69.4 average across 2 concepts
Local operating-model alignment analysis
Best Franchise Opportunities We Assessed in Denver, Colorado
We compared 14 franchise concepts for Denver, Colorado. Local business demand was a leading positive mechanism. Frontline labor pressure was a leading operating constraint.
What “best” means in this ranking“Best” means the strongest modeled local operating alignment among the franchise concepts assessed on this page. It does not estimate earnings or determine which franchise is best for a particular candidate.
14Concepts evaluated
13Sources used
11Primary sources
22Local metrics
Evaluation set
Why these concepts were evaluated
This is not a ranking of every franchise that may be offered in the city.
14Concepts assessed
Concepts were included when enough operating-model information existed to assign a provisional local-sensitivity profile. Unresolved inputs reduce confidence or remain conditional rather than automatically excluding a concept.
A brand’s participation in our referral network does not add points or change its position.
City-level conclusions
What stood out in our assessment
0.7 points average among 10 affected concepts
0.7 points average reduction among 9 affected concepts
Tested rank range spans 10 positions
Executive conclusion
What the ranking means for Denver, Colorado
City Wide, ActionCOACH, and FASTSIGNS produced the highest modeled local-alignment scores in the evaluated set. Local business demand was the strongest positive scored mechanism among 10 exposed concepts, adding 0.7 points on average. Frontline labor pressure was the broadest operating constraint, reducing exposed concepts by 0.7 points on average. Jan-Pro International was especially relationship-sensitive: removing frontline labor pressure moved it from #12 to #4 in the full model rerun. These scores describe local operating alignment, not expected returns or overall franchise quality; the offered territory and franchise economics still require separate diligence.
How this differs from a directory: the model does not award points for brand popularity, advertising placement, or referral compensation. It tests how documented local conditions interact with each concept’s operating requirements.
Best franchise opportunities assessed
Top 10 local-alignment scores from 14 concepts assessed
“Best” refers to modeled local operating alignment among the concepts assessed—not expected earnings, franchise-system quality, or candidate fit.
Rankings use full-precision scores.Displayed values use one decimal place. Identical displayed scores can therefore have different ranks, and close results should be treated as effectively similar.
| Rank | Franchise | Alignment and tier | Largest advantage | Largest constraint | Evidence confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City WideFacility managementInvestment: $229,729–$410,730 | 71.7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +1.4 ptsTarget-market demand | -0.4 ptsLabor and staffing friction | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 2 | ActionCOACHBusiness coachingInvestment: $71,668–$303,513 | 71.6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +1.2 ptsTarget-market demand | -0.1 ptsLabor and staffing friction | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 3 | FASTSIGNSSigns and graphicsInvestment: $231,226–$386,285 | 71.6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +1.3 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 4 | HomeSmilesProperty maintenance servicesInvestment: $148,110–$201,800 | 70.7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.8 ptsTarget-market demand | -0.5 ptsLabor and staffing friction | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 5 | ZOOM DRAINDrain and sewer serviceInvestment: $266,250–$570,500 | 70.6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsReferral ecosystem | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 6 | Mister Sparky ElectricElectrical | 70.5Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.5 ptsProperty replacement-cycle demand | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 7 | Aire ServHVAC installation, repair, and maintenanceInvestment: $113,308–$271,708 | 70.4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsProperty replacement-cycle demand | -0.2 ptsLabor and staffing friction | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 8 | Mr. RooterPlumbingInvestment: $152,900–$298,675 | 70.2Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.2 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 9 | Pillar To Post Home InspectorsHome inspectionInvestment: $102,690–$134,290 | 70.1Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.1 ptsTarget-market demand | No material negative local adjustment | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 10 | Tiger AdjustersPublic insurance adjustingInvestment: $43,050–$159,500 | 70.0Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.2 ptsTarget-market demand | -0.1 ptsLabor and staffing friction | Moderate evidence confidence |
