68.8 average across 2 concepts
Local operating-model alignment analysis
Best Franchise Opportunities We Assessed in Springfield, Missouri
We compared 14 franchise concepts for Springfield, Missouri. Professional and institutional relationship density was a leading positive mechanism. Service-base space scarcity was a leading operating constraint.
Evaluation set
Why these concepts were evaluated
This is not a ranking of every franchise that may be offered in the city.
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
0.4 points average among 8 affected concepts
0.9 points average reduction among 8 affected concepts
Tested rank range spans 9 positions
Executive conclusion
What the ranking means for Springfield, Missouri
City Wide, ActionCOACH, and Jan-Pro International produced the highest modeled local-alignment scores in the evaluated set. Professional and institutional relationship density was the strongest positive scored mechanism among 8 exposed concepts, adding 0.4 points on average. Service-base space scarcity was the broadest operating constraint, reducing exposed concepts by 0.9 points on average. FASTSIGNS was especially relationship-sensitive: removing service-base space scarcity moved it from #13 to #7 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.
| Rank | Franchise | Alignment and tier | Largest advantage | Largest constraint | Evidence confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | City WideFacility managementInvestment: $229,729–$410,730 | 71.4Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.9 ptsTarget-market demand | -0.1 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 2 | ActionCOACHBusiness coachingInvestment: $71,668–$303,513 | 70.5Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.6 ptsReferral ecosystem | -0.1 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 3 | Jan-Pro InternationalCommercial cleaningInvestment: $130,000–$421,500 | 70.3Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.6 ptsTarget-market demand | -0.3 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 4 | HomeSmilesProperty maintenance servicesInvestment: $148,110–$201,800 | 69.7Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.5 ptsReferral ecosystem | -0.5 ptsReal estate and site feasibility | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 5 | Pillar To Post Home InspectorsHome inspectionInvestment: $102,690–$134,290 | 69.6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.3 ptsProperty replacement-cycle demand | -0.4 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 6 | Tiger AdjustersPublic insurance adjustingInvestment: $43,050–$159,500 | 69.6Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | No material positive local adjustment | -0.3 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 7 | Mister Sparky ElectricElectrical | 69.2Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.6 ptsProperty replacement-cycle demand | -0.5 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 8 | Workout AnytimeFitnessInvestment: $1,060,850–$1,840,550 | 69.0Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | No material positive local adjustment | -1.0 ptsTerritory quality | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 9 | Aire ServHVAC installation, repair, and maintenanceInvestment: $113,308–$271,708 | 69.0Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.9 ptsProperty replacement-cycle demand | -1.0 ptsReal estate and site feasibility | Moderate evidence confidence |
| 10 | Rainbow International RestorationRestorationInvestment: $185,336–$351,900 | 68.9Tier 3 · Mixed modeled alignment | +0.4 ptsReferral ecosystem | -1.0 ptsReal estate and site feasibility | Moderate evidence confidence |
Conditions that changed the analysis
What mattered most in Springfield, Missouri
Large university and healthcare institutions create a meaningful local professional referral base
This relationship affected 8 concepts and added 0.4 points on average among those exposed. Local evidence: Education and health services nonfarm employment in June 2026: 50,900 jobs. [8] [10]
Very low industrial vacancy creates service-base search friction despite active small-footprint listings
This relationship affected 8 concepts and reduced 0.9 points on average among those exposed. Local evidence: Active industrial lease listings on Crexi as of April 2026: active spaces: 43; median asking rate per sqft per year usd: 8; median sqft per listing: 4,860; median days on market: 204 mixed listing metrics. [6] [2]
44 percent of Springfield housing structures were built between 1950 and 1970 and 21 percent were rated fair to worse in the 2023 housing study
The age-and-condition profile supports repair and system-replacement demand, but it does not prove that every building retains original plumbing, HVAC or electrical systems. The City also found wider condition variation in Zone 1, while historic-designation and mapped-karst conditions create separate location-specific diligence needs. The citywide age metric should therefore be treated as a demand signal with submarket and property-level complexity rather than as uniform replacement need. [5] [2] [25] [19]
Evidence behind the city mechanisms
Large 1950-1970 housing cohort and measured condition issues support replacement-cycle demand1 modeled effect
Large Springfield-anchored healthcare system and current pediatric expansion support institutional service demand1 modeled effect
Very low industrial vacancy creates service-base search friction despite active small-footprint listings1 modeled effect
Large university and healthcare institutions create a meaningful local professional referral base1 modeled effect
Housing condition, historic-review requirements and transportation disruption vary materially by Springfield submarket1 modeled effect
Historic-designated properties require exterior design review before a building permit can issue1 modeled effect
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.
