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Breakdown

Seniors Blue Book franchise unit economics

Q: How much revenue does a Seniors Blue Book franchise make?

The 11 franchised locations in Item 19 averaged $179,854 in 2025, with a median of $186,870. Revenue ran from $0 at Boston, which published no guide that year, to $314,040 at Boise.

Seniors Blue Book franchisees run home-based publishing businesses that sell advertising in a printed senior resource guide, in other formats and on the system website.

Franchised locations reporting11

Average revenue$179,854*

Total investment$77,614–$165,116

Seniors Blue Book franchise at a glance

The FDD issued on January 28, 2026 reports revenue, printing, graphics and distribution costs for 2023 to 2025 at 18 locations: 7 owned by an affiliate and 11 franchised. It does not report profit.

The 11 franchised Seniors Blue Book locations in Item 19 averaged $179,854* of revenue in 2025, with a median of $186,870*, according to Item 19 of Seniors Blue Book’s 2026 FDD, issued 28 January 2026. Fees paid to Seniors Blue Book come to about 7.2%* of sales. A Seniors Blue Book franchise costs $77,614 to $165,116 to open.

A Seniors Blue Book franchise costs $77,614 to $165,116 to open, including a $50,000 to $80,000 initial fee set by the number of people aged 65 or older in the territory.
Seniors Blue Book charges a royalty of 6% of Gross Revenues and a technology fee of $138 to $243 per user per month; the national fund is not charged at present.
Franchised 2025 revenue ran from $0 at Boston, which published no guide that year, to $314,040 at Boise.
Printing, graphics and distribution took 33.1%* of franchised revenue in 2025, leaving a gross margin of 66.9%* before the royalty.
The 7 affiliate locations, all in Colorado and open since 2005, kept a gross margin of 74.3%* in 2025 and pay no royalty.
Seniors Blue Book had 12 franchised and 7 affiliate-owned outlets at September 30, 2025, down from 14 and 8 at the start of fiscal 2023.

These figures come from Seniors Blue Book's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors. The franchised average ($179,854), median ($186,870), production share (33.1%) and gross margins (66.9%, 74.3%) are Averan calculations from the Item 19 location tables.

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By Scott Engler · Averan Advisors · Source: Seniors Blue Book Franchising LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) · Updated 16 October 2026

Item 19 covers 18 locations: 7 affiliate and 11 franchised. Each location is shown for 2023, 2024 and 2025 with its market size in senior households, its number of guides a year and the year it began. Locations open less than a year, and locations that closed or were terminated in 2025, are left out.
The 11 franchised locations averaged $179,854* of revenue in 2025. The median was $186,870* and 6 of 11* were above the average. Leaving out Boston, which published no guide in 2025, the other 10 averaged $197,840*.
Printing, graphics and distribution took 33.1%* of franchised revenue in 2025. Printing alone was 22.5%*. Among franchised locations, printing ran from 9.70% of revenue at Mississippi to 38.00% at Southeastern Pennsylvania.
Seven locations share the 200,000 to 250,000 senior-household band, and their 2025 revenue ran from $0 to $419,903. Two are affiliate locations in Denver; five are franchised. Boise, in the 50,000 to 100,000 band, reported $314,040.
Affiliate revenue fell 9.4%* from 2023 to 2025, while franchised revenue rose 18.1%*. The 7 affiliate locations went from $1,587,189* to $1,438,054*; the 11 franchised locations went from $1,674,872* to $1,978,399*.

Revenue

How much does a Seniors Blue Book franchise make?

2025 revenue, 11 franchised locations *Averan calculation
Location	Senior households 65+	Guides a year	Began	2025 revenue	Gross margin
Boise, ID	50,000–100,000	1	2013	$314,040	64.70%
Pittsburgh	200,000–250,000	1	2018	$310,310	72.90%
Kansas City	200,000–250,000	1	2015	$265,450	81.40%
Mississippi	100,000–150,000	2	2022	$223,000	71.60%
Alabama Gulf Coast	50,000–100,000	2	2018	$204,300	73.50%
Twin Cities	200,000–250,000	2	2018	$186,870	64.00%
Southeastern Pennsylvania	100,000–150,000	2	2015	$177,308	51.80%
Utah	150,000–200,000	2	2023	$153,120	60.90%
Dallas	200,000–250,000	1	2016	$88,540	41.30%
Connecticut, Southern	150,000–200,000	2	2015	$55,461	48.20%
Boston	200,000–250,000	2	2017	$0	No guide published
Average, 11 franchised				$179,854*	66.9%*

Source: Item 19, pages 42 to 46. Gross margin is revenue less printing, graphics and distribution/direct mail, before the 6% royalty and all other costs. Franchised figures were reported by franchisees and are unaudited.