Conditions that changed the analysis
What mattered most in Denver, Colorado
Large resident, household, sales, and metropolitan employment base supports broad local business demand
This relationship affected 10 concepts and added 0.7 points on average among those exposed. Local evidence: Estimated households during the 2020-2024 measurement period: 335,428 households. [1]
Denver work-location wage floor raises direct labor cost for overlapping frontline roles
This relationship affected 9 concepts and reduced 0.7 points on average among those exposed. Local evidence: Denver citywide minimum wage effective in 2026: 19.29 usd per hour. [3]
Downtown office vacancy was 29 percent at the end of Q2 2026
The vacancy measure indicates persistent office-space weakness, but March return-to-office activity reached 74 percent of the publisher baseline, pedestrian activity reached 84 percent of March 2019, 16th Street activity increased year over year in June, and new businesses continued to open. A downtown fixed-location concept should therefore separate recurring weekday office-worker demand from resident, visitor, event, hospitality, and corridor-specific activity rather than treating either the vacancy rate or aggregate visitation as a complete demand proxy. [5] [4]
Evidence behind the city mechanisms
Large resident, household, sales, and metropolitan employment base supports broad local business demand1 modeled effect
Local business demandTarget-market demand
Size- and project-gated building performance rules create compliance burden and qualified retrofit demand3 local facts · 2 modeled effects · 3 sources
- Energize Denver building-size categories and current requirements: small building minimum sqft: 5,000; small building maximum sqft: 24,999; small building requirement: lighting or renewable energy requirements; large building minimum sqft: 25,000; large building requirements: annual benchmarking, building type specific energy efficiency requirements; heating or cooling electrification mandate: no; proposed rule hearing date: 2026-08-10 policy thresholds [6]
- Green Buildings Ordinance project thresholds and exclusions: new building minimum sqft: 25,000; existing building roof permit minimum building sqft: 25,000; addition minimum sqft: 25,000; excluded property types: parking structures, temporary buildings, air supported structures, greenhouses, single family homes, duplexes, qualifying attached low rise units policy thresholds [7]
- Facilities and agencies supported by Denver General Services: city maintained facilities and structures more than: 140; managed facility area sqft: 6,000,000; supported agencies departments and offices more than: 40 institutional facility metrics [13]
Facility compliance burdenRegulatory and operating friction
Energy-retrofit service demandProperty replacement-cycle demand
Denver work-location wage floor raises direct labor cost for overlapping frontline roles1 modeled effect
Frontline labor pressureLabor and staffing friction
Professional, healthcare, government, and municipal-facility base supports B2B and institutional prospecting with formal procurement gates3 local facts · 2 modeled effects · 4 sources
- Preliminary employment in selected industry supersectors in June 2026: professional and business services jobs: 317,500; education and health services jobs: 227,800; government jobs: 232,400; leisure and hospitality jobs: 185,500; mining logging and construction jobs: 115,100; trade transportation and utilities jobs: 286,300 [2]
- Facilities and agencies supported by Denver General Services: city maintained facilities and structures more than: 140; managed facility area sqft: 6,000,000; supported agencies departments and offices more than: 40 institutional facility metrics [13]
- City purchasing and solicitation access methods: competitive bidding used: yes; direct open market purchases used: yes; bidnet vendor registration free: yes; category matching controls automatic notifications: yes; pre proposal meetings may be used: yes; example upcoming service categories: moving services, commercial laundry, vending services, election logistics, on call concrete repair and maintenance, snow removal services, landscape services, greenhouse roof replacement procurement conditions [11] [12]
Professional and institutional relationship densityReferral ecosystem
Institutional procurement-cycle frictionSales and customer acquisition
Compare all assessed concepts
Local impact by franchise concept
14 concepts shown. Expand a concept to see the score-changing factors and their modeled drivers; the full audit ledger stays collapsed.
