U.S. Lawns franchise unit economics
U.S. Lawns franchisees run commercial grounds maintenance crews in their territory and bill property managers and facility owners on contract.
U.S. Lawns franchise at a glance
Item 19 of U.S. Lawns' 2026 FDD reports 2025 gross sales by quartile for 165 territories, gross profit by territory age, and an average net profit of 18.7% of gross sales after owner and officer salaries.
U.S. Lawns franchisees averaged $1,500,018 of sales, with a median of $943,856, according to Item 19 of U.S. Lawns’ 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026. The 165 in that group are 79%* of U.S. Lawns’ 208 locations. Fees paid to U.S. Lawns come to about 6.24%* of sales. A U.S. Lawns franchise costs $113,000 to $200,000 to open.
- A U.S. Lawns franchise costs $113,000 to $200,000 to open, including a $49,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- U.S. Lawns charges a royalty of 6% of sales, a 2% brand fund contribution and a $299 monthly technology fee.
- 34% of reporting U.S. Lawns locations reached the average.
- U.S. Lawns’ 165 territories open all of 2025 averaged net profit of 18.7% of gross sales. U.S. Lawns’ FDD defines net profit as gross sales less operational and administrative expenses, including owner and officer salaries.
- At the average U.S. Lawns location, cost of goods took 66.2% of sales.
- Work out U.S. Lawns' fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
These figures come from U.S. Lawns' 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 →- Net profit is 18.7% of gross sales, measured after the owner has been paid.$280,503 at the system average *; the 15.1% administrative line covers owner and officer salaries, owner benefit, rent, insurance and advertising.
- Two independently prepared tables agree to $406.33.8% of $1,500,018 gives $507,006 against a published average gross profit of $507,412 *, 0.08% apart.
- Territories aged one to two years run the top gross profit in the system.36.5% against 33.6% at five years and beyond *, margin arrives first and revenue build-up behind it.
- Half the system pays a flat 6% royalty while the top quartile pays 4.62%.The ladder steps down at $750,000 and $1,500,000 of annual billings *; the third quartile averages $705,036.
- The lowest U.S. Lawns gross profit is below zero in two of the three age groups.The lows are minus $36,572 at one to two years and minus $15,874 at five years and beyond, before a dollar of overhead.
How much does a U.S. Lawns franchise make?
The average U.S. Lawns unit reported $1,500,018 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $943,856. The brand’s disclosure document puts net profit at 18.7% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 6.2% 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 U.S. Lawns performers
U.S. Lawns splits its locations into groups instead of publishing one average. The top group averaged $3,628,237 a year. The lowest averaged $277,298. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $943,856. The average was $1,500,018. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The top band sells 13.1× the bottom band. Catchment, daytime population and neighboring businesses affect where a location falls.
- Territory.This model sells from a territory, with no storefront. Population density sets how much driving sits between jobs.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $113,000 to $200,000, a 1.8× range inside one brand.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 6.2% 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.
- Cash needed in the first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up: the month sales cover costs, and how much cash you fund before then.
Live operating levers
- Products and materials.Operational expenses, including labor, materials, royalties and equipment, take 66.2% of sales, against net profit of 18.7%. The levers are buying terms, price discipline and waste.
- Accounts.Accounts bill year after year. Track how many you keep as well as how many you win.
Context you underwrite around
- Locations included.These figures cover 165 of 208 locations. Locations open less than the full year, brand-owned, or not meeting the reporting criteria are excluded.
Age and margin
Gross sales and gross profit by years in operation, 2025
| Years in operation | Territories * | Average gross sales | Median sales | Average gross profit | Median gross profit | Lowest gross profit | gross profit * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One to two | 14 | $361,010 | $378,962 | $131,648 | $128,291 | −$36,572 | 36.5% |
| Three to four | 16 | $936,878 | $488,751 | $338,261 | $207,239 | $82,280 | 36.1% |
| Five and beyond | 135 | $1,684,879 | $1,164,435 | $566,428 | $373,318 | −$15,874 | 33.6% |
| All 165 | 165 | $1,500,018 | $943,856 | $507,412 | $309,377 | −$36,572 | 33.8% |
Sales, gross profit, medians and lows are as the brand reported it; the territory counts and margin column are marked *.
A territory aged one to two years runs a 36.5% gross profit; one aged five or more runs 33.6%. * The youngest U.S. Lawns group keeps the most gross profit per dollar billed, so its open question is contract volume.
