Every number on FranchiseStack is sourced, scored, and timestamped. Here's how we verify franchise data, when we refresh it, and what happens when data gets old.
Financial data (Item 7 investment ranges, Item 19 earnings disclosures) comes directly from FDD filings submitted to state regulators. FDD-sourced records receive our highest confidence tier (0.8–1.0).
When FDD data is unavailable, we pull from the International Franchise Association (IFA), FRANdata, and franchisor-published materials. These sources receive a confidence score of 0.6–0.8.
We track when each category of data was last verified — fees, unit counts, financial performance, territory info, and litigation history each have independent freshness clocks. One stale field doesn't make all data stale.
When data crosses staleness thresholds, our tools automatically display warnings. The Financial Model Generator, FDD Checker, and ROI Calculator all flag outdated inputs — no silent stale data, ever.
| Source | Data Provided | Refresh Cadence | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDD Filings Item 7, 19, 20 — state registrations |
Investment ranges, earnings claims, unit counts, franchisee turnover | Annual (FDDs refresh yearly) | 0.8 – 1.0 Verified |
| Franchisor Websites Official brand pages, press releases |
Franchise fees, royalty rates, brand descriptions, unit counts | Quarterly | 0.8 High |
| IFA / FRANdata International Franchise Association data |
Industry benchmarks, growth rates, system-level statistics | Semi-annual | 0.6 Moderate |
| Franchise Directories Franchise portals, aggregators |
Brand overviews, investment ranges, contact info | Quarterly | 0.6 Moderate |
| BLS / SBA.gov Bureau of Labor Statistics, SBA data |
Labor costs, regional cost-of-living, SBA franchise approval rates | Annual | 0.8 High |
| Category Estimates AI inference from industry averages |
Benchmarks for fields where direct data is unavailable | On data refresh | 0.4 Estimated |
| Data Category | Fields Covered | 🟢 Fresh | 🟡 Aging | 🔴 Stale |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee Data | Franchise fee, royalty rate, ad fund rate | < 6 months | 6–12 months | > 12 months |
| Financial Data | Investment range, avg revenue, profit margin | < 6 months | 6–12 months | > 12 months |
| Unit Count | Total units, franchised units, units opened/closed | < 12 months | 12–18 months | > 18 months |
| Territory Data | Territory size, exclusivity, available territories | < 12 months | 12–24 months | > 24 months |
| Litigation Data | Active litigation count, history | < 12 months | 12–24 months | > 24 months |
Stale fee or investment data triggers a yellow/red banner on output. AI narrative notes data vintage.
Litigation and unit data show staleness notes on relevant flags. Full data_quality block in API response.
Benchmark vintage is shown: "Using March 2026 benchmark data" — always dated, never ambiguous.
Stale franchises (red) sort lower in "best match" results. Green dot shown on each listing card.