SBA Lending by Metro Area
How much SBA 7(a) lending reached each US metropolitan area in fiscal year 2025, measured against its number of employer establishments: approvals per 1,000 employer establishments. Raw loan totals mostly tell you which metros are biggest; this rate shows where the programme is used more or less heavily relative to the number of business locations with paid employees. Every figure is computed from SBA’s loan-level file and Census establishment counts, and the metro, county and micropolitan tables are downloadable.
Fiscal year 2025 approvals (1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025) from SBA’s 7(a) FOIA loan-level file, snapshot 30 June 2026; employer establishments from Census County Business Patterns 2023; metro areas as defined by OMB in July 2023. 50 states and DC; cancelled approvals excluded.
Where SBA lending runs heavy — and light — relative to local employer establishments
SBA publishes loans by state and county. It does not publish how intensively each metro area uses the programme relative to its number of employer establishments, how typical loan sizes differ between metros, or how a metro compares with the rest of its state on the same measure. Those are the figures below.
Highest and lowest lending intensity
The ten highest and ten lowest rates among the 97 metro areas with 100 or more FY2025 approvals. Tied rates share a rank, marked “=”. Metro areas with fewer approvals are not ranked, because a handful of loans can move their rate a long way.
Find a metro area
Ranked metro areas are shown by default. Tick the box to add the 149 metro areas with 25 to 99 approvals, which are listed without a rank. The remaining 141 metro areas, with fewer than 25 approvals, are in the download.
| 1 | St. George UT | 110 | $40.2m | $150,000 | 7,191 | 15.30 | 40.0% | 41.8% |
| 2 | Canton-Massillon OH | 131 | $43.3m | $100,000 | 8,645 | 15.15 | 22.1% | 48.9% |
| 3 | Columbus OH | 643 | $247.8m | $117,000 | 46,419 | 13.85 | 36.5% | 36.7% |
| 4 | Boise City ID | 331 | $145.7m | $150,000 | 23,933 | 13.83 | 36.9% | 38.7% |
| 5 | Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | 242 | $111.7m | $200,000 | 17,856 | 13.55 | 35.1% | 35.5% |
| 6 | Youngstown-Warren OH | 122 | $35.4m | $73,450 | 9,191 | 13.27 | 12.3% | 45.9% |
| 7 | Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh NY | 236 | $97.7m | $150,000 | 18,144 | 13.01 | 20.8% | 39.4% |
| 8 | Springfield MO | 161 | $99.8m | $237,800 | 12,384 | 13.00 | 29.8% | 17.4% |
| 9 | Akron OH | 211 | $94.0m | $149,000 | 16,360 | 12.90 | 32.7% | 37.9% |
| 10 | Rochester NY | 293 | $59.8m | $55,000 | 23,916 | 12.25 | 38.2% | 70.0% |
| 11 | Manchester-Nashua NH | 135 | $52.8m | $130,000 | 11,028 | 12.24 | 31.1% | 63.7% |
| 12 | Ogden UT | 185 | $71.0m | $150,000 | 15,407 | 12.01 | 34.1% | 25.9% |
| 13 | Salt Lake City-Murray UT | 438 | $239.1m | $159,500 | 36,919 | 11.86 | 34.9% | 31.7% |
| 14 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | 1,081 | $590.6m | $250,000 | 91,522 | 11.81 | 33.6% | 27.2% |
| 15 | Colorado Springs CO | 231 | $118.7m | $193,100 | 19,676 | 11.74 | 40.3% | 32.0% |
| 16 | Cleveland OH | 598 | $213.2m | $115,000 | 51,450 | 11.62 | 31.8% | 40.3% |
