The franchise world can be an extremely competitive one, with thousands of brands in a wide variety of industries vying for both franchisees and customers. So what does it take to be the leading franchise brand in any given industry, from car washes to childcare, pizza to pest control? Our annual Best of the Best list, comprised of the franchisors that ranked at the top of their industry categories in the 2024 Franchise 500, might just hold some clues.

More than 1,300 franchises applied for this year's Franchise 500 ranking, and were then evaluated and scored based on more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, system size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. The 500 top-scoring companies became the Franchise 500 — and only 158 of those ranked No. 1 in their categories, making them truly worthy of being called "best of the best."

Keep in mind as you read that this list is not intended as an endorsement........

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