Introducing the Black Franchise Index
Submit, explore, and locate Black-owned franchises across the U.S.
When we talk about Black-owned businesses and Black economic power, franchising often gets left out of the conversation — even though it’s one of the clearest paths to business ownership in America. The Black Franchise Index changes that.
A franchise is a business that operates a location of a larger, more established brand — but is independently owned. The franchisee pays fees to use the brand’s name, systems, and support, but runs the business as their own. From fast food chains and car dealerships to gyms, real estate agents, and rental car offices, franchises are everywhere.
There are an estimated 831,000 franchise establishments in the US, providing an economic output of $897 billion and 8.8 million direct jobs.
About 30.8% of all U.S. franchises are minority-owned — but just about 6% are Black-owned (International Franchise Association).
Black-owned franchises generate 2.2x the revenue of Black-owned independent businesses on average. (Oxford Economics)
Within the 831K franchises mentioned above, there are over 400 different franchise businesses, some more familiar than others.
And according to the Franchise Business Review, the following 10 companies have some of the most Black-owned franchises:
Tropical Smoothie Café
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Visiting Angels (Senior Services)
Right at Home (At Home Care Services)
Kona Ice
NextHome (Real Estate Services)
Mathnasium Learning Centers (Education Services)
360clean
Office Pride Commercial Cleaning Services
Wingstop
“The Why” Behind the Black Franchise Index
The Black Dollar Index’s mission is to create a more equitable relationship between corporate America and Black communities.
Franchise systems offer scale, but often our businesses get lost in the shuffle — that’s where the Black Franchise Index comes in. The Index is a curated, growing directory of Black-owned franchise businesses across the U.S. and helps us track and uplift where we have presence. It was built to increase visibility, equity, and support for Black franchise owners — and to empower consumers to shop more intentionally.
Where you shop, eat, and get services directly affects economic power in Black communities. Supporting a Black-owned franchise:
Helps create local jobs
Promotes fairer financing for important purchases like cars, insurance, and homes.
Channels dollars into long-term generational growth and community reinvestment, not extractive business models
The Black Franchise Index currently features over 100 Black-owned franchisees across the United States, including:
Auto Dealers:
GM: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC
Ford & Lincoln
Toyota & Lexus
Education: Brooklyn Robot Foundry (STEM)
Food:
Ben & Jerry’s
IHOP
Real Estate: Keller Williams
Travel: Avis Rental Car
Check out and SHARE the full Black Franchise Index and let us know what you think:
If you are interested in partnering, claiming your listing, or have questions, please email info@blackdollarindex.com.
We want consumers to have access to that full 6% of Black-owned franchises. If you or someone you know is a Black franchisee, we want to add more locations to the Index (it’s free)!
ICYMI
Be informed.
Check out the Black Dollar Index Shop for merch that goes towards our mission to create a more equitable relationship between corporations and Black communities.
The Black Dollar Initiative is the indpendent 501(c)(3) research and advocacy hub that supports the Black Dollar Index. Your donation will go towards helping us research, analyze, and report over 120 corporations across 15+ data points. Donations are tax-deductible (EIN: 85-2383485).