| 17 | Toledo OH | 145 | $45.1m | $85,000 | 13,068 | 11.10 | 29.7% | 30.3% |
| 18 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN, WI | 1,101 | $453.9m | $150,000 | 99,443 | 11.07 | 34.1% | 41.8% |
| 19 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood MI | 301 | $112.8m | $120,000 | 27,591 | 10.91 | 27.2% | 41.9% |
| 20 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga NY | 286 | $79.9m | $98,000 | 26,972 | 10.60 | 44.4% | 59.1% |
| 21 | Cincinnati OH, KY, IN | 500 | $230.2m | $150,000 | 48,255 | 10.36 | 33.6% | 40.0% |
| 22 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn MI | 1,028 | $447.6m | $150,000 | 102,430 | 10.04 | 28.6% | 32.8% |
| 23 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek OH | 164 | $77.3m | $150,000 | 16,372 | 10.02 | 31.7% | 32.3% |
| 24 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA, NH | 1,337 | $401.0m | $100,000 | 133,807 | 9.99 | 26.8% | 58.8% |
| 25 | Boulder CO | 129 | $71.2m | $205,000 | 12,990 | 9.93 | 36.4% | 24.0% |
| 26 | Providence-Warwick RI, MA | 417 | $125.2m | $100,000 | 42,304 | 9.86 | 28.1% | 59.5% |
| 27 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood IN | 502 | $216.1m | $150,000 | 51,076 | 9.83 | 28.9% | 33.9% |
| 28 | Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | 532 | $246.4m | $167,500 | 54,202 | 9.82 | 33.5% | 32.5% |
| 29 | Portland-South Portland ME | 187 | $45.0m | $90,000 | 19,167 | 9.76 | 47.6% | 63.6% |
| 30 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | 640 | $423.9m | $300,000 | 66,280 | 9.66 | 41.4% | 18.8% |
| 31= | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | 1,808 | $1.26bn | $306,000 | 189,739 | 9.53 | 37.4% | 19.4% |
| 31= | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario CA | 846 | $392.2m | $150,000 | 88,815 | 9.53 | 26.8% | 33.9% |
| 33 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | 1,032 | $554.7m | $156,250 | 110,685 | 9.32 | 27.7% | 42.8% |
| 34 | Spokane-Spokane Valley WA | 143 | $64.0m | $150,000 | 15,369 | 9.30 | 22.4% | 39.9% |
| 35 | Fort Collins-Loveland CO | 109 | $82.8m | $350,000 | 11,764 | 9.27 | 31.2% | 17.4% |
| 36 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | 511 | $249.8m | $182,700 | 55,974 | 9.13 | 26.0% | 29.4% |
| 37= | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | 1,033 | $594.6m | $281,000 | 114,586 | 9.02 | 33.3% | 25.5% |
| 37= | Worcester MA | 173 | $70.1m | $150,000 | 19,181 | 9.02 | 30.1% | 46.2% |
| 39 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | 241 | $83.4m | $148,000 | 26,896 | 8.96 | 36.5% | 52.7% |
| 40 | Port St. Lucie FL | 122 | $81.6m | $210,000 | 13,692 | 8.91 | 26.2% | 29.5% |
| 41 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | 831 | $420.5m | $175,000 | 93,407 | 8.90 | 22.3% | 29.2% |
| 42 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford CT | 249 | $95.6m | $116,100 | 28,131 | 8.85 | 27.7% | 56.2% |
| 43 | Reno NV | 132 | $69.7m | $189,500 | 15,232 | 8.67 | 38.6% | 33.3% |
| 44 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | 1,920 | $904.9m | $190,000 | 222,388 | 8.63 | 21.3% | 34.9% |
| 45 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | 1,399 | $913.1m | $330,000 | 163,103 | 8.58 | 36.5% | 14.5% |
| 46 | New Haven CT | 118 | $57.4m | $105,000 | 13,779 | 8.56 | 30.5% | 54.2% |