Revenue multiplies 4.7 times between the youngest and oldest group. That is $361,010 to $1,684,879. Gross profit multiplies 4.3 times over the same span, from $131,648 to $566,428. So the growth is almost entirely volume. Reaching it costs 2.9 points of margin.
The lowest gross profit in the mature group sits below zero. It is minus $15,874, among 135 territories trading five years or more. A business running that long and still failing to cover its own direct costs and equipment is a different problem from a slow build-up.
The three-to-four-year group's median is half its average. That is $488,751 against $936,878, across 16 territories with a $2,762,325 high. That middle group is the most unevenly distributed in the system: five of 16 reach their own average and eleven sit below it.
The mature group's median gross profit is $373,318 against an average of $566,428. That is a $193,110 gap. Applying the system's 18.7% net profit rate to the mature U.S. Lawns median territory's $1,164,435 of sales gives $217,749 of net profit *, well under the $315,072 the same rate gives at the group average.
Highest to lowest, by sales
Gross sales by quartile, 2025
| quartile | Territories | Average gross sales | Median | Lowest | Highest | Reaching their own average | Net profit at 18.7% * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 41 | $3,628,237 | $2,590,821 | $2,108,641 | $10,677,898 | 32% | $678,480 |
| All 165 | 165 | $1,500,018 | $943,856 | $55,596 | $10,677,898 | 34% | $280,503 |
| Second | 41 | $1,419,322 | $1,394,979 | $965,869 | $2,055,890 | 44% | $265,413 |
| Third | 41 | $705,036 | $722,382 | $462,565 | $943,856 | 59% | $131,842 |
| Fourth | 42 | $277,298 | $283,620 | $55,596 | $462,170 | 57% | $51,855 |
Territory counts, sales, medians, ranges and attainment are as the brand reported it. The net profit column is marked *, applying the published 18.7% net profit rate to each quartile’s own average. So it shows what each level would produce at the system rate instead of what it did produce.
The top quartile averages $3,628,237 and the bottom $277,298. That is thirteen times as much. Both hold territories of at least a ten-mile radius, and the single highest-selling territory billed $10,677,898 against the lowest-selling at $55,596, 192 times across one brand.
The system median is $943,856 against an average of $1,500,018. The U.S. Lawns median is 63% of the average, and 34% of territories reach the average. A forecast built on the published average overshoots the typical U.S. Lawns territory by $556,162 a year.
U.S. Lawns attainment is 32%, 44%, 59% and 57% from the first quartile to the fourth. The first quartile is stretched by a $10,677,898 high against a $2,108,641 low. So its published average describes a handful of very large operations while its median sits at $2,590,821, $1,037,416 below the mean.
The third quarter's high equals the system median exactly. That is $943,856. So the midpoint of the entire system sits at the ceiling of its third quartile. The step from third to second is $714,286 of annual billings, against $2,208,915 from second to first.
At the published rate, the bottom quarter's net profit is $51,855 *. That compares with a top quarter's $678,480. Since the 15.1% administrative line already contains owner salary, that fourth-quartile figure describes what is left over after an owner has been paid.
What it keeps
Average expense percentages, 2025
| Level | Gross sales | Operational expenses at 66.2% | Gross profit at 33.8% | Administrative at 15.1% | Net profit at 18.7% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest territory | $10,677,898 | $7,068,768 | $3,609,130 | $1,612,363 | $1,996,767 |
| First quartile average | $3,628,237 | $2,401,893 | $1,226,344 | $547,864 | $678,480 |
| System average | $1,500,018 | $993,012 | $507,006 | $226,503 | $280,503 |
| Second quartile average | $1,419,322 | $939,591 | $479,731 | $214,318 | $265,413 |
| System median | $943,856 | $624,833 | $319,023 | $142,522 | $176,501 |
| Third quartile average | $705,036 | $466,734 | $238,302 | $106,460 | $131,842 |
| Fourth quartile average | $277,298 | $183,571 | $93,727 | $41,872 | $51,855 |
The four percentages are as the brand reported it and add to 100.0% exactly. Every dollar figure is marked *, applying those system-wide rates to each published sales level.
The 18.7% net profit is measured after the owner’s salary. Owner and officer salaries and owner benefit all sit inside the 15.1% administrative line. So this is a return on the business, a distinction worth $226,503 at the system average.
Operational expenses take 66.2% and contain the royalty. That is $993,012 at the system average *. Labor, materials, equipment, supervisory salaries and the brand's own fee all sit above the gross profit line, so improving the 33.8% means moving crew productivity.
Two separately prepared disclosures land $406 apart. That is $507,006 from the percentage table against $507,412 from the dollar table *. The two U.S. Lawns figures are 0.08% apart.