#1Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment71.7
City Wide
Initial investment: $229,729–$410,730
Increase +1.4 pts Target-market demandReduction -0.4 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +1.4 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.6 pts |
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | +1.65 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +1.4 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.4 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.6 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 71.65 |
| Published local-market alignment | 71.7 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +1.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #1–#5
#2Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment71.6
ActionCOACH
Initial investment: $71,668–$303,513
Increase +1.2 pts Target-market demandReduction -0.1 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +1.2 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.5 pts |
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -0.1 pts |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Institutional procurement-cycle friction EvidenceConditional — applicability must be confirmed | Not scored |
| Net local movement | +1.63 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +1.2 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.1 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.5 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 71.63 |
| Published local-market alignment | 71.6 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +1.2 pts
- Tested rank range
- #1–#2
#3Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment71.6
FASTSIGNS
Initial investment: $231,226–$386,285
Increase +1.3 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Moderately sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +1.3 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.3 pts |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Institutional procurement-cycle friction EvidenceConditional — applicability must be confirmed | Not scored |
| Net local movement | +1.57 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
2 images
Public company data assessed
3 sourcesFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +1.3 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.3 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 71.57 |
| Published local-market alignment | 71.6 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +1.3 pts
- Tested rank range
- #1–#4
#4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.7
HomeSmiles
Initial investment: $148,110–$201,800
Increase +0.8 pts Target-market demandReduction -0.5 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.8 pts |
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -0.5 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.5 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.72 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.8 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.5 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.5 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.72 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.7 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.8 pts
- Tested rank range
- #4–#9
#5Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.6
ZOOM DRAIN
Initial investment: $266,250–$570,500
Increase +0.4 pts Referral ecosystemNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Moderately sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.4 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +0.3 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.63 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.3 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.4 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.63 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.6 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Referral ecosystem +0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #3–#6
#6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.5
Mister Sparky Electric
Increase +0.5 pts Property replacement-cycle demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.5 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.48 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.5 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.48 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.5 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Property replacement-cycle demand +0.5 pts
- Tested rank range
- #2–#10
#7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.4
Aire Serv
Initial investment: $113,308–$271,708
Increase +0.4 pts Property replacement-cycle demandReduction -0.2 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.4 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +0.2 pts |
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -0.2 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.41 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
1 image
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
1 image
Public company data assessed
1 sourceFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.2 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.4 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.2 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.41 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Property replacement-cycle demand +0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #5–#9
#8Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.2
Mr. Rooter
Initial investment: $152,900–$298,675
Increase +0.2 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.2 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.20 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.2 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.20 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.2 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.2 pts
- Tested rank range
- #6–#11
#9Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.1
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Initial investment: $102,690–$134,290
Increase +0.1 pts Target-market demandNo material negative local adjustment identified
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.11 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
1 image
Public company data assessed
2 sourcesFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.1 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.11 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.1 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #7–#13
#10Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment70.0
Tiger Adjusters
Initial investment: $43,050–$159,500
Increase +0.2 pts Target-market demandReduction -0.1 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Target-market demand |
| +0.2 pts |
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.04 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
1 image
Public company data assessed
1 sourceFull calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.2 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.1 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.04 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.0 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.2 pts
- Tested rank range
- #8–#12
#11Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment69.5
PuroClean
Initial investment: $54,575–$262,145
Increase +0.4 pts Referral ecosystemReduction -0.9 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Moderately sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -0.9 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | -0.50 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.9 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.4 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.50 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.5 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Labor and staffing friction -0.9 pts
- Tested rank range
- #9–#12
#12Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment69.4
Jan-Pro International
Initial investment: $130,000–$421,500
Increase +1.3 pts Target-market demandReduction -2.0 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -2.0 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +1.3 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.2 pts |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Institutional procurement-cycle friction EvidenceConditional — applicability must be confirmed | Not scored |
| Net local movement | -0.60 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
1 image
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +1.3 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -2.0 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.2 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.40 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Labor and staffing friction -2.0 pts
- Tested rank range
- #4–#14
#13Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment69.3
Rainbow International Restoration
Initial investment: $185,336–$351,900
Increase +0.4 pts Referral ecosystemReduction -1.1 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Highly sensitive
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -1.1 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | -0.67 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -1.1 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.4 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.33 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.3 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Labor and staffing friction -1.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #10–#14
#14Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment68.9
Workout Anytime
Initial investment: $1,060,850–$1,840,550
No material positive local adjustment identifiedReduction -1.1 pts Labor and staffing friction
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Labor and staffing friction |
| -1.1 pts |
| Net local movement | -1.10 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Item 3 — Litigation
1 image
Item 6 — Other Fees
1 image
Item 7 — Estimated Initial Investment
2 images
Item 12 — Territory
1 image
Item 20 — Outlets and Franchise Information
1 image
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -1.1 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.90 |
| Published local-market alignment | 68.9 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Evidence confidence
- City Modifier Evidence
- Adequate
- Factor Research Coverage
- Strong
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Labor and staffing friction -1.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #13–#14
No franchise concepts match the selected filters.
Worked score example
How we calculated City Wide
This example uses the same ledger shown for every concept and must reconcile exactly to the published score.
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not confused with missing, conditional, or non-applicable evidence.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +1.4 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | -0.4 |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not included in the score |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.6 |
| Territory quality | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 71.65 |
| Published local-market alignment | 71.7 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
Starting pointThe operating-model baseline shown in the first ledger row.