| 47 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR, WA | 623 | $292.6m | $150,000 | 72,943 | 8.54 | 23.9% | 40.9% |
| 48 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | 587 | $201.8m | $150,000 | 68,827 | 8.53 | 38.3% | 42.9% |
| 49 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA, NJ, DE, MD | 1,311 | $658.7m | $167,500 | 153,791 | 8.52 | 37.5% | 42.4% |
| 50 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre PA | 110 | $43.8m | $122,500 | 13,043 | 8.43 | 30.9% | 35.5% |
| 51 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | 1,364 | $878.2m | $234,850 | 162,055 | 8.42 | 36.2% | 22.8% |
| 52 | Milwaukee-Waukesha WI | 329 | $171.8m | $232,000 | 39,486 | 8.33 | 31.3% | 24.9% |
| 53 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL, IN | 2,052 | $972.7m | $159,250 | 248,519 | 8.26 | 27.0% | 29.2% |
| 54= | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC, SC | 589 | $362.7m | $260,100 | 71,411 | 8.25 | 40.7% | 25.0% |
| 54= | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | 128 | $68.6m | $286,500 | 15,510 | 8.25 | 30.5% | 27.3% |
| 56= | New York-Newark-Jersey City NY, NJ | 4,597 | $1.81bn | $150,000 | 562,802 | 8.17 | 21.2% | 45.4% |
| 56= | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | 222 | $163.7m | $383,500 | 27,165 | 8.17 | 38.7% | 22.1% |
| 58 | Syracuse NY | 116 | $35.5m | $77,500 | 14,587 | 7.95 | 43.1% | 59.5% |
| 59 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | 182 | $85.3m | $200,000 | 22,992 | 7.92 | 21.4% | 27.5% |
| 60 | Charleston-North Charleston SC | 180 | $100.2m | $311,050 | 22,892 | 7.86 | 35.6% | 18.9% |
| 61 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | 609 | $332.5m | $248,000 | 77,951 | 7.81 | 29.7% | 22.0% |
| 62 | Santa Rosa-Petaluma CA | 113 | $54.4m | $250,000 | 14,572 | 7.75 | 12.4% | 23.9% |
| 63 | Bakersfield-Delano CA | 111 | $81.3m | $250,000 | 14,352 | 7.73 | 24.3% | 19.8% |
| 64 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA, NJ | 143 | $70.3m | $200,000 | 18,701 | 7.65 | 37.8% | 34.3% |
| 65 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | 3,140 | $1.66bn | $247,000 | 411,949 | 7.62 | 20.2% | 23.5% |
| 66 | Des Moines-West Des Moines IA | 144 | $57.6m | $150,000 | 18,946 | 7.60 | 44.4% | 38.2% |
| 67 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater FL | 693 | $373.9m | $285,000 | 91,335 | 7.59 | 33.5% | 25.7% |
| 68 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC, VA, MD, WV | 1,206 | $516.6m | $176,650 | 159,002 | 7.58 | 37.2% | 35.3% |
| 69= | Fresno CA | 162 | $94.8m | $318,550 | 21,510 | 7.53 | 27.8% | 19.1% |
| 69= | San Antonio-New Braunfels TX | 392 | $246.8m | $259,750 | 52,088 | 7.53 | 39.3% | 18.1% |
| 71 | Tucson AZ | 159 | $68.4m | $232,100 | 21,381 | 7.44 | 34.6% | 25.2% |
| 72 | Kansas City MO, KS | 408 | $231.0m | $250,000 | 55,104 | 7.40 | 40.2% | 24.3% |
| 73 | Raleigh-Cary NC | 290 | $178.6m | $300,000 | 39,252 | 7.39 | 46.9% | 19.0% |
| 74 | Jacksonville FL | 324 | $190.4m | $256,750 | 44,152 | 7.34 | 39.2% | 22.5% |
| 75 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin TN | 372 | $209.2m | $207,050 | 50,910 | 7.31 | 37.9% | 23.4% |
| 76 | Cape Coral-Fort Myers FL | 159 | $125.6m | $317,300 | 22,756 | 6.99 | 25.8% | 22.0% |