At the system median, net profit is $176,501 *. That applies the published rate to $943,856. That is the U.S. Lawns median, against $280,503 at the average, and the average is reached by 34% of territories.
Administrative expenses are 15.1% of sales, which is $41,872 at the fourth quartile *. Since that line has to have rent, insurance, advertising, interest and the owner's salary, a fourth-quartile territory at $277,298 of billings is running a business that supports a part-time income at most.
Fees and what it costs to open
Franchisor charges at each level
| Level | Gross billings | Royalty | combined rate | Marketing | Technology | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest territory | $10,677,898 | $449,616 | 4.21% | $7,500 | $3,588 | $460,704 | 4.31% |
| First quartile average | $3,628,237 | $167,629 | 4.62% | $7,500 | $3,588 | $178,717 | 4.93% |
| System average | $1,500,018 | $82,501 | 5.50% | $7,500 | $3,588 | $93,589 | 6.24% |
| Second quartile average | $1,419,322 | $78,466 | 5.53% | $7,500 | $3,588 | $89,554 | 6.31% |
| System median | $943,856 | $54,693 | 5.79% | $7,500 | $3,588 | $65,781 | 6.97% |
| Third quartile average | $705,036 | $42,302 | 6.00% | $7,500 | $3,588 | $53,390 | 7.57% |
| Fourth quartile average | $277,298 | $16,638 | 6.00% | $5,546 | $3,588 | $25,772 | 9.29% |
Averan applied the published rates to filed sales and treated each level's billings as spread evenly across the year.
The royalty ladder steps down at $750,000 and $1,500,000 of annual billings *. The third and fourth quartiles, averaging $705,036 and $277,298, pay a flat 6.00%. The first quartile pays 4.62% and the highest-selling territory 4.21%. Half the system reaches the lower rates and half stays at the top one.
The marketing contribution caps at $7,500 a year. U.S. Lawns charges the lesser of 2% or $625 a month, which becomes fixed above $375,000 of annual billings *. At the top quartile that is 0.21% of sales and at the fourth quartile the 2% applies in full, so the cap benefits only the largest territories.
Total franchisor charges run 4.31% at the top and 9.29% at the bottom *. That is a five-point difference, built from a stepped royalty, a capped marketing contribution and a flat $3,588 technology charge. All of it sits inside the 66.2% operational expense line.
Work outside the territory pays a 6% royalty. The step-down does not apply to those jobs. For a first-quartile territory blending at 4.62%, a job taken across the line costs 1.38 points more of royalty than the same job inside it *.
The regional account fee takes 1% to 10% of what the account pays. It is deducted from amounts owed to the franchisee. Regional accounts are also the one route by which the franchisor may direct work inside a protected territory. So that fee rate is worth pinning down before the first such job.
What it costs to open a territory
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Additional funds, three months | $40,000 | $100,000 |
| Initial franchise fee | $49,000 | $49,000 |
| Equipment | $4,000 | $16,500 |
| Service vehicle and trailer | $8,000 | $12,500 |
| Tools, supplies and office equipment | $2,500 | $6,000 |
| Real estate | $3,000 | $6,000 |
| Training expenses | $2,500 | $6,000 |
| Grand opening advertising | $4,000 | $4,000 |
| Total | $113,000 | $200,000 |
As the brand reported it, reordered here by size.
Discounts available
- U.S. Lawns takes $10,000 off the first franchise's fee for honorably discharged U.S. veterans and for qualified first responders owning at least 51% (Item 5 elsewhere states the veteran fee as $44,000).
- U.S. Lawns charges $39,000 for a conversion franchise.
- U.S. Lawns charges $40,000 for each additional franchise bought as a multi-pack with the first.
- U.S. Lawns takes 50% off an additional franchise for franchisees with at least two years of operating experience who meet expansion requirements.
From Item 5 of the U.S. Lawns 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
Working capital (cash to run the business day to day) is the largest line, at $40,000 to $100,000. It is larger than the franchise fee at the high end. Commercial landscape maintenance bills property managers on contract terms, so crews and equipment run for weeks before the first invoice settles.
Equipment and the vehicle together are $12,000 to $29,000. That is 11% of the low column and 15% of the high *. Light for a business averaging $1,500,018 of billings, because crews are added as contracts are won.
Grand opening advertising runs for a full year at $1,000 a month. $12,000 in total, of which the investment table shows $4,000. The remaining $8,000 lands during the first year of trading, at the point the youngest group is averaging $361,010 of billings.
