Churn Rate

Filed Under »
Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Churn Rate'

The percentage of subscribers to a service that discontinue their subscription to that service in a given time period. 

In order for a company to expand its clientele, its growth rate (i.e. its number of new customers) must exceed its churn rate.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Churn Rate'

For example, if 1 out of every 20 subscribers to a high-speed Internet connection discontinued his or her connection every year, the churn rate for that Internet provider would be 5%. 

Churn rate is an important consideration in the telephone and cell phone services industry. In many geographical areas, several companies are competing for customers, making it easy for people to transfer from one provider to another.

Related Definitions

  • Burn Rate

    The rate at which a new company uses up its venture capital to finance overhead before generating positive cash flow from operations. In other words, it's a measure of negative cash flow.
    Read More »
  • Churning

    1. An unethical practice employed by some brokers to increase their commissions by excessively trading in a client's account. This practice violates the NASD Fair Practice Rules. It is ...
    Read More »
  • Growth Rates

    The amount of increase that a specific variable has gained within a specific period and context. For investors, this typically represents the compounded annualized rate of growth of a ...
    Read More »

Articles Of Interest

Partner Links