How much does it cost to open a McDonald's franchise?

The franchisor's Item 7 table puts the total initial investment to open a McDonald's franchise at $1,471,000 to $2,728,000, according to their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

What is the royalty rate for McDonald's franchise?

McDonald's charges a 5.0% royalty fee (percentage of gross sales), as disclosed in their FDD, Item 6.

What is the Murk Score for McDonald's?

McDonald's has a Murk Score of 42/100 (ELEVATED, our band for scores 40 to 64). The Murk Score measures FDD transparency across 32 binary checks covering disclosure completeness, system trajectory, franchisor solvency, internal consistency, and litigation. A lower score indicates greater transparency.

How many McDonald's franchise locations are there?

McDonald's has 13,559 total franchise outlets, with a net growth of +102 units in the last reported year, according to their FDD, Item 20.

McDonald's FDD Analysis | Franchise Sonar

Q: Does McDonald's have any franchise litigation?

According to Item 3 of their FDD: Litigation detected: 7 pending cases, 19 concluded, 2 franchisee-initiated, class action, affiliate government order, affiliate class action.

[ KEY FINDING ]

McDonald's's Item 20 shows a net increase of 102 franchise units in the last reported year.

Source: FDD Item 20

[ VERIFIED // FDD 2025 ]

McDonald's

Issuance Date: May 1, 2025·Verified: Sep 10, 2026

5 RED FLAGS DETECTED

0/100

MURK SCORE

FRANCHISE SONAR MURK SCORE: ELEVATED(our band for scores 40 to 64)

Does McDonald's Have Franchise Litigation?

Litigation detected: 7 pending cases, 19 concluded, 2 franchisee-initiated, class action, affiliate government order, affiliate class action.

[ FULL LITIGATION ANALYSIS LOCKED ]

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How Much Does a McDonald's Franchise Cost?

Royalty Rate	Initial Investment	Total Units	Net Growth (1Y)
5.0% percentage of gross sales	$1.5M to $2.7M	13,559	+102

Royalty Rate

Initial Investment

Total Units

Net Growth (1Y)

5.0%

percentage of gross sales

$1.5M to $2.7M

13,559

+102

Source: FDD Items 6, 7, 20

VERIFIED // CHECKED AGAINST THE FDD

What Does McDonald's's Item 19 Disclose About Earnings?

Avg Gross Sales	Sample Size	Average vs Median
$0,000,000	000 units	Unlock to see

[ EARNINGS DATA LOCKED ]

Average, sample size and footnotes, page-cited

[ RISK_ALERT ]

We found 5 red flags in McDonald's' FDD.

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We found 5 red flags in McDonald's' FDD.

Don’t sign the franchise agreement without this.

Essential Scan

$199

Items 19-21 financials

[ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ]

[ COMPARE FRANCHISES ]

vs 1-800-GOT-JUNK?vs 101 Mobility vs 2nd Family vs 7 Brew vs 911 Restoration vs Abra vs Ace Handyman Services vs ACFN

Analyzed by Franchise Sonar Research Team

How is the Murk Score calculated? →

Franchise Sonar provides independent analysis of franchise disclosure documents (FDDs) filed with state regulators. This is for informational purposes only and is NOT investment advice. Data extracted using automated technology; verify all financial information directly in the official FDD before making decisions. Murk Score measures disclosure completeness, not franchise quality. McDonald's is a trademark of its respective owner. Franchise Sonar is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with McDonald's.