Mr. Rooter franchise unit economics
Mr. Rooter franchisees run residential and commercial plumbing, drain and sewer businesses that dispatch technicians in vans across a territory.
Mr. Rooter in the news
- Neighborly® Appoints Brent Korb as Chief Financial Officer · Franchising.com ·
The Mr. Rooter headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this Mr. Rooter link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Mr. Rooter. Mr. Rooter is in the Mechanical Trades franchise guide.
Mr. Rooter franchise at a glance
Mr. Rooter's Item 19 reports 2025 gross sales for 193 businesses by percentile group, from the top tenth to the lowest-selling tenth, and publishes no profit or cost data.
Mr. Rooter franchisees averaged $2,093,531 of sales in 2025, with a median of $1,257,146, according to Item 19 of Mr. Rooter’s 2026 FDD, issued 2 April 2026. The 193 in that group are 81%* of Mr. Rooter’s 238 locations. Fees paid to Mr. Rooter come to about 8.1%* of sales. A Mr. Rooter franchise costs $152,900 to $298,675 to open.
- A Mr. Rooter franchise costs $152,900 to $298,675 to open, including a $42,500 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Mr. Rooter charges a royalty of 6% of sales and a 2% brand fund contribution.
- 33% of reporting Mr. Rooter locations reached the average.
- Work out Mr. Rooter's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from Mr. Rooter'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 fees paid to the brand are 8.10% of sales at the system average. $169,600 at the system average of $2,093,531 and $655,078, or 8.03%, at the top tenth’s $8,162,009 *. The 8% rate is the same at both ends and the fixed software fee is a smaller share of larger sales.
- The required local spend is bigger than the royalty. Mr. Rooter local spend is $167,482 against $125,612 of royalty at the system average *, 1.33 times, and it is money you direct, which makes it the largest controllable line in the franchise fees.
- The lowest-selling tenth averages $147,745 and pays 43.8% to 48.2%. A $50,000 local spend minimum and an $11,700 to $18,200 license minimum against $147,745 of sales *, the minimums govern everything below $625,000, which is most of the bottom half.
- The top half averages 5.79 times the bottom half. $3,557,458 against $614,354 *, on 97 businesses and 96, and the two weighted together return the filed all-system average of $2,093,531 to the dollar.
- The system added 29 businesses in three years. 209 to 238 franchised, on 56 openings against 27 departures, openings rose 11, 22, 23 while terminations rose 0, 4, 11.
How much does a Mr. Rooter franchise make?
The average Mr. Rooter unit reported $2,093,531 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $1,257,146. 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 8.1% 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.
Top performers
What separates the top Mr. Rooter performers
Mr. Rooter splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The top group averaged $8,162,009 a year. The lowest averaged $147,745. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $1,257,146. The average was $2,093,531. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 55.2× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory quoted at 300,000 people, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $152,900 to $298,675, a 2.0× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 8.1% 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
- Sales depend on service calls.A technician finishes only so many calls a day, so the owner works on how many of them turn into paid work and what the average ticket is worth.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 193 of 238 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 publishes no profit or cost data for franchised locations. Ask the franchisor or current owners for cost and profit figures.
Where the system sits
Gross sales by percentile group, 2025
| Band | Businesses | Average | Median | High | Low | Reaching the average | Paid to the brand * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% | 19 | $8,162,009 | $6,087,233 | $20,262,638 | $4,581,213 | 5, 26% | 8.03% |
| Top 25% | 48 | $5,243,078 | $4,121,620 | $20,262,638 | $2,547,216 | 13, 27% | 8.04% |
| Top 50% | 97 | $3,557,458 | $2,530,999 | $20,262,638 | $1,257,146 | 29, 30% | 8.06% |
| All businesses | 193 | $2,093,531 | $1,257,146 | $20,262,638 | $633 | 64, 33% | 8.10% |
| Bottom 50% | 96 | $614,354 | $593,671 | $1,235,628 | $633 | 48, 50% | 8.34% |
| Bottom 25% | 48 | $288,402 | $294,005 | $550,188 | $633 | 23, 48% | 9.04% |
| Bottom 10% | 19 | $147,745 | $149,691 | $257,600 | $633 | 10, 53% | 15.75% |
Counts, averages, medians, ranges and attainment are as the brand reported it; the load column is marked, from the rates and minimums in the previous table.
The middle business sells $1,257,146, which is also the lowest figure in the top half. That is 60.0% of the $2,093,531 average *, and 64 of 193 reach that average, so two businesses in three sit below the number most often quoted for this brand.
One business bills $20,262,638. That is 9.68 times the system average and 2.48 times its own group average *. So only 26% of the top tenth reach their own average, the lowest of any group here.
Attainment is 50% in the bottom half and 30% in the top half. That is 50% in the bottom half and 53% in the bottom tenth against 30% in the top half and 26% at the very top *. The low end is bunched, the high end is a long tail.
In the bottom quarter and bottom tenth the median sits above the average. The bottom half, at a $593,671 median against a $614,354 average, is the exception. The pairs $294,005 against $288,402 and $149,691 against $147,745 run the other way. A business selling $633 pulls each of those group means below the middle of the group.