InteractionsAny interaction or gate is included in the relevant contribution or calibration row.
Confidence treatmentEvidence confidence is disclosed separately unless the model definition explicitly applies a calibration adjustment.
RoundingFull-precision contributions are summed before the final displayed score is rounded to one decimal place; whole-number results are shown without a trailing decimal.
Factor impact
Which local conditions changed scores or rankings?
We neutralized one factor at a time, recalculated every score, and then measured both absolute score movement and changes in rank order.
Observed model effectMixed or model dependent
Target-market demand
We tested how much of the city’s theoretical customer and business demand remained usable after operating friction.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 10 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 11 concepts changed position. HomeSmiles moved from #4 to #9, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
Concepts adjusted10 of 14
Average among affected+0.7 pts
Average across all concepts+0.5 pts
Concepts changing rank11
What we observed
- Resident Population Estimate On July 1, 2025740,613 people
- Estimated Households During The 2020 2024 Measurement Period335,428 households
- Selected Local Sales And Receipts In 2022retail sales usd: 14,963,195,000; accommodation and food services sales usd: 5,669,146,000; health care and social assistance receipts usd: 9,648,534,000; transportation and warehousing receipts usd: 13,689,732,000
Concepts helped most
City WideFacility management
+1.4 pts
FASTSIGNSSigns and graphics
+1.3 pts
Jan-Pro InternationalCommercial cleaning
+1.3 pts
ActionCOACHBusiness coaching
+1.2 pts
HomeSmilesProperty maintenance services
+0.8 pts
Observed model effectMixed or model dependent
Property replacement-cycle demand
We compared the age and condition of relevant property systems with the services each concept is actually equipped to provide.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 2 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 4 concepts changed position. Mister Sparky Electric moved from #6 to #8, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
Concepts adjusted2 of 14
Average among affected+0.4 pts
Average across all concepts+0.1 pts
Concepts changing rank4
Concepts helped most
Mister Sparky ElectricElectrical
+0.5 pts
Aire ServHVAC installation, repair, and maintenance
+0.4 pts
Observed model effectMixed or model dependent
Labor and staffing friction
We compared each concept’s frontline and specialist staffing requirements with the local labor environment.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 9 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 9 concepts changed position. Jan-Pro International moved from #12 to #4, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
Concepts adjusted9 of 14
Average among affected-0.7 pts
Average across all concepts-0.5 pts
Concepts changing rank9
What we observed
- Denver Citywide Minimum Wage Effective In 202619.29 usd per hour
- Denver Minimum Wage Geographic And Work Duration Scopeapplies to work performed within city and county: yes; outside denver excluded: yes; traveling through without work excluded: yes; less than four hours per week within denver excluded: yes; maximum tipped cash wage credit usd per hour: 3.02; tipped credit limited to food and beverage workers: yes rule conditions
Concepts challenged most
Jan-Pro InternationalCommercial cleaning
-2.0 pts
Rainbow International RestorationRestoration
-1.1 pts
Workout AnytimeFitness
-1.1 pts
PuroCleanRestoration
-0.9 pts
HomeSmilesProperty maintenance services
-0.5 pts
Observed model effectMixed or model dependent
Referral ecosystem
We tested whether the local professional and institutional referral ecosystem materially separated the assessed concepts.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 8 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 10 concepts changed position. HomeSmiles moved from #4 to #7, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
Concepts adjusted8 of 14
Average among affected+0.4 pts
Average across all concepts+0.2 pts
Concepts changing rank10
Concepts helped most
City WideFacility management
+0.6 pts
ActionCOACHBusiness coaching
+0.5 pts
HomeSmilesProperty maintenance services
+0.5 pts
PuroCleanRestoration
+0.4 pts
Rainbow International RestorationRestoration
+0.4 pts
Measured but not differentiating in this concept set
- Competitive environmentNo material score adjustment
- Transportation, routing, and parkingNo material score adjustment
- Real estate and site feasibilityNo material score adjustment
- Sales and customer acquisitionNo material score adjustment
- Territory qualityNo material score adjustment
- Regulatory and operating frictionNo material score adjustment
Rank stability
Which positions depend most on individual assumptions?
The line shows the best and worst rank reached when one factor was removed from every concept. A narrow range indicates a more stable position.
