IFA Launches New Franchise Research and Insights Center

The International Franchise Association launched the Franchise Research and Insights Center, a new data and research center available exclusively to IFA franchisor and franchisee members to provide real-time data analysis on franchise performance, trends, and benchmarking. The center launch coincides with a new exclusive report provided for IFA from ProfitKeeper on franchise profitability. The report compares profit margins among industries, regions, and system size and will be available each quarter.

"It should come as no surprise that franchise profitability remains strong, but this new industry-wide data gives us an unmatched look at that performance," said IFA President and CEO Matt Haller. "This research spotlights how franchise businesses create value for everyone involved. Consumers get valuable products or services at competitive prices. Franchise employees earn higher wages and better benefits than those at nonfranchise businesses. And franchisees are seeing profit margins that let them reinvest in their teams and communities, helping their organizations grow."

The concept for the Franchise Research and Insights Center was first announced at the IFA Annual Convention, in partnership with ProfitKeeper, Franconnect, FRANdata, and Franchise Business Review. The center is now available to IFA members with existing research from the partner organizations, including an exclusive new report on franchise profitability from ProfitKeeper. The report provides financial benchmarking updated each quarter and looks into labor costs, cost of goods, and operating expenses.

The new 2026 Q2 report from ProfitKeeper shows:

• System-wide profit increased by 6.6% with a breakdown of performance by sector.
• Mid-sized operators with six to 15 units posted the strongest profit margin at 11.9% of sales.
• The West North Central region led the country in profitability with a 13.1% profit margin.

"Franchise profitability is shaped by a range of factors, from labor and operating costs to business size and geography, and understanding those dynamics is critical for making better business decisions," said Kyle McEuen, general manager at ProfitKeeper. "Our partnership with IFA brings this financial data directly to franchise leaders, giving them the benchmarks and insights they need to better understand performance, identify opportunities, and build stronger businesses."

The full findings are available upon request or to IFA franchisor and franchisee members here.

In the coming months, IFA will announce new report offerings from each partner. All research will be interactive, searchable, and comparable through the IFA Franchise Research and Insights Center with supplemental articles and learning tools available in the IFA Member Resource Hub.

Haller continued, "This game-changing resource will bring greater clarity to where franchising is today and where it's headed next, helping our members make smarter decisions, strengthen confidence in the franchise model, and support the long-term growth of our business model."