An existing franchisee with two years of trading may take half off the next fee. And fees collected in the last fiscal year went as low as $5,000. Territory is priced by opportunity, so the published $49,000 is a ceiling for an existing owner.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does a U.S. Lawns franchise make?
U.S. Lawns franchisees averaged $1,500,018 of sales, with a median of $943,856, according to Item 19 of U.S. Lawns’ 2026 FDD, issued 1 April 2026. The 165 in that group are 79%* of U.S. Lawns’ 208 locations. Fees paid to U.S. Lawns come to about 6.24%* of sales. A U.S. Lawns franchise costs $113,000 to $200,000 to open.
What should a U.S. Lawns territory be billing?
Across the 165 territories open and continuously operating throughout 2025, average gross sales were $1,500,018 with a median of $943,856, and 34% reached the average. By quartile the averages were $3,628,237 across 41 territories, $1,419,322 across 41, $705,036 across 41 and $277,298 across 42. The highest territory billed $10,677,898 and the lowest $55,596. By age, territories with one to two years averaged $361,010, three to four years $936,878 and five or more years $1,684,879. There were 208 franchised territories at year end and zero company-owned.
What does the U.S. Lawns business actually keep?
Across all 165 territories: operational expenses 66.2% of gross sales, gross profit 33.8%, administrative expenses 15.1% and net profit 18.7%, 100.0% of the top line accounted for. Administrative covers owner and officer salaries and owner benefit alongside rent, utilities, insurance, advertising, sales expenses, licenses and interest. So the 18.7% sits below the owner’s own pay. At the system average that is $280,503 and at the median $176,501, both marked, and the dollar and percentage views land within $406 of each other.
Does margin improve with age at U.S. Lawns?
The published figures say the opposite. Gross profit is 36.5% for territories aged one to two years, 36.1% at three to four and 33.6% at five or more, all of which are marked *. U.S. Lawns revenue climbs from $361,010 to $936,878 to $1,684,879 across those age groups, so the older group earns far more gross profit in dollars, $566,428 against $131,648. What changes with age is scale. The lowest gross profit in the youngest group is minus $36,572 and in the mature group minus $15,874. So territories losing money at the direct-cost line exist at both ends of the age range.
What fees does U.S. Lawns charge?
The royalty is charged on monthly gross billings at 6% up to $62,500, 5% between $62,500 and $125,000 and 4% above $125,000, which annualizes to step points of $750,000 and $1,500,000. Work for customers outside the territory has a flat 6%. The marketing contribution is the lesser of 2% of gross billings or $625 a month, so it caps at $7,500 a year. Technology is $299 a month, with a customer relationship management subscription of $250 to $450 a year and accounting software of $215 to $400, both priced by third-party suppliers. A regional account management fee of 1% to 10% of what the account pays is deducted from amounts owed for that work. Renewal costs $5,000 currently. At the system average the combined royalty is 5.50% and total charges are 6.24% of billings, which is marked *.
Who does bookkeeping for a U.S. Lawns franchise?
Three mechanics shape the close. The royalty is a monthly ladder that resets each month. So a seasonal business crossing $62,500 and $125,000 in summer and falling below both in winter pays a different rate every month. The combined annual rate only emerges at year end, and a forecast built on it will misstate every quarter. Second, gross billings count revenue on credit even where it stays uncollected. So the fee base is contracted work while the bank balance is collections. U.S. Lawns owners bill property managers on 30 to 60 day terms, and the investment table sets aside $40,000 to $100,000 of working capital for that gap. Third, the benchmarks (66.2% operational, 15.1% administrative, 18.7% net) put the royalty inside the operational line and the owner’s salary inside the administrative one. So a set of books has to be mapped to that shape deliberately before any comparison means anything. Averan provides bookkeeping, controller, and fractional CFO support for franchise owners and has Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors on the team.
Questions worth putting to U.S. Lawns
These are questions the U.S. Lawns filing leaves open. An owner or a buyer can put them to U.S. Lawns directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- Which factors does U.S. Lawns 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 U.S. Lawns 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 does your gross profit sit against 33.8% at U.S. Lawns?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around a monthly royalty ladder, billings against collections, and the published benchmark your books need to be mapped to.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from U.S. Lawns, Inc.’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. U.S. Lawns® 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: U.S. Lawns, Inc., 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 1 April 2026.
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U.S. Lawns reads against the rest of the lawn, pest and irrigation group: Conserva Irrigation · Lawn Doctor · Mosquito Joe · Mosquito Shield · Mosquito Squad · Pestmaster. The lawn, pest and irrigation 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.