City Wide
Initial investment: $229,729–$410,730
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 |
| +0.9 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.7 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +1.44 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.9 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Effect below the publication threshold |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.7 |
| Territory quality | -0.1 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 71.44 |
| Published local-market alignment | 71.4 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.9 pts
- Tested rank range
- #1–#1
ActionCOACH
Initial investment: $71,668–$303,513
Rank sensitivity: Stable
Why it ranks here
Score-changing local factors only. Evidence links open the underlying city finding.
| Local factor | Modeled drivers | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.6 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.1 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.53 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| 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 | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.6 |
| Territory quality | -0.1 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.53 |
| 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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Referral ecosystem +0.6 pts
- Tested rank range
- #2–#3
Jan-Pro International
Initial investment: $130,000–$421,500
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 |
| +0.6 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.3 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.2 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.2 pts |
| Net local movement | +0.28 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.6 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.2 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.2 |
| Territory quality | -0.3 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 70.28 |
| Published local-market alignment | 70.3 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Target-market demand +0.6 pts
- Tested rank range
- #2–#3
HomeSmiles
Initial investment: $148,110–$201,800
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 |
| +0.5 pts |
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -0.5 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +0.3 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | -0.27 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| 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 | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.1 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -0.5 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.5 |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.73 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.7 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Referral ecosystem +0.5 pts
- Tested rank range
- #4–#6
Pillar To Post Home Inspectors
Initial investment: $102,690–$134,290
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Territory quality |
| -0.4 pts |
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.3 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.3 pts |
| Net local movement | -0.39 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.3 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.3 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | -0.4 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.61 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.6 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Territory quality -0.4 pts
- Tested rank range
- #4–#11
Tiger Adjusters
Initial investment: $43,050–$159,500
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Territory quality |
| -0.3 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | -0.42 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| 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 | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.1 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | -0.3 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.58 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.6 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Territory quality -0.3 pts
- Tested rank range
- #5–#13
Mister Sparky Electric
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.6 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -0.5 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | -0.83 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 mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.6 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.4 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -0.5 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.17 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.2 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Property replacement-cycle demand +0.6 pts
- Tested rank range
- #7–#10
Workout Anytime
Initial investment: $1,060,850–$1,840,550
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Territory quality |
| -1.0 pts |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Signage and prototype adaptation burden EvidenceConditional — applicability must be confirmed | Not scored |
| Net local movement | -0.99 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| 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 | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | -1.0 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 69.01 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.0 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Territory quality -1.0 pts
- Tested rank range
- #6–#14
Aire Serv
Initial investment: $113,308–$271,708
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -1.0 pts |
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.9 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.5 pts |
| Net local movement | -1.04 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.9 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.5 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -1.0 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.96 |
| Published local-market alignment | 69.0 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Adequate
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Real estate and site feasibility -1.0 pts
- Tested rank range
- #5–#14
Rainbow International Restoration
Initial investment: $185,336–$351,900
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -1.0 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.4 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.3 pts |
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.2 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +0.1 pts |
| Net local movement | -1.08 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.1 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.2 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.3 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -1.0 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.4 |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.92 |
| 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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Real estate and site feasibility -1.0 pts
- Tested rank range
- #6–#13
Mr. Rooter
Initial investment: $152,900–$298,675
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -0.7 pts |
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.6 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.5 pts |
| Net local movement | -1.14 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.6 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.5 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -0.7 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | Not included in the score |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.86 |
| 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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Real estate and site feasibility -0.7 pts
- Tested rank range
- #10–#12
ZOOM DRAIN
Initial investment: $266,250–$570,500
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -1.1 pts |
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.6 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.6 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.4 pts |
| Net local movement | -1.16 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.6 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.6 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -1.1 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.4 |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.84 |
| Published local-market alignment | 68.8 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Real estate and site feasibility -1.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #8–#13
FASTSIGNS
Initial investment: $231,226–$386,285
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -1.1 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.6 pts |
| Target-market demand |
| +0.3 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.3 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.1 pts |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Signage and prototype adaptation burden EvidenceConditional — applicability must be confirmed | Not scored |
| Net local movement | -1.17 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| 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 | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.1 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -1.1 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.3 |
| Territory quality | -0.6 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.83 |
| Published local-market alignment | 68.8 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Real estate and site feasibility -1.1 pts
- Tested rank range
- #7–#14
PuroClean
Initial investment: $54,575–$262,145
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Real estate and site feasibility |
| -1.0 pts |
| Territory quality |
| -0.5 pts |
| Referral ecosystem |
| +0.5 pts |
| Transportation, routing, and parking |
| -0.4 pts |
| Property replacement-cycle demand |
| +0.2 pts |
| Net local movement | -1.29 pts | |
Net uses full-precision effects; displayed factor and driver rows are rounded.
