Franchise intelligence

The most successful franchises, by survival

Success measured the way a lender measures it: brands with 100+ SBA loans since 2020 whose FY2020–23 loans almost never failed. High volume plus near-zero charge-offs is the strongest signal a franchise model actually works. See the other end of the table →

Lowest failure rates, 100+ loans

Browse every brand under 1% failure →

Safest industries

Industry	Failure rate	Recent loans
Healthcare	1.42%	2,719
Manufacturing	1.62%	1,437
Finance & insurance	1.85%	449
Restaurants & hospitality	2.1%	3,589
Repair & personal services	2.36%	2,744
Real estate services	2.49%	560
Media & software	2.52%	242
Retail	2.61%	2,931
Recreation & fitness	2.68%	1,198
Professional services	2.84%	2,675

Common questions

What makes a franchise 'successful' in this ranking?

Survival with scale. Each brand here has 100+ SBA loans funded since 2020, and the lowest share of FY2020–23 loans charged off. A brand that borrows constantly and almost never defaults is doing something right.

Why does loan volume matter for the ranking?

A brand with 30 loans and zero failures might be lucky. A brand with 400 loans and zero failures has a system. The 100-loan floor keeps small-sample flukes off the list.

Are these franchises easier to finance?

Usually. Lenders track brand performance the same way this page does — a clean cohort record means faster approvals and better terms, because the bank has seen the model work repeatedly.

CapBench analysis of public SBA lending records. Failure = charge-off rate on the FY2020–23 loan cohort.

AI summary

This page ranks the most durable franchise brands — those with 100+ SBA loans funded since 2020 and the lowest share of FY2020–23 loans charged off — alongside the safest industry sectors. High loan volume paired with near-zero failure is the strongest data signal that a franchise model works and that lenders will finance it on better terms. It's for buyers who want a proven brand before they sign. This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice, and CapBench is not a lender.

Source: CapBench SBA Intelligence, based on public SBA, lender, franchise, FDIC, and related records. CapBench is not a lender and does not guarantee financing.

Picked a proven brand? That's leverage with lenders

Banks already trust these models — which means you can make them compete. Let us find the one that gives you the best terms.

Free · No documents · Usually same-day

Backed by data on 1,000+ SBA lenders and 300,000+ funded deals. Your details go only to lending partners you ask to be matched with — never sold to advertisers.

By submitting, I agree that CapBench may share my contact information with SBA lending partners and loan brokers (including partners who compensate CapBench), and that they and CapBench may contact me about financing by phone, email, and text — including via autodialed or prerecorded calls and messages — at the phone number and email I provide. Consent is not a condition of any purchase or service, and message and data rates may apply. CapBench is not a lender and makes no credit decision.