Number of McDonalds in North America in 2024

How many McDonald’s franchises are there in North America in 2023? That question we will answer shortly in this guide. McDonald’s is one of the most popular fast food chains in the world.

For almost 70 years, it has served billions and billions of customers (according to their signage). From their world famous Big Mac to their Hotcakes at breakfast and everything in between, McDonald’s continues to be one of the leaders of the industry. They continue to maintain their popularity despite competitors such as Burger King and In-N-Out being popular options.

Let’s talk about McDonald’s and how many of them there are in North America as of this year.

How many McDonald’s franchises are there in North America?

There are a total of 12 countries in the continent of North America (including parts of Central America and the Caribbean). Here are the following countries and the number of McDonald’s franchises in each one (using the most recent information):

In North America alone, there are 1547 total franchises throughout the continent. The only exception is Cuba, which only has a McDonald’s for US military members based in Guantanamo Bay. There is no franchise accessible to the Cuban people.

Worldwide, McDonalds operates in 119 countries around the world. It’s most recent ‘first McDonald’s’ in a country was in Vietnam when one was opened in Vietnam in 2014.

How many states have a McDonald’s franchise in the United States?

As of 2023, all 50 states and 4 major US territories have at least one McDonald’s franchise. The only states and territories that do not have a McDonald’s are American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Of all of these states and territories, the state of California has the most locations in the country. There are 1188 locations, which is approximately 9 percent of all locations in the country alone.

Texas has 1131 locations, which also accounts for 9 percent of the locations in the United States. Florida is third with 859 locations.

These are the top three due to their population and size. Breaking it down by US cities, Houston has the most locations 129. Chicago has the second most locations in a US city with 109.

San Antonio and Las Vegas are both tied with 74 McDonald’s locations a piece while Los Angeles rounds off the top five with 71 locations. In terms of their competition, McDonald’s shares the same number of states with Subway.

The latter has more than 8000 locations and operates in 1650 more cities compared to McDonalds. Burger King operates in 51 states, which is three states and territories less. They also have lesser numbers across the board including the number of locations and cities they operate in.

What does the future hold for McDonald’s in North America?

McDonald’s is in the process of reorganizing and expanding a large number of its restaurants. They claim that they are not performing this in a cost-cutting manner. They are looking to become more innovative and work-efficient.

One of their intended projects is planning to implement their new drive-thru procedures – which includes the use of a conveyor belt. This has been tested out last year in one location in Fort Worth, Texas. Because the times are slower and there is a shortage of workers, this kind of approach will attempt to reduce the amount of slow times.

While this is experimental, other fast food chains are planning other ways to combat the drive-thru problem. For example, Burger King is exploring the idea of burger locker pickups and triple-drive thrus.

Taco Bell took it one step further to include four lanes in their drive-thru in select locations. Some ideas that have been floating around include digital menu boards and voice ordering powered by artificial intelligence (AI).

These ideas may be in the testing phase at the moment. However, it will take years before they may be finally implemented. The drive-thru experience may improve over the years.

But for now, there may be issues that may arise. In almost all McDonald’s locations, there are two drive thru windows to make the experience a lot easier. This also includes two lanes with two separate ordering stations each with a menu.

What are the best sellers at McDonald’s in North America?

With thousands of locations throughout the continent, it’s worth finding out what the top best seller is at McDonald’s. Topping the list are the French Fries. Following that is the Big Mac, Happy Meal, Egg McMuffin, and the Chicken McNuggets as the top five sellers.

In one survey conducted by Zagat in 2007, 63 percent of consumers stated that McDonald’s french fries were the best tasting. Meanwhile, they obliterated the second and third place vote getters, Burger King and Wendy’s. Both fast food chains garnered 10 percent of the votes apiece.

Of course, the Big Mac is considered another best seller. Considering that it is their flagship burger, it’s no secret that it still gains popularity after more than a half century. Happy Meals continue to sell for kids, considering that the company rolled out ‘Adult Happy Meals’ on a limited time basis last year.

There have also been some unique and interesting additions to the menu. In Canada, there’s a Chicken Big Mac. This includes everything but the beef with two chicken patties as the replacement.

According to one Canada-based chef, it took two years to perfect it. Whether it will be a hit in Canada or a flop remains to be seen. But if Canada seems to like it, will it make its debut in the United States and draw in plenty of customers?

What does the future hold for McDonald’s?

Other than trying out crazy drive-thru ideas and Chicken Big Macs, the future’s looking bright for McDonald’s. Their 2022 sales have increased 10 percent. Plus, they plan on opening 400 more locations in the United States (and an additional 1500 in other parts of the world).

After the COVID-19 pandemic, we are witnessing an economy on the mend. At the same time, we are also witnessing the potential future of the fast food industry in the next decade.

McDonald’s is also continuing to include new additions to the menu. At this point, it has introduced two new chicken sandwiches – the Bacon Ranch McCrispy and the Bacon Ranch Deluxe McCrispy.

There are rumors of a possible expansion to their dessert menu. McDonald’s is in a partnership with Krispy Kreme to unveil donuts in an effort to boost sales. So far, the experiment appears to be pointing in the right direction.

There is no word yet on whether the partnership will be permanent. But it sounds like a Krispy Kreme donut and a Big Mac may go hand-in-hand in the future.

They also plan on doing more celebrity collaborations. Recently, they have collaborated with hip hop artists Cardi B and Offset to create a meal that bears their names. This was released earlier this year.

No word yet on any future celebrity collaborations. Although it won’t be long before the company partner’s with more celebrities to sell different menu combinations.

McDonald’s is also continuing to expand their sustainability efforts. This includes the use of strawless lids for their cold drinks. This is being tested in select markets in the United States.

These lids will have a pull-back tab that will allow people to open and close them. This is designed to help do away with the plastic straws.

Lastly, McDonald’s is planning on rolling out more of its digital and automated services. With its drive thru test in 2022, they may continue to do this at other different locations in the United States. The pandemic witnessed a change in orders.

Before the pandemic, 70 percent of the orders were done through drive-through. Compared to after the pandemic, it accounted for slightly below 90 percent including delivery, takeout, and mobile ordering. Whatever the plans may be, improving customer convenience seems to be on the menu for McDonald’s.

This is in hopes to reduce waiting times both in the drive thru and on-site. Fast food may about to become faster and efficient.

Final Thoughts

The number of McDonald’s in North America is about to grow. With 400 new locations in the United States alone expected, things may look better than ever. The company continues its growing process for the foreseeable future.

However, they continue to build a future of their own. While some of the major changes may be a long way off, the company is keeping a close eye on the numbers. While their sales are growing, they are paying close attention to the other metrics such as the time between orders and when a customer leaves (via drive thru or onsite).