Franchise evidence
Source material assessed
Full calculation and evidence confidence
Audit layer
Full factor ledger
Full score ledger
Every factor is classified so a displayed zero is not mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | +0.2 |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | -0.4 |
| Real estate and site feasibility | -1.0 |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.5 |
| Territory quality | -0.5 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 68.71 |
| Published local-market alignment | 68.7 |
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
- Adequate
- Franchise-profile completeness
- Limited
- Source-evidence confidence
- Strong
- Geographic applicability
- Limited
- Overall evidence confidence
- Moderate evidence confidence
- Largest absolute effect
- Real estate and site feasibility -1.0 pts
- Tested rank range
- #9–#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 mistaken for a score-changing effect.
| Neutral model baseline | 70.0 |
|---|---|
| Target-market demand | +0.9 |
| Property replacement-cycle demand | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Competitive environment | Not included in the score |
| Labor and staffing friction | Measured; no meaningful local adjustment |
| Transportation, routing, and parking | Effect below the publication threshold |
| Real estate and site feasibility | Not applicable to this operating model |
| Sales and customer acquisition | Not included in the score |
| Referral ecosystem | +0.7 |
| Territory quality | -0.1 |
| Regulatory and operating friction | Depends on the specific site, territory, or operating condition |
| Full-precision calculated score | 71.44 |
| Published local-market alignment | 71.4 |
Factor calculations use full precision. Contributions and published scores are displayed to one decimal place; ranking order uses the full-precision score.
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.
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 6 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 8 concepts changed position. HomeSmiles moved from #4 to #6, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
What we observed
- Education And Health Services Nonfarm Employment In June 202650,900 jobs
- Coxhealth Regional System Scale Anchored By Springfield Facilitiesemployees more than: 14,000; hospitals: 6; clinics more than: 100; annual clinic visits approx: 2,000,000; annual surgeries more than: 41,000 mixed counts
- St. Louis Children's At Coxhealth Pediatric Hospital Opened In Springfield And A Specialty Center Is Plannedpediatric hospital status: opened march 2026; planned specialty center sqft: 133,000; planned specialty center opening: summer 2027 mixed status and square feet
Concepts helped most
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 7 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 10 concepts changed position. Aire Serv moved from #9 to #14, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
What we observed
- Housing Structures Built Between 1950 And 197044 percent of housing structures
- Housing Structures Rated Fair To Worse In 2023 Windshield Survey21 percent of housing structures
- Housing Structures In City Council Zone 1 Have A Broader Range Of Conditions Than The Citywide Stockbroader range of conditions categorical
Concepts helped most
Transportation, routing, and parking
We recalculated route-dependent models after accounting for travel corridors, parking, and the number of productive stops they require.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 11 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 9 concepts changed position. Mr. Rooter moved from #11 to #9, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
What we observed
- Current August 2026 Forward 44 Ramp Closures And Detoursglenstone eastbound offramp closure start: 2026-08-16; glenstone closure duration up to days: 24; kansas expressway eastbound onramp closed: 2026-08-10 to 2026-08-24; signed detours: yes; awarded project cost usd: 70,700,000 mixed dates days boolean usd
- Forward 44 Springfield Corridor Upgrade Is Under Constructioncorridor: I-44 between Missouri Route 13/Kansas Expressway and U.S. Route 65; work: widen to six lanes and replace Broadway, Grant, and National bridges; construction period: 2025-2027; scheduled completion: 2027-05 project status
Concepts challenged most
Real estate and site feasibility
We applied site and operating-base constraints only to concepts requiring comparable storefront, production, warehouse, or fleet space.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 8 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 9 concepts changed position. FASTSIGNS moved from #13 to #7, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
What we observed
- Active Industrial Lease Listings On Crexi As Of April 2026active spaces: 43; median asking rate per sqft per year usd: 8; median sqft per listing: 4,860; median days on market: 204 mixed listing metrics
- Springfield Industrial Inventory And Vacancy In Nar Q4 2025 Market Data Reported By Crexiinventory sqft: 50,304,413; vacancy rate percent: 1.6; net absorption 12mo sqft: 618,206; net deliveries 12mo sqft: 594,069 mixed square feet and percent
Concepts challenged most
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.