Discounts available
- Mr. Rooter offers rural-franchise pricing as low as 50% of the $42,500 minimum fee for a qualifying territory of 40,000 to 65,000 people.
- Mr. Rooter takes 10% to 50% off the fee for owners rolling in an existing similar business with at least $250,000 in annual sales.
- Mr. Rooter takes 5% to 20% off the fee for franchisees of at least two years buying additional territory, plus another 5% if paid in full within 90 days.
- Mr. Rooter takes 10% off the fee for franchisees of an affiliated brand of at least two years.
- Mr. Rooter takes 10% to 25% off the fee for recommended employees of its own or affiliated franchisees with at least two years' service (HIRE Discount).
- Mr. Rooter takes 20% off the $42,500 minimum fee for honorably discharged U.S. or Canadian veterans (VetFran).
From Item 5 of the Mr. Rooter 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Fees at each level
Fees paid to the brand at each level
| Business | Gross sales | License fee * | Marketing fund * | Software System fee | Paid to the brand * | Share of sales * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top 10% average | $8,162,009 | $489,721 | $163,240 | $2,117 | $655,078 | 8.03% |
| Top 25% average | $5,243,078 | $314,585 | $104,862 | $2,117 | $421,564 | 8.04% |
| Top 50% average | $3,557,458 | $213,447 | $71,149 | $2,117 | $286,713 | 8.06% |
| System average | $2,093,531 | $125,612 | $41,871 | $2,117 | $169,600 | 8.10% |
| System median | $1,257,146 | $75,429 | $25,143 | $2,117 | $102,689 | 8.17% |
| Bottom 50% average | $614,354 | $36,861 | $12,287 | $2,117 | $51,265 | 8.34% |
| Bottom 25% average | $288,402 | $18,200 | $5,768 | $2,117 | $26,085 | 9.04% |
| Bottom 10% average | $147,745 | $18,200 | $2,955 | $2,117 | $23,272 | 15.75% |
The brand reported the rates and minimums. We worked out every dollar figure, showing the minimum licence fee at the 150,000-to-400,000 population rate of $350 a week.
The percentage changes little from the median business to the largest. It is 8.17% at $1,257,146 of sales and 8.03% at $8,162,009 *. The brand's 8% rate does not fall as sales rise; only the fixed software fee becomes a smaller share.
8% of last year's sales equals the $50,000 minimum at $625,000. The bottom half averages $614,354 *, just below that. Half the system pays a flat $50,000, so every extra dollar of sales up to $625,000 dilutes that charge.
One of the three Mr. Rooter charges is money you direct. The owner places the 8% of local spending. The first two years require a fixed $60,000 and then $75,000. Only the 6% license fee and the 2% fund leave the business. So 8 of the 16 points stay under your own control.
The license fee is flat at 6% for the whole term. The rate is the same in weeks 1 to 26, 27 to 52, 53 to 104 and from week 105. It is reported weekly and due Tuesday at 5pm. Roll-in businesses start at 2.5% or 3% before joining the standard rate.
The minimum charges
Minimum weekly license fee by territory population
| Territory population | Weeks 40–78 | Weeks 79–208 | Weeks 209 and after | Mature a yearly minimum * | Revenue where 6% overtakes it * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 150,000 | $100 | $200 | $225 | $11,700 | $195,000 |
| 150,000 – 400,000 | $200 | $300 | $350 | $18,200 | $303,333 |
| 400,001 – 1,000,000 | $300 | $500 | $700 | $36,400 | $606,667 |
| 1,000,001 – 2,000,000 | $500 | $700 | $1,000 | $52,000 | $866,667 |
| 2,000,001 and above | $700 | $1,000 | $1,400 | $72,800 | $1,213,333 |
The weekly figures are as the brand reported it and the last two columns are marked *; the three largest population groups are closed to new franchisees.
The bottom quarter averages $288,402, just under the $303,333 crossover. A business at that level in a 150,000-to-400,000 territory pays the $18,200 minimum instead of 6% *, which is 6.31% of its sales. The minimum licence fee is the smaller of its two problems.
The $50,000 local spending requirement costs more than the licence minimum. At the bottom tenth's $147,745 of sales it is 33.8% on its own *, more than the licence minimum and the marketing fund together. It is money spent, so it lands as cash out either way.
The first 39 weeks are free of both minimums. Minimum license fees begin at week 40 and the marketing minimum on the same schedule. So the build-up is protected for nine months. The step from $100 to $350 a week arrives over the following three years.
The lowest business in the system billed $633 for the year. The mature licence minimum is $11,700 to $18,200 and the marketing requirement is $50,000 *. That Mr. Rooter territory has stopped trading while the obligations continue.
Territory and system
Outlet counts and territory pricing, 2023 to 2025
| Year | At start | Opened | Terminations | Non-renewals | Reacquired | Ceased, other | At end | Net * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 209 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 215 | +6 |
| 2024 | 215 | 22 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 228 | +13 |
| 2025 | 228 | 23 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 238 | +10 |
Every figure is as the brand reported it apart from the net column, which is marked *.