The 11 franchised locations reported $1,978,399* of revenue in 2025, an average of $179,854*. The median was $186,870*, at Twin Cities. Item 19 prints each location’s figures; it does not print an average or a median.

Boston reported $0 for 2023 and 2025. The FDD says it did not publish a guide in either year; it reported $102,215 in 2024. Without Boston, the other 10 franchised locations averaged $197,840* in 2025.

Item 19 does not report profit. The FDD states that the figures do not include the royalty or the other costs a franchisee must deduct to reach net income. The franchisee pays the 6% royalty, the technology fee and its other operating costs out of the gross margin.

New franchisees must publish two guides a year. Item 19 lists 7 of the 11 franchised locations as publishing two guides a year and 4 as publishing one.

Affiliate and franchised

Affiliate and franchised locations, 2023 to 2025

Totals by group, from the Item 19 location tables *Averan calculation
Measure	Affiliate 2023	Affiliate 2024	Affiliate 2025	Franchised 2023	Franchised 2024	Franchised 2025
Locations	7	7	7	11	11	11
Total revenue	$1,587,189*	$1,532,953*	$1,438,054*	$1,674,872*	$2,031,983*	$1,978,399*
Average a location	$226,741*	$218,993*	$205,436*	$152,261*	$184,726*	$179,854*
Printing, % of revenue	17.4%*	16.9%*	16.8%*	26.6%*	22.8%*	22.5%*
Gross margin, % of revenue	74.7%*	74.4%*	74.3%*	61.6%*	66.5%*	66.9%*

Averan totals from Item 19, pages 39 to 46. The franchised 2023 figures include Boston and Utah at $0; the 2024 figures include Connecticut, Southern at $0.

The 7 affiliate locations are all in Colorado and all began in 2005. Their figures come from the affiliate’s internal records. They pay no royalty and no national fund contribution.

Item 19 shows each affiliate location with a 6% royalty deducted for illustration. On the group totals, that takes the 2025 affiliate gross margin from 74.3%* to 68.3%*, compared with 66.9%* for the franchised group before its royalty.

Franchised gross margin rose from 61.6%* in 2023 to 66.9%* in 2025. Over the same years franchised printing fell from 26.6%* to 22.5%* of revenue.

Spread by location

Revenue and production costs by location, 2025

All 18 reporting locations, ordered by 2025 revenue
Location	Type	2025 revenue	Printing	Graphics	Distribution	Gross margin
South Denver	Affiliate	$419,903	11.50%	1.50%	1.80%	85.10%
North Denver	Affiliate	$352,593	12.00%	1.70%	3.40%	82.90%
Boise, ID	Franchised	$314,040	25.20%	1.80%	8.30%	64.70%
Pittsburgh	Franchised	$310,310	23.50%	1.90%	1.75%	72.90%
Kansas City	Franchised	$265,450	11.40%	2.20%	5.10%	81.40%
Mississippi	Franchised	$223,000	9.70%	3.20%	15.50%	71.60%
Alabama Gulf Coast	Franchised	$204,300	19.20%	4.20%	3.20%	73.50%
Northern Colorado	Affiliate	$202,679	19.30%	2.60%	7.50%	70.60%
Twin Cities	Franchised	$186,870	27.20%	3.10%	5.70%	64.00%
Southeastern Pennsylvania	Franchised	$177,308	38.00%	6.60%	3.60%	51.80%
Colorado Springs	Affiliate	$170,970	25.00%	3.00%	9.60%	62.50%
Utah	Franchised	$153,120	25.50%	4.00%	9.70%	60.90%
Boulder, CO	Affiliate	$130,257	17.20%	3.00%	11.60%	68.20%
Western Slope, CO	Affiliate	$101,027	28.50%	4.30%	15.40%	56.00%
Dallas	Franchised	$88,540	29.10%	2.50%	27.10%	41.30%
Southern Colorado	Affiliate	$60,625	35.50%	6.30%	20.70%	37.60%
Connecticut, Southern	Franchised	$55,461	34.70%	8.90%	8.20%	48.20%
Boston	Franchised	$0	No guide published