What we observed
- Education And Health Services Nonfarm Employment In June 202650,900 jobs
- Missouri State University Springfield Campus Fall 2025 Enrollment25,238 students
- Missouri State University Springfield Campus Employees2,932 employees
Concepts helped most
Territory quality
We measured whether the territory structure could support the required customer density, service radius, and operating model.
Why concepts react differently
We applied a measurable adjustment to 14 of 14 concepts. When we neutralized the factor and recalculated the table, 9 concepts changed position. Workout Anytime moved from #8 to #6, the largest movement among concepts directly affected by this factor.
What we observed
- Current August 2026 Forward 44 Ramp Closures And Detoursglenstone eastbound offramp closure start: 2026-08-16; glenstone closure duration up to days: 24; kansas expressway eastbound onramp closed: 2026-08-10 to 2026-08-24; signed detours: yes; awarded project cost usd: 70,700,000 mixed dates days boolean usd
- Exterior Work On Historic Designated Properties Requires A Certificate Of Appropriateness Before A Building Permit Can Issueadministrative review typical days: 1 to 2; landmarks board review typical days from filing deadline to hearing: 15; building permit requires prior coa approval: yes mixed days and boolean
- Springfield And Greene County Are In Karst Terrain With Mapped Sinkhole Featuresgreene county established sinkholes city guidance: well over 2000; statewide identified sinkholes approx: 16,000; current state gis contains known and probable sinkholes: yes mixed counts and boolean
Concepts challenged most
- Competitive environmentNo material score adjustment
- Labor and staffing frictionNo material score adjustment
- Sales and customer acquisitionNo 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.
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.
View the chart data as a table
| Concept | Target-market demand | Property replacement-cycle demand | Transportation, routing, and parking | Real estate and site feasibility | Referral ecosystem | Territory quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 City Wide | +0.9 pts | — | — | — | +0.7 pts | -0.1 pts |
| #2 ActionCOACH | +0.1 pts | — | — | — | +0.6 pts | -0.1 pts |
| #3 Jan-Pro International | +0.6 pts | — | -0.2 pts | — | +0.2 pts | -0.3 pts |
| #4 HomeSmiles | +0.3 pts | — | -0.1 pts | -0.5 pts | +0.5 pts | -0.5 pts |
| #5 Pillar To Post Home Inspectors | — | +0.3 pts | -0.3 pts | — | — | -0.4 pts |
| #6 Tiger Adjusters | — | — | -0.1 pts | — | — | -0.3 pts |
| #7 Mister Sparky Electric | — | +0.6 pts | -0.4 pts | -0.5 pts | — | -0.5 pts |
| #8 Workout Anytime | — | — | — | — | — | -1.0 pts |
| #9 Aire Serv | — | +0.9 pts | -0.5 pts | -1.0 pts | — | -0.5 pts |
| #10 Rainbow International Restoration | +0.1 pts | +0.2 pts | -0.3 pts | -1.0 pts | +0.4 pts | -0.5 pts |
| #11 Mr. Rooter | — | +0.6 pts | -0.5 pts | -0.7 pts | — | -0.5 pts |
| #12 ZOOM DRAIN | — | +0.6 pts | -0.6 pts | -1.1 pts | +0.4 pts | -0.5 pts |
| #13 FASTSIGNS | +0.3 pts | — | -0.1 pts | -1.1 pts | +0.3 pts | -0.6 pts |
| #14 PuroClean | — | +0.2 pts | -0.4 pts | -1.0 pts | +0.5 pts | -0.5 pts |
Interpretation
How to interpret the result
City Wide, ActionCOACH, Jan-Pro International led because their operating requirements captured more of the local support from referral ecosystem while remaining less exposed to real estate and site feasibility. 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 Pillar To Post Home Inspectors, Tiger Adjusters, Workout Anytime; their ranks move more widely when individual factors are neutralized.
