21st Annual Franchise 500 Our annual ranking of America's best franchise opportunities

Within this Web site and within the pages of the January 2000 edition of Entrepreneur Magazine, you will find Entrepreneur's 21st Annual Franchise 500®.

The initial Entrepreneur Franchise 500® in 1980 was the first ranking of franchises in the industry. Though we've since noticed a smattering of imitators, Entrepreneur's Franchise 500® remains the most comprehensive rating of franchises in the world. Over the years, we've polished and perfected our ranking procedure, giving us a formula that accurately identifies today's top franchise opportunities for you.

Only franchise companies that submitted complete Uniform Franchise Offering Circulars (UFOCs) or Alberta, Canada, disclosure documents were eligible to receive a listing in the magazine or Web site. And only those companies that have a U.S. or Alberta, Canada, disclosure document and whose information Entrepreneur verified from the disclosure documents were eligible for ranking-giving us the top 500 franchises.