#1 City WideHighly sensitive · tested #1–#5
#2 ActionCOACHStable · tested #1–#2
#3 FASTSIGNSModerately sensitive · tested #1–#4
#4 HomeSmilesHighly sensitive · tested #4–#9
#5 ZOOM DRAINModerately sensitive · tested #3–#6
#6 Mister Sparky ElectricHighly sensitive · tested #2–#10
#7 Aire ServHighly sensitive · tested #5–#9
#8 Mr. RooterHighly sensitive · tested #6–#11
#9 Pillar To Post Home InspectorsHighly sensitive · tested #7–#13
#10 Tiger AdjustersHighly sensitive · tested #8–#12
#11 PuroCleanModerately sensitive · tested #9–#12
#12 Jan-Pro InternationalHighly sensitive · tested #4–#14
#13 Rainbow International RestorationHighly sensitive · tested #10–#14
#14 Workout AnytimeStable · tested #13–#14
Neutralizing a factor removes it from every concept. A concept can move down even when its own score improves because competitors may benefit more.
Original factor comparison
How each factor affected the highest-rated franchise concepts
The graph includes the top 14 concepts by local-alignment score. Only nonzero score contributions are plotted. A factor is removed when every displayed concept received 0.0 points from it. Hover or focus a concept name to highlight all of its remaining data points.
Primary source records by factorTarget-market demand: [1] [2] [4] [5] [13]Property replacement-cycle demand: [1] [6] [7] [13]Competitive environment: [1] [2] [5]Labor and staffing friction: [3] [2]Transportation, routing, and parking: [10] [4] [5]Real estate and site feasibility: [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]Sales and customer acquisition: [2] [11] [12] [13]Referral ecosystem: [2] [11] [12] [13]Territory quality: [1] [3] [4] [5] [10] [9]Regulatory and operating friction: [6] [7] [8] [9] [3]
View the chart data as a table
| Concept | Target-market demand | Property replacement-cycle demand | Labor and staffing friction | Referral ecosystem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 City Wide | +1.4 pts | — | -0.4 pts | +0.6 pts |
| #2 ActionCOACH | +1.2 pts | — | -0.1 pts | +0.5 pts |
| #3 FASTSIGNS | +1.3 pts | — | — | +0.3 pts |
| #4 HomeSmiles | +0.8 pts | — | -0.5 pts | +0.5 pts |
| #5 ZOOM DRAIN | +0.3 pts | — | — | +0.4 pts |
| #6 Mister Sparky Electric | — | +0.5 pts | — | — |
| #7 Aire Serv | +0.2 pts | +0.4 pts | -0.2 pts | — |
| #8 Mr. Rooter | +0.2 pts | — | — | — |
| #9 Pillar To Post Home Inspectors | +0.1 pts | — | — | — |
| #10 Tiger Adjusters | +0.2 pts | — | -0.1 pts | — |
| #11 PuroClean | — | — | -0.9 pts | +0.4 pts |
| #12 Jan-Pro International | +1.3 pts | — | -2.0 pts | +0.2 pts |
| #13 Rainbow International Restoration | — | — | -1.1 pts | +0.4 pts |
| #14 Workout Anytime | — | — | -1.1 pts | — |
Interpretation
How to interpret the result
City Wide, ActionCOACH, FASTSIGNS led because their operating requirements captured more of the local support from target-market demand while remaining less exposed to labor and staffing friction. The same city condition can help one operating model and constrain another, so score differences should be read through each concept's factor pattern rather than as a universal franchise-quality verdict. The ordering is most assumption-sensitive for City Wide, HomeSmiles, Mister Sparky Electric; their ranks move more widely when individual factors are neutralized.
Local evidence assessed for modeling
Category comparisons
Best franchise categories we assessed in Denver, Colorado
Category summaries are shown only when at least two concepts qualified. Two-concept comparisons are explicitly labeled as limited.
Limited two-concept comparison
69.4Best Restoration franchise opportunities we assessed in Denver, Colorado
2 Restoration concepts qualified for comparison, with scores ranging from 69.3 to 69.5. PuroClean ranked highest at 69.5. Referral ecosystem added 0.4 points on average among the affected concepts. Labor and staffing friction reduced the exposed concepts by 1 point on average.
Interpret cautiously: A 0.2-point spread is too small to support a strong brand-level conclusion from city alignment alone.
