effective rate is 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. It reports sales for each target household across 188 franchisees operating 402 businesses in 2025, with an average of $21.65 and a median of $18.77, on territories of 45,000 to 70,000 households priced at $1.10 each.
Top performers
What separates the top Molly Maid performers
Molly Maid reports 2025 sales per target household for 188 franchisees. They averaged $21.65 a household with a median of $18.77, from an average of $49.92 in the top 10% to $7.23 in the bottom 10%.
Decided before you open
- Territory.This model sells from a territory quoted at 70,000 households, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $144,150 to $203,950, a 1.4× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.A minimum fee applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
Live operating levers
- Sales depend 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.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.Molly Maid’s figures cover 188 franchisees operating 402 of 432 franchised businesses. The filing leaves out 6 businesses that opened in 2025, 22 that changed hands and 2 with unreliable data.
- What the filing does not include.Molly Maid’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 *. Molly Maid’s own spread is in the tables on this page.
Discounts available
- Molly Maid waives the $14,900 initial franchise fee for an existing franchisee buying an additional contiguous territory, or for a new unit bought at the same time as a transferred unit.
- Molly Maid takes 20% off the territory fee for honorably discharged U.S. or Canadian veterans (VetFran).
- Molly Maid takes 10% to 50% off the territory fee for owners rolling in an existing similar business with at least $250,000 in annual sales.
- Molly Maid takes 5% to 20% off the territory fee for franchisees of at least two years buying an additional territory, scaled by years in the system.
- Molly Maid takes 10% off the initial franchise fee for franchisees of an affiliated brand of at least two years.
From Item 5 of the Molly Maid 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
What a household is worth
Revenue per target household, 2025
| 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 *. In all, 72 of Molly Maid’s 188 franchisees reach the average, or 38.3%*, against a 38.5% median across the library.
Molly Maid’s six groups hold 19, 38, 38, 37, 37 and 19 franchisees, 188 in all. Weighted by their own counts they come to $21.65 a household *, the published average.
Nine cleanings in ten go to a recurring customer. Recurring cleanings are 90% on average and 91% at the median, with 114 of 188 franchisees at or above the average, and occasional work is 10% of cleanings.
Marketing costs that only rise
Required local marketing spend by group
| 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. The requirement falls from $1.00 a household to $0.50*. A Molly Maid business at the 4th quartile average of $641,125 needs $138,927 more of sales to reach it, and 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. The marketing share runs 13.83% to 0.30% against 6.50% to 4.97% for the license fee *. The charge that separates a high-selling business from a low-selling one is the one most owners treat as optional.
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
License fee scale and minimum
| 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% |
We applied the filed marginal rate groups to each group average, on a territory of 57,500 households.
Each fee rate applies only to the sales inside its band. 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. That is $61,500. So reaching a threshold changes the rate only on the next dollar. Timing a December invoice gains you nothing.
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. Molly Maid owners below $7.80 are charged on sales they did not make. The lowest of them, at $2.71 a household, is charged on 2.88 times what it earned.
On a territory of 57,500 households the minimum license fee is $29,152 a year. That is 6.5% of $7.80 for each household *. Against sales of $155,825 at $2.71 a household, it 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. It is $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. That is $155.45 a month for technology and $405 a month for the field software. The call center costs $250 to $449.99 a month. Appointments cost $25 to $40 each, and fixed software and call handling come to roughly $9,725 a year before any appointment fee *.
Growing units, shrinking system
Same-business sales movement, 2024 to 2025
| 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 franchisees grew, and 64 of the 188 grew 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, or 2.14 territories each *. Existing owners are taking on the territories.
59 of the 70 departures are booked as ceased for other reasons. That is 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 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
How much does a Molly Maid franchise make?
Item 19 of Molly Maid’s 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026, reports 2025 sales per target household for 188 Molly Maid franchisees, an average of $21.65 a household a year and a median of $18.77. A Molly Maid franchise costs $144,150 to $203,950 to open, including a $14,900 initial franchise fee.
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 at Molly Maid?
Molly Maid counts target households with a weighted score. Each household in the territory zip codes scores a point, and 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 fees does Molly Maid charge?
Molly Maid charges 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. It is $0.075 a household a week in months 7 to 12, $0.125 in months 13 to 24 and $0.15 from month 25. On top of that, Molly Maid charges a 2% brand fund contribution, a local marketing group contribution of up to 3%, and technology and call center fees.
What does the marketing requirement cost at Molly Maid?
Molly Maid’s marketing requirement is $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 at Molly Maid?
The FDD states sales for each household, not a dollar average, so no total share of sales is stated here. Molly Maid charges the stepped license fee, a 2% brand fund contribution, a local marketing group contribution of up to 3%, and technology and call center fees, and the marketing requirement above applies on top.
How much does a Molly Maid franchise cost to open?
A Molly Maid franchise costs $144,150 to $203,950 to open 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 Molly Maid system?
Molly Maid had 432 franchised businesses at the end of 2025, down from 481 three years earlier, and no company-owned outlets. 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 at Molly Maid?
Track 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.
- The filing gives no total sales per business. Molly Maid reports sales per target household, with an average, median, high and low for six groups.
- 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 Molly Maid
These are questions the Molly Maid filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to Molly Maid 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 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. 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?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around sales for each target household against $21.65, the marketing group your weekly sales are sitting in. The license minimum assumes $7.80.
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
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?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.
- 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.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.
Where these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Molly Maid 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. Molly Maid® 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: Molly Maid SPV LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 1 April 2026.