Local evidence assessed for modeling
Category comparisons
Best franchise categories we assessed in Springfield, Missouri
Category summaries are shown only when at least two concepts qualified. Two-concept comparisons are explicitly labeled as limited.
Best Restoration franchise opportunities we assessed in Springfield, Missouri
2 Restoration concepts qualified for comparison, with scores ranging from 68.7 to 68.9. Rainbow International Restoration ranked highest at 68.9. Referral ecosystem added 0.5 points on average among the affected concepts. Real estate and site feasibility 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
- 68.7–68.9
- Category average
- 68.8
Metric registry
The 26 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 | 169,847people | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS-derived QuickFacts fields; 2022 economic statistics | Springfield, Missouri | Context only | [4] |
| Population change from April 2020 estimate base to July 2025 | 0.4percent | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS-derived QuickFacts fields; 2022 economic statistics | Springfield, Missouri | Context only | [4] |
| Households in 2020-2024 QuickFacts period | 78,824households | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS-derived QuickFacts fields; 2022 economic statistics | Springfield, Missouri | Context only | [4] |
| Median household income and persons in poverty | median household income 2024 dollars: 49,311; persons in poverty percent: 18.4mixed usd and percent | July 1, 2025 population estimate; 2020-2024 ACS-derived QuickFacts fields; 2022 economic statistics | Springfield, Missouri | Context only | [4] |
| Missouri State University Springfield campus fall 2025 enrollment | 25,238students | Fall 2025 enrollment and employment; FY2025 funding | Missouri State University Springfield campus | Used in scoring | [9] |
| Missouri State University Springfield campus employees | 2,932employees | Fall 2025 enrollment and employment; FY2025 funding | Missouri State University Springfield campus | Used in scoring | [9] |
| CoxHealth regional system scale anchored by Springfield facilities | employees more than: 14,000; hospitals: 6; clinics more than: 100; annual clinic visits approx: 2,000,000; annual surgeries more than: 41,000mixed counts | Current system facts accessed August 2026 | CoxHealth 25-county regional system with Springfield hospital campuses | Used in scoring | [10] |
| St. Louis Children's at CoxHealth pediatric hospital opened in Springfield and a specialty center is planned | pediatric hospital status: opened march 2026; planned specialty center sqft: 133,000; planned specialty center opening: summer 2027mixed status and square feet | Pediatric hospital opened March 2026; 133,000-square-foot specialty center planned for summer 2027 | CoxHealth Springfield campus | Used in scoring | [11] |
| Housing structures built between 1950 and 1970 | 44percent of housing structures | 2023 windshield survey of nearly 48,000 housing structures and 2010-2020 demographic context | Springfield, Missouri | Used in scoring | [5] [2] |
| Housing structures rated fair to worse in 2023 windshield survey | 21percent of housing structures | 2023 windshield survey of nearly 48,000 housing structures and 2010-2020 demographic context | Springfield, Missouri | Used in scoring | [5] [2] |
| Housing structures in City Council Zone 1 have a broader range of conditions than the citywide stock | broader range of conditionscategorical | 2023 windshield survey of nearly 48,000 housing structures and 2010-2020 demographic context | Zone 1, northwest Springfield | Used in scoring | [5] |
| Springfield industrial inventory and vacancy in NAR Q4 2025 market data reported by Crexi | inventory sqft: 50,304,413; vacancy rate percent: 1.6; net absorption 12mo sqft: 618,206; net deliveries 12mo sqft: 594,069mixed square feet and percent | NAR Commercial Metro Market Reports Q4 2025 and Crexi Insights as of April 2026 | Springfield, Missouri industrial market | Used in scoring | [6] [2] |
| Active industrial lease listings on Crexi as of April 2026 | active spaces: 43; median asking rate per sqft per year usd: 8; median sqft per listing: 4,860; median days on market: 204mixed listing metrics | NAR Commercial Metro Market Reports Q4 2025 and Crexi Insights as of April 2026 | Springfield, Missouri industrial listings on Crexi | Used in scoring | [6] |
| Springfield MSA mean hourly wage versus U.S. mean hourly wage | springfield msa mean hourly usd: 27.12; united states mean hourly usd: 33.54usd per hour | May 2025 | Springfield, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area | Context only | [7] |
| Selected Springfield MSA major occupational-group mean hourly wages | food preparation and serving usd per hour: 16.52; building and grounds cleaning and maintenance usd per hour: 17.96; transportation and material moving usd per hour: 22.43usd per hour | May 2025 | Springfield, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area | Context only | [7] |