- Concepts compared
- 2
- Score range
- 69.3–69.5
- Category average
- 69.4
PuroClean69.5
Rainbow International Restoration69.3
Metric registry
The 22 local metrics behind this analysis
The registry shows each public metric’s raw value, period, geography, source, and its actual role in the compiled analysis.
View all local metrics
| Metric | Raw value | Period | Geography | Role in analysis | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Resident population estimate on July 1, 2025 | 740,613people | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 American Community Survey measures; 2022 economic measures | Denver, Colorado | Used in scoring | [1] |
| Population change from the April 2020 estimate base to July 2025 | 3.5percent | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 American Community Survey measures; 2022 economic measures | Denver, Colorado | Context only | [1] |
| Estimated households during the 2020-2024 measurement period | 335,428households | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 American Community Survey measures; 2022 economic measures | Denver, Colorado | Used in scoring | [1] |
| Median housing-cost and household-income measures | median owner occupied home value usd: 616,000; median monthly owner cost with mortgage usd: 2,466; median monthly gross rent usd: 1,831; median household income usd: 94,718; owner occupied housing rate percent: 48.8mixed housing and income metrics | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 American Community Survey measures; 2022 economic measures | Denver, Colorado | Context only | [1] |
| Selected local sales and receipts in 2022 | retail sales usd: 14,963,195,000; accommodation and food services sales usd: 5,669,146,000; health care and social assistance receipts usd: 9,648,534,000; transportation and warehousing receipts usd: 13,689,732,000usd | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 American Community Survey measures; 2022 economic measures | Denver, Colorado | Used in scoring | [1] |
| Preliminary total nonfarm employment in June 2026 | 1,655,900jobs | June 2026 preliminary labor-force and nonfarm employment data; May 2026 CPI | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, Colorado metropolitan statistical area | Used in scoring | [2] |
| Preliminary employment in selected industry supersectors in June 2026 | professional and business services jobs: 317,500; education and health services jobs: 227,800; government jobs: 232,400; leisure and hospitality jobs: 185,500; mining logging and construction jobs: 115,100; trade transportation and utilities jobs: 286,300jobs | June 2026 preliminary labor-force and nonfarm employment data; May 2026 CPI | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, Colorado metropolitan statistical area | Used in scoring | [2] |
| Preliminary unemployment rate in June 2026 | 3.9percent | June 2026 preliminary labor-force and nonfarm employment data; May 2026 CPI | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, Colorado metropolitan statistical area | Context only | [2] |
| Denver citywide minimum wage effective in 2026 | 19.29usd per hour | Rate effective January 1 through December 31, 2026; jurisdiction and exclusions current when accessed | City and County of Denver | Used in scoring | [3] |
| Denver minimum-wage geographic and work-duration scope | applies to work performed within city and county: yes; outside denver excluded: yes; traveling through without work excluded: yes; less than four hours per week within denver excluded: yes; maximum tipped cash wage credit usd per hour: 3.02; tipped credit limited to food and beverage workers: yesrule conditions | Rate effective January 1 through December 31, 2026; jurisdiction and exclusions current when accessed | City and County of Denver | Used in scoring | [3] |
| Average downtown weekday return-to-office activity in March 2026 | 74percent of publisher baseline | March 2026 return-to-office and pedestrian activity; first-quarter 2026 office and business-opening measures | Downtown Denver | Conditional relationship | [4] |
| Downtown pedestrian activity relative to March 2019 | 84percent of march 2019 level | March 2026 return-to-office and pedestrian activity; first-quarter 2026 office and business-opening measures | Downtown Denver | Conditional relationship | [4] |
| Downtown office vacancy rate at the end of Q2 2026 | 29percent | June 2026 visitation and business openings; Q2 2026 office market; May 2026 hotel measures | Downtown Denver | Conditional relationship | [5] |
| New downtown businesses reported from January through June 2026 | 34businesses | June 2026 visitation and business openings; Q2 2026 office market; May 2026 hotel measures | Downtown Denver | Conditional relationship | [5] |
| Year-over-year change in average daily activity on 16th Street in June 2026 | 11percent | June 2026 visitation and business openings; Q2 2026 office market; May 2026 hotel measures | 16th Street, Downtown Denver | Conditional relationship | [5] |