Territory is priced at exactly 42.5 cents a head, whatever the size. $42,500 covers 100,000 people and each further 1,000 costs $425. A territory of 300,000 people costs $127,500 *. Most brands price the base territory more cheaply than the ground added to it.
The system grew 29 businesses in three years and lost 27 along the way. 56 opened against 15 terminations, 4 non-renewals and 8 that ceased for other reasons, and terminations climbed each year, from zero to four to eleven.
Company-owned outlets fell from three to two. Mr. Rooter has 238 franchised businesses alongside two the brand runs itself, so almost every figure on this page describes an independently owned business.
Opening costs $152,900 to $298,675, which is 7.3% to 14.3% of an average year’s sales *. A van at $25,000 to $69,300 and equipment at $25,000 to $40,000 make up most of it, with $20,000 to $45,000 of additional funds for three months.
Of 238 businesses, 45 sit outside these figures. 22 opened during 2025, 14 transferred mid-year and 9 reported zero sales for every week. 13 more closed during the year, one of them inside its first twelve months.
Questions we get asked
Questions an owner asks
How much does a Mr. Rooter franchise make?
Mr. Rooter franchisees averaged $2,093,531 of sales in 2025, with a median of $1,257,146, according to Item 19 of Mr. Rooter’s 2026 FDD, issued 2 April 2026. The 193 in that group are 81%* of Mr. Rooter’s 238 locations. Fees paid to Mr. Rooter come to about 8.1%* of sales. A Mr. Rooter franchise costs $152,900 to $298,675 to open.
What does a Mr. Rooter business bill?
Across 193 businesses reporting 52 full weeks of 2025, the average was $2,093,531 and the median $1,257,146, on a range from $633 to $20,262,638. The averages are $8,162,009 at the top tenth, $5,243,078 at the top quarter, $3,557,458 at the top half, $614,354 at the bottom half, $288,402 at the bottom quarter and $147,745 at the bottom tenth.
What fees does Mr. Rooter charge?
Mr. Rooter charges a license fee of 6% of gross sales, reported and paid weekly, plus 2% to the marketing fund. Minimum license fees start at week 40 and run $100 to $1,400 a week, depending on the territory's population. They reach $225 or $350 a week for the two groups open to new franchisees. On top of that, Mr. Rooter requires local marketing spend of the greater of $50,000 or 8% of the prior year’s sales, after $60,000 in the first twelve months and $75,000 in months 13 to 24.
What does that work out to at Mr. Rooter?
On our reading, the fees paid to the brand (license fee, marketing fund and the $176.45 monthly software fee) come to 8.10% of sales at the system average, 8.03% at the top tenth’s average and 8.17% at the median. Below that the license minimum and the fixed software fee raise the share, to 8.34% of the bottom half’s average, 9.04% of the bottom quarter’s and 15.75% of the bottom tenth’s. Local marketing spend is on top of that.
How big is the Mr. Rooter territory?
A Mr. Rooter territory holds 100,000 people as standard, with a maximum of generally 300,000. The fee is $42,500 for the first 100,000 and $425 for each further 1,000, so the price per head is 42.5 cents at any size. Rural territories are priced separately.
How much does a Mr. Rooter franchise cost to open?
A Mr. Rooter franchise costs $152,900 to $298,675 to open, before real estate and any additional franchise fee for territory beyond 100,000 people. The largest items are the $42,500 franchise fee, a vehicle at $25,000 to $69,300, equipment and stock at $25,000 to $40,000. The build also includes insurance at $12,000 to $18,000 and $20,000 to $45,000 of additional funds for three months.
How stable is the Mr. Rooter system?
Mr. Rooter had 238 franchised businesses at the end of 2025, up from 209 three years earlier, and the brand owns two more. Across 2023 to 2025, 56 opened and 27 left, 15 terminations, 4 non-renewals and 8 that ceased for other reasons. Terminations rose from zero in 2023 to eleven in 2025.
Which two numbers should run weekly at Mr. Rooter?
Track gross sales against $625,000 a year, because that is where the local marketing requirement switches from a flat $50,000 to 8% of sales. Then track local marketing actually spent against the requirement, because it is the largest of the three charges and the only one you place yourself.
- 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 Mr. Rooter
These are questions the Mr. Rooter filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to Mr. Rooter directly.
- What do locations at the median spend on wages and rent as a share of sales? The filing reports sales only.
- Which factors does Mr. Rooter 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 Mr. Rooter 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 →Where is your local marketing money actually going?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around the 8% you place yourself, the $625,000 line where it switches from a flat $50,000, and the 8.10% paid to the brand at the system average.
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Mr. Rooter reads against the rest of the mechanical trades group: Aire Serv · Benjamin Franklin Plumbing · Mister Sparky · Mr. Electric · One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning · Plumbing Paramedics. The mechanical trades 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 Mr. Rooter 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. Mr. Rooter® 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: Mr. Rooter SPV LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 2 April 2026.