| Springfield MSA unemployment rate in June 2026 | 3.6percent | Labor force and nonfarm employment through June 2026; May 2026 values preliminary where marked | Springfield, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area | Context only | [8] |
| Education and health services nonfarm employment in June 2026 | 50,900jobs | Labor force and nonfarm employment through June 2026; May 2026 values preliminary where marked | Springfield, MO Metropolitan Statistical Area | Used in scoring | [8] |
| Forward 44 Springfield corridor upgrade is under construction | corridor: I-44 between Missouri Route 13/Kansas Expressway and U.S. Route 65; work: widen to six lanes and replace Broadway, Grant, and National bridges; construction period: 2025-2027; scheduled completion: 2027-05project status | Construction in progress 2025-2027 | I-44 northern Springfield corridor | Used in scoring | [12] |
| Current August 2026 Forward 44 ramp closures and detours | glenstone eastbound offramp closure start: 2026-08-16; glenstone closure duration up to days: 24; kansas expressway eastbound onramp closed: 2026-08-10 to 2026-08-24; signed detours: yes; awarded project cost usd: 70,700,000mixed dates days boolean usd | Closure beginning August 16, 2026 for up to 24 days within Forward 44 construction | I-44 at Glenstone Avenue and Kansas Expressway, Springfield | Used in scoring | [13] [14] |
| Springfield sanitary sewer rates effective July 1, 2026 | monthly customer charge usd: 26.27; volume charge usd per ccf: 3.11; bod5 charge usd per pound industrial: 0.402; tss charge usd per pound industrial: 0.17; ammonia excess charge usd per pound: 1; phosphorus excess charge usd per pound: 4mixed utility rates | Rates effective July 1, 2023 through July 1, 2026; 2026 rates approved March 2026 | City of Springfield sanitary sewer customers | Context only | [16] [1] |
| Sewer impact and extension cost recovery fees for new or expanded connections | impact fee by meter usd: 0.625 or 0.75 inch: 300, 1 inch: 500, 1.5 inch: 1,000, 2 inch: 1,600, 3 inch: 3,000, 4 inch: 5,000, 6 inch: 10,000, 8 inch: 16,000, additional values omitted; secr additional meter fee usd: 6,700; secr cap usd: 8,300; trunkline connection fee: site specific by drainage basin and property areamixed usd and site specific formula | Current fees accessed August 2026 | New or expanded sewer users and applicable connection areas in Springfield | Context only | [17] [18] [1] |
| Exterior work on historic-designated properties requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit can issue | administrative review typical days: 1 to 2; landmarks board review typical days from filing deadline to hearing: 15; building permit requires prior coa approval: yesmixed days and boolean | Current official process document hosted by the City; document is longstanding and should be rechecked before site diligence | Locally historic-designated properties and historic districts in Springfield | Used in scoring | [19] [20] [3] |
| Advertising signs are prohibited in Springfield public rights-of-way and private-property signs are separately regulated | public row advertising prohibited: yes; private property signs regulated under section: 36-454rule status | Current rules accessed August 2026 | Springfield, Missouri | Conditional relationship | [21] [3] |
| Businesses generally must obtain a Springfield business license at least two weeks before beginning business | lead time minimum weeks: 2; commercial location zoning approval: yes; industry specific requirements possible: yesmixed weeks and boolean | Current business-license requirements accessed August 2026 | Springfield, Missouri | Context only | [22] |
| Springfield and Greene County are in karst terrain with mapped sinkhole features | greene county established sinkholes city guidance: well over 2000; statewide identified sinkholes approx: 16,000; current state gis contains known and probable sinkholes: yesmixed counts and boolean | Longstanding City guidance; current official hosting accessed August 2026 | Springfield and Greene County, Missouri | Used in scoring | [24] [25] [26] [2] |
| Springfield maintains an open bid-posting process for consultants, service providers, contractors, vendors and suppliers | public bid portal: yes; prospective bidders responsible for monitoring postings: yesprocess status | Current procurement opportunities and procedures accessed August 2026 | City of Springfield procurement | Context only | [23] |
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 whose applicability is established at the report’s current geographic and operating scope.
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 71.44 after target-market demand +0.9 pts, referral ecosystem +0.7 pts, and territory quality -0.1 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
How factor rows are classified
“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 claims or metrics it supports. Internal or supplied research is clearly distinguished from publicly accessible evidence.