| Energize Denver building-size categories and current requirements | small building minimum sqft: 5,000; small building maximum sqft: 24,999; small building requirement: lighting or renewable energy requirements; large building minimum sqft: 25,000; large building requirements: annual benchmarking, building type specific energy efficiency requirements; heating or cooling electrification mandate: no; proposed rule hearing date: 2026-08-10policy thresholds | Ordinance passed in 2021; rules most recently updated in 2025; proposed rule hearing scheduled August 10, 2026 | Denver buildings within specified size classes | Supports modeled relationship | [6] |
| Green Buildings Ordinance project thresholds and exclusions | new building minimum sqft: 25,000; existing building roof permit minimum building sqft: 25,000; addition minimum sqft: 25,000; excluded property types: parking structures, temporary buildings, air supported structures, greenhouses, single family homes, duplexes, qualifying attached low rise unitspolicy thresholds | Effective November 2, 2018; current applicability and exclusions accessed July 2026 | Qualifying Denver development, addition, and roof-permit projects | Supports modeled relationship | [7] |
| General permit gates for business signs | most private property signs require zoning permit: yes; signs extending into public right of way require doti permit: yes; electrical sign work requires electrical permit: yespermit conditions | Current permit guidance accessed July 2026 | Denver, Colorado | Conditional relationship | [8] |
| Historic, landmark, downtown, campus, and large-facility signage controls | historic or landmark plastic signs allowed: no; historic or landmark internally illuminated signs allowed: no; historic or landmark exposed conduit allowed: no; comprehensive sign plan required for large facilities: yes; upper story wall signs in lower downtown require comprehensive sign plan: yes; comprehensive sign plan preapplication meeting required: yesdesign review conditions | Current landmark, historic-district, downtown, campus, and comprehensive-sign-plan guidance accessed July 2026 | Denver landmarks, historic districts, specified downtown properties, campuses, and large facilities | Conditional relationship | [9] |
| East Colfax BRT construction geography and schedule | construction start: 2024-10-01; scheduled construction end year: 2,027; western terminus: Broadway; dedicated center running segment eastern limit: Yosemite Street; project eastern terminus: R Line station at I-225; jurisdictions: Denver, Auroraproject schedule and geography | Construction began in October 2024 and is scheduled to proceed through 2027; current project information accessed July 2026 | East Colfax Avenue from Broadway to I-225 | Conditional relationship | [10] |
| City purchasing and solicitation access methods | competitive bidding used: yes; direct open market purchases used: yes; bidnet vendor registration free: yes; category matching controls automatic notifications: yes; pre proposal meetings may be used: yes; example upcoming service categories: moving services, commercial laundry, vending services, election logistics, on call concrete repair and maintenance, snow removal services, landscape services, greenhouse roof replacementprocurement conditions | Current procurement overview accessed July 2026 | City and County of Denver agencies | Supports modeled relationship | [11] [12] |
| Facilities and agencies supported by Denver General Services | city maintained facilities and structures more than: 140; managed facility area sqft: 6,000,000; supported agencies departments and offices more than: 40institutional facility metrics | Current department operating scope accessed July 2026 | City and County of Denver | Supports modeled relationship | [13] |
How to use the ranking
What the model can and cannot establish
- Scores measure local operating alignment, not expected financial performance or franchise-system quality.
- Citywide evidence may not describe the exact site or territory ultimately offered.
- Conditional effects are shown for diligence but do not change the published score until their applicability is established.
Methodology
How the local-alignment ranking is calculated
Measure the city
Collect reusable local metrics with source, period, geography, and confidence fields.
Profile each operating model
Map each franchise to controlled operating attributes and local sensitivities.
Apply scoreable effects
Score only effects that apply without an unresolved site, territory, customer, or project gate.
Preserve conditional effects
Keep location- or territory-dependent issues visible for diligence without automatically changing the score.
Test rank sensitivity
Remove one factor at a time from every concept and rerank using full-precision scores.
Generate public output
Create the ranking, factor-status ledger, visuals, metric registry, and automated quality report from the same data.
How the common baseline becomes a city-specific score
Every concept starts from the same 70.0 reference point, so differences come only from modeled local interactions. In this city, City Wide reached 71.65 after target-market demand +1.4 pts, referral ecosystem +0.6 pts, and labor and staffing friction -0.4 pts. The current model caps total local movement at ±18.0 points. The score is not a percentage, probability, or estimate of investment quality.
