City Publications
The total investment to open a City Publications franchise ranges from $46,300 to $269,900. The initial franchise fee is $89,000. Ongoing royalties are 6%.
What is the City Publications franchise?
City Publications produces local publications for businesses and community audiences, with an estimated initial investment of $46,300 to $269,900. The initial franchise fee is $89,000, according to the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document.
The ongoing royalty is 6 percent of sales. The franchise agreement lasts 5 years.
The company is headquartered in Florida and began franchising in 2002.
Loan Activity Score
31/100
SBA Default Rate
20.0%
Active Lenders
6
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, City Publications has 40 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 6 lenders made 10 loans to franchisees of City Publications. PeerSense calculates City Publications's score as 31 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity. Cost figures are based on the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. To correct a figure, email the current FDD and the differing item numbers to info@peersense.com, and this page will be updated.
40 locations
$46,300 to $269,900
$89,000
40
40 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
LimitedDistinct lenders in public SBA records for City Publications
10
Total SBA loans
$207K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for City Publications
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Growing (10 to 24 loans)
Are lenders increasingly or decreasingly funding this brand? Growing trends score highest.
Blended default rate (recent + all time) compared to NAICS sector peers.
Quality lenders actively backing this brand, with penalty for lender pullback.
FDD availability, Item 19 disclosure, and overall data completeness.
Geographic spread of SBA funded locations across states.
SBA Lending Performance
SBA Default Rate
20.0%
vs 9.9% peer avg
SBA Loans
10
Total Volume
$2.1M
Active Lenders
6
States
6
vs. SBA Sector Average
SBA loan default rate vs. all franchises in the same NAICS sector, not limited to direct competitors
Key Highlights
Franchise Financing Resources
Data Insights
Key performance metrics for City Publications based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
20.0%
10.1% above peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
10 loans
Across 6 lenders
Lender Diversity
6 lenders
Avg 1.7 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Mid range investment
$46,300 to $269,900 total
City Publications: Deep SBA Data
Brand specific metrics derived directly from SBA 7(a) approval records: peak lending year, leading state, average loan size, and lender concentration. PeerSense computes these per brand so capital advisors and prospective franchisees can benchmark this opportunity against the rest of the franchise universe.
Peak SBA Year
2015
3 approvals. The best year on record for City Publications.
Top SBA State
Illinois
3 SBA financed City Publications locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$207K
Median $120K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own City Publications unit.
Lender Concentration
70%
Concentrated
Share of City Publications approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
City Publications's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 2015 (3 approvals). The last five fiscal years account for 20% of cumulative volume ($599K approved). Operator density is highest in Illinois with 3 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $207K, with the median at $120K. Lender mix is concentrated: the top three SBA lenders account for 70% of approvals. Credit decisions concentrate with a small group of incumbents.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$479
Principal & Interest only
Indicative only, as of October 1, 2026. Not a quote, commitment or offer of credit. Final pricing, leverage and terms are determined by the lender at underwriting, after full transaction materials are reviewed. PeerSense sources the file. The lender sets pricing. What these terms mean.
Locations
City Publications, unit breakdown
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Page Review
Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; the capital source sets final terms.
- Edward L. Freeman founded PeerSense in January 2020.
- He is a Registered Franchise Consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a credential issued in March 2022, and worked as a franchise consultant there from March 2022 to May 2023.
- His recorded experience includes a $22 million SBA construction loan, with about $16 million funded on the deal.
- In the 12 months through September 30, 2026, PeerSense tracked 912 publicly announced financings with a disclosed size of $361.32 billion. PeerSense Capital Data Report · Methodology page
Last reviewed LinkedIn profileAbout Edward Freeman