- 1Structural Constraint and Jurisdictional Risk AuditInternal or supplied research; not publicly accessible.
Used for: Springfield sanitary sewer rates effective July 1, 2026 and Sewer impact and extension cost recovery fees for new or expanded connections
- 2Utility Delta Audit: Structural Inefficiencies and Asymmetric Opportunities in Local U.S. MarketsInternal or supplied research; not publicly accessible.
Used for: Housing structures built between 1950 and 1970, Housing structures rated fair to worse in 2023 windshield survey, Springfield industrial inventory and vacancy in NAR Q4 2025 market data reported by Crexi, and Springfield and Greene County are in karst terrain with mapped sinkhole features
- 3Franchise data - remake - Springfield, Missouri neighborhood recordsInternal or supplied research; not publicly accessible.
Used for: Exterior work on historic-designated properties requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit can issue and Advertising signs are prohibited in Springfield public rights-of-way and private-property signs are separately regulated
- 4QuickFacts: Springfield city, Missouri
Used for: Resident population estimate on July 1, 2025, Population change from April 2020 estimate base to July 2025, Households in 2020-2024 QuickFacts period, and Median household income and persons in poverty
- 5City of Springfield releases results of housing study
Used for: Housing structures built between 1950 and 1970, Housing structures rated fair to worse in 2023 windshield survey, and Housing structures in City Council Zone 1 have a broader range of conditions than the citywide stock
- 6The Springfield Commercial Real Estate Market
Used for: Springfield industrial inventory and vacancy in NAR Q4 2025 market data reported by Crexi and Active industrial lease listings on Crexi as of April 2026
- 7Occupational Employment and Wages in Springfield — May 2025
Used for: Springfield MSA mean hourly wage versus U.S. mean hourly wage and Selected Springfield MSA major occupational-group mean hourly wages
- 8Springfield, MO Economy at a Glance
Used for: Springfield MSA unemployment rate in June 2026 and Education and health services nonfarm employment in June 2026
- 9Missouri State By The Numbers
Used for: Missouri State University Springfield campus fall 2025 enrollment and Missouri State University Springfield campus employees
- 10About CoxHealth
Used for: CoxHealth regional system scale anchored by Springfield facilities
- 11St. Louis Children's at CoxHealth Opens Pediatric Hospital in Springfield
Used for: St. Louis Children's at CoxHealth pediatric hospital opened in Springfield and a specialty center is planned
- 12Forward 44: Springfield Improvements
Used for: Forward 44 Springfield corridor upgrade is under construction
- 13MoDOT Traffic Alert: Eastbound I-44 Off-Ramp to Glenstone Avenue Closed in Springfield
Used for: Current August 2026 Forward 44 ramp closures and detours
- 14MoDOT Traffic Alert: Kansas Expressway to Eastbound I-44 On-Ramp Closed
Used for: Current August 2026 Forward 44 ramp closures and detours
- 15
- 16Sewer Fees and Rates
Used for: Springfield sanitary sewer rates effective July 1, 2026
- 17Sewer Fees for Developers
Used for: Sewer impact and extension cost recovery fees for new or expanded connections
- 18Guide to Constructing Public Improvements
Used for: Sewer impact and extension cost recovery fees for new or expanded connections
- 19Certificate of Appropriateness
Used for: Exterior work on historic-designated properties requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit can issue
- 20Application for Certificate of Appropriateness
Used for: Exterior work on historic-designated properties requires a Certificate of Appropriateness before a building permit can issue
- 21Sign Guidelines
Used for: Advertising signs are prohibited in Springfield public rights-of-way and private-property signs are separately regulated
- 22Business Licensing
Used for: Businesses generally must obtain a Springfield business license at least two weeks before beginning business
- 23Bid Postings
Used for: Springfield maintains an open bid-posting process for consultants, service providers, contractors, vendors and suppliers
- 24Sinkholes in the Ozarks
Used for: Springfield and Greene County are in karst terrain with mapped sinkhole features
- 25Sinkholes
Used for: Springfield and Greene County are in karst terrain with mapped sinkhole features
- 26geology/sinkholes MapServer
Used for: Springfield and Greene County are in karst terrain with mapped sinkhole features
- 27
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.















































