Source: Item 19, pages 39 to 46. Costs are shown as the FDD prints them, as a percentage of each location’s gross revenue.

Item 19 does not group locations into quartiles or bands by revenue. It groups them by the number of senior households aged 65 and over in each market, and lists each location separately.

In the 200,000 to 250,000 household band, the seven locations reported $0, $88,540, $186,870, $265,450, $310,310, $352,593 and $419,903. Boise, in the 50,000 to 100,000 band, reported $314,040. Item 19 does not give a reason for the differences.

Printing ranged from 9.70% of revenue at Mississippi to 38.00% at Southeastern Pennsylvania. Distribution and direct mail ranged from 1.50% at South Denver to 27.10% at Dallas, where it cost $24,013 on $88,540 of revenue.

Item 19 sizes markets in households; Item 5 prices territories in individuals. The two cannot be matched to each other from the FDD.

Brand charges

Recurring charges from Items 6 and 11, at the franchised 2025 average of $179,854* *Averan calculation
Charge	Terms	A year at $179,854*
Royalty	6% of Gross Revenues, due within 30 days after each Guide is printed; waived on the first Guide	$10,791*
Technology fee	$138 to $243 per user per month; may rise to $238 to $343 on 30 days’ notice	$1,656–$2,916 for one user
Convention fee	$500 per person, due whether or not you attend	$500
National fund	Not charged now; reserved at a minimum of about $100 a month plus 1% of Gross Revenues, which may rise to 2%	Not charged
Commission on system website ad sales	20% of the sale price, may rise to 40%	Website sales are outside Gross Revenues
Local advertising	Not required	None
Total to the brand	6% plus $2,156–$3,416 a year	$12,947–$14,207, or 7.2%–7.9% of revenue

Source: Item 6, pages 11 to 15, and Item 11, pages 24 and 25. Technology fee shown for one user; the range depends on the services chosen.

The royalty is 6% of Gross Revenues, paid within 30 days after each guide is printed. The royalty is waived on advertising sold for the first guide. There is no minimum royalty.

The national fund is not charged at present. The FDD reserves a contribution of a monthly minimum estimated at $100 plus 1% of Gross Revenues, which may rise to 2% on 30 days’ written notice. No contributions were collected in the fiscal year ended September 30, 2025.

If a required guide is not published in any 14-month period, the franchisor may charge a Missed Guide Fee or terminate the agreement. The fee equals the royalty paid on the last published guide.

Advertising sold on the system website carries a commission to the franchisor. Item 6 sets it at 20% of the sale price with a right to raise it to 40%; Item 12 states a 40% commission. On national and corporate accounts the franchisor collects and pays the franchisee a 14% commission on the part published in that franchisee’s guide.

Other charges include a $12,000 successor fee and a $10,000 transfer fee ($5,000 to an existing franchisee), plus training at about $1,000 per attendee per day beyond the initial program.

Cost to open

Estimated initial investment, Item 7
Item	Low	High
Initial franchise fee	$50,000	$80,000
Printing, first edition	$15,000	$40,000
Graphics, first edition	$5,000	$10,000
Printing and graphics, prototype guide	$4,000	$5,500
Distribution and mailing, first edition	$1,000	$10,000
Marketing materials	$1,000	$5,000
Computer equipment	$0	$3,000
Business licenses and permits	$250	$1,500
Professional fees	$0	$1,000
Insurance	$450	$900
Training expenses	$0	$4,000
Additional funds, 3 to 6 months	$914	$4,216
Total	$77,614	$165,116

Source: Item 7, pages 15 to 18. The estimate assumes a home office and an existing vehicle, and excludes premises.