Precision and materiality
Calculations use full-precision values. Published scores and factor contributions display one decimal place, while ranks use full precision. Effects smaller than 0.1 points are identified as below the publication threshold rather than presented as a meaningful zero.
Score tiers
Tier 1 · Strongest modeled alignment80.0–100.0
Tier 2 · Favorable modeled alignment72.0–<80.0
Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment64.0–<72.0
Tier 4 · Higher-friction modeled alignment0.0–<64.0
How factor rows are classified
Positive local adjustmentNegative local adjustmentMeasured; no meaningful local adjustmentEffect below the publication thresholdNot applicable to this operating modelDepends on the specific site, territory, or operating conditionNot included in the score
What “best” means here
“Best” means the strongest modeled local operating alignment among the franchise concepts assessed on this page.
Model governance
How this report is calculated and corrected
Calculation controls
- Model designer
- Thomas Jepsen
No concept’s final score is manually raised or lowered after calculation. Before this template is activated, the report is reviewed for source scope, classification, arithmetic, unsupported claims, duplication, and readability.
Model history
- Model 0.9.0-calibration · August 19, 2026Added compiler-derived decision intelligence and observation usage mapping., Changed factor sensitivity and channel counterfactuals to full model reruns., Added data-dependent city content signals while preserving legacy public report fields., and Added model-owned semantic compatibility gates and backward-compatible channel-level evidence attribution.
Corrections policy
Corrected source, geography, or operating-profile evidence triggers a full compiler rerun so every dependent score and visual is recalculated.
Source registry
Evidence represented in this report
Each source identifies its period, scope, and the local metrics it supports. Internal or supplied research is not presented as independently accessible evidence.
- 1QuickFacts: Denver city, Colorado
Used for: Resident population estimate on July 1, 2025, Population change from the April 2020 estimate base to July 2025, Estimated households during the 2020-2024 measurement period, Median housing-cost and household-income measures, and Selected local sales and receipts in 2022
- 2Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Economy at a Glance
Used for: Preliminary total nonfarm employment in June 2026, Preliminary employment in selected industry supersectors in June 2026, and Preliminary unemployment rate in June 2026
- 3Denver's Minimum Wage in 2026: $19.29/hour
Used for: Denver citywide minimum wage effective in 2026 and Denver minimum-wage geographic and work-duration scope
- 4March 2026 High Frequency Update: Downtown Denver Achieves Highest Post-Pandemic Return-to-Office Rate
Used for: Average downtown weekday return-to-office activity in March 2026 and Downtown pedestrian activity relative to March 2019
- 5June 2026 Data Update | A Month of Energy, Events & Summer Activations
Used for: Downtown office vacancy rate at the end of Q2 2026, New downtown businesses reported from January through June 2026, and Year-over-year change in average daily activity on 16th Street in June 2026
- 6Energize Denver Building Performance Policy
Used for: Energize Denver building-size categories and current requirements
- 7Denver's Green Buildings Ordinance
Used for: Green Buildings Ordinance project thresholds and exclusions
- 8Signs
Used for: General permit gates for business signs
- 9Signage Design Review
Used for: Historic, landmark, downtown, campus, and large-facility signage controls
- 10East Colfax Avenue Bus Rapid Transit
Used for: East Colfax BRT construction geography and schedule
- 11Denver Purchasing Division
Used for: City purchasing and solicitation access methods
- 12Bidding Opportunities
Used for: City purchasing and solicitation access methods
- 13Department of General Services
Used for: Facilities and agencies supported by Denver General Services
Before contacting a franchisor
Complete the next layer of due diligence
- Confirm the exact protected territory and neighboring units.
- Review the current Franchise Disclosure Document.
- Validate local staffing, licensing, insurance, and service-base assumptions.
- Obtain location, vehicle, buildout, or working-capital estimates.
- Speak with current and former franchisees.
- Build a candidate-specific financial scenario.
Apply the analysis to your situation
Review how these market findings apply to your budget, role, and proposed territory.
The city score does not include your experience, capital structure, time commitment, financing, or exact territory.
Disclaimer and broker disclosure: This analysis is informational and does not constitute financial, legal, accounting, or investment advice. Market-alignment scores do not predict financial performance or business success. Offers are made only through the delivery of a Franchise Disclosure Document. We may receive referral compensation from participating franchisors; compensation is not an input to the scoring model.