The initial franchise fee is $50,000 to $80,000, set by the number of individuals aged 65 or older in the territory. It is $50,000 for about 10,000 to 100,000, $60,000 for 100,001 to 200,000, $70,000 for 200,001 to 300,000 and $80,000 for 300,001 to 500,000. Each additional business is 25% off the then-current fee.

Producing the prototype guide and first edition accounts for $25,000* to $65,500* of the estimate. That is the printing, graphics and distribution lines added together.

Additional funds of $914 to $4,216 cover three to six months. Item 7 says the figure assumes no sales offset expenses in that period, excludes any owner draw and the royalty, and that the franchisor does not expect a franchisee to hire employees in the first three years.

Opening typically takes 60 to 90 days from signing. Failing to open within six months is a material breach of the franchise agreement.

Locations

Locations, 2023 to 2025

Outlets by fiscal year ending September 30, Item 20
Year	Franchised at start	Added	Terminated	Ceased, other	Franchised at end	Affiliate at end	Total at end
2023	14	0	0	0	14	8	22
2024	14	0	0	2	12	8	20
2025	12	2	1	1	12	7	19

Source: Item 20, pages 48 to 51. Year-end counts are at September 30.

Seniors Blue Book had 19 outlets at September 30, 2025: 12 franchised and 7 owned by an affiliate. Three years earlier it had 22.

Two Illinois franchised outlets ceased operating in 2024. Item 20 also records two transfers of Illinois outlets to new owners in 2023.

In 2025 one Florida outlet was terminated, one New Jersey outlet opened, and a Nebraska affiliate location was sold to a franchisee and closed the same year. Item 20 projects one new affiliate-owned outlet in Nebraska in the next fiscal year and no new franchised outlets.

Item 1 also describes three licensees run by family members of the franchisor’s principal. They pay royalties but no initial fee or other ongoing fees.

Questions we get asked

Questions owners ask

How much does it cost to open a Seniors Blue Book franchise?

Item 7 estimates $77,614 to $165,116. That includes the $50,000 to $80,000 initial franchise fee and $25,000* to $65,500* for printing, graphics and distribution of the prototype guide and first edition. It assumes a home office.

What fees does Seniors Blue Book charge?

A royalty of 6% of Gross Revenues, waived on the first guide, and a technology fee of $138 to $243 per user per month. There is a $500 convention fee per person each year. The national fund is not charged at present but may be set at 1% of Gross Revenues plus a monthly minimum, rising to 2%.

How much revenue does a Seniors Blue Book franchise make?

The 11 franchised locations in Item 19 averaged $179,854* in 2025, with a median of $186,870*. Revenue ran from $0 at Boston, which published no guide that year, to $314,040 at Boise.

What does it cost to produce the guide?

For the franchised group in 2025, printing, graphics and distribution took 33.1%* of revenue, leaving a gross margin of 66.9%* before the royalty. Printing alone ran from 9.70% of revenue at Mississippi to 38.00% at Southeastern Pennsylvania.

How do the affiliate locations compare with franchised ones?

The 7 affiliate locations, all in Colorado since 2005, averaged $205,436* of revenue and a 74.3%* gross margin in 2025. They pay no royalty. Their revenue fell 9.4%* from 2023, while franchised revenue rose 18.1%*.

How many Seniors Blue Book locations are there?

At September 30, 2025 there were 19: 12 franchised and 7 affiliate-owned. There were 22 at the start of fiscal 2023.

Questions worth putting to Seniors Blue Book

These are questions the filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to the franchisor directly.

Is the revenue in Item 19 gross sales or collected revenue, and how many locations sit below the average?
Which factors does Seniors Blue Book see in its highest-selling locations, such as territory, years open and staffing?
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 Seniors Blue Book locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?

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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.
What does this location earn on the money I put into it?It works out the payback period and cash-on-cash return for one unit.
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.

Scott Engler

Founder & Principal, Averan Advisors

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Where these figures come from

Every figure here comes from Seniors Blue Book Franchising 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. Seniors Blue Book is a 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: Seniors Blue Book Franchising LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 28 January 2026.