| 77 | Pittsburgh PA | 429 | $177.7m | $150,000 | 61,628 | 6.96 | 31.5% | 30.1% |
| 78 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer SC | 156 | $86.5m | $237,500 | 22,892 | 6.81 | 45.5% | 34.6% |
| 79 | Louisville/Jefferson County KY, IN | 214 | $113.7m | $225,000 | 31,628 | 6.77 | 28.0% | 36.0% |
| 80 | Knoxville TN | 131 | $55.1m | $200,000 | 19,652 | 6.67 | 31.3% | 22.1% |
| 81 | Omaha NE, IA | 167 | $81.6m | $200,000 | 25,290 | 6.60 | 38.3% | 36.5% |
| 82 | Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach FL | 111 | $63.4m | $227,000 | 17,065 | 6.50 | 32.4% | 34.2% |
| 83 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy NY | 138 | $54.7m | $124,750 | 21,425 | 6.44 | 37.0% | 47.1% |
| 84 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | 320 | $170.2m | $225,000 | 50,322 | 6.36 | 28.1% | 25.6% |
| 85 | Madison WI | 113 | $53.7m | $281,700 | 17,791 | 6.35 | 41.6% | 25.7% |
| 86 | Albuquerque NM | 121 | $79.4m | $282,000 | 19,444 | 6.22 | 33.9% | 21.5% |
| 87 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | 815 | $410.9m | $230,000 | 133,246 | 6.12 | 29.3% | 26.5% |
| 88 | Birmingham AL | 164 | $89.2m | $250,000 | 27,200 | 6.03 | 34.8% | 13.4% |
| 89 | Urban Honolulu HI | 122 | $24.8m | $50,000 | 20,890 | 5.84 | 44.3% | 54.9% |
| 90 | St. Louis MO, IL | 403 | $231.9m | $250,000 | 69,470 | 5.80 | 26.3% | 27.8% |
| 91= | Columbia SC | 105 | $55.3m | $150,000 | 18,855 | 5.57 | 37.1% | 26.7% |
| 91= | Richmond VA | 187 | $105.9m | $215,000 | 33,589 | 5.57 | 39.6% | 27.3% |
| 93 | New Orleans-Metairie LA | 138 | $69.2m | $200,000 | 25,133 | 5.49 | 28.3% | 14.5% |
| 94 | Oklahoma City OK | 194 | $111.2m | $255,600 | 37,835 | 5.13 | 36.6% | 25.3% |
| 95 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk VA, NC | 195 | $127.3m | $250,000 | 39,669 | 4.92 | 41.0% | 19.5% |
| 96 | Tulsa OK | 123 | $67.2m | $250,000 | 25,565 | 4.81 | 38.2% | 22.0% |
| 97 | Memphis TN, MS, AR | 111 | $80.8m | $325,000 | 26,131 | 4.25 | 34.2% | 8.1% |
| Unranked | Idaho Falls ID | 79 | $14.8m | $54,400 | 4,992 | 15.83 | 44.3% | 46.8% |
| Unranked | Monroe MI | 30 | $12.4m | $175,000 | 2,395 | 12.53 | 20.0% | 30.0% |
| Unranked | Pueblo CO | 39 | $18.6m | $100,000 | 3,250 | 12.00 | 46.2% | 35.9% |
| Unranked | Medford OR | 77 | $27.4m | $51,700 | 6,589 | 11.69 | 20.8% | 58.4% |
| Unranked | Pocatello ID | 27 | $6.5m | $135,000 | 2,353 | 11.47 | 59.3% | 29.6% |
| Unranked | Battle Creek MI | 28 | $14.4m | $225,000 | 2,482 | 11.28 | 35.7% | 28.6% |
| Unranked | Coeur d'Alene ID | 69 | $36.9m | $190,000 | 6,221 | 11.09 | 46.4% | 27.5% |
| Unranked | Eau Claire WI | 48 | $28.4m | $200,000 | 4,413 | 10.88 | 39.6% | 39.6% |
| Unranked | Logan UT, ID | 49 | $15.1m | $135,000 | 4,512 | 10.86 | 44.9% | 32.7% |
| Unranked | Barnstable Town MA | 94 | $23.5m | $50,000 | 8,957 | 10.49 | 22.3% | 55.3% |
| Unranked | Joplin MO, KS | 45 | $20.7m | $188,500 | 4,404 | 10.22 | 37.8% | 17.8% |
| Unranked | Williamsport PA | 28 | $7.5m | $150,000 | 2,744 | 10.20 | 35.7% | 46.4% |
| Unranked | Yakima WA | 51 | $24.3m | $100,000 | 5,010 | 10.18 | 21.6% | 60.8% |
| Unranked | Flint MI | 78 | $29.0m | $109,050 | 7,733 | 10.09 | 37.2% | 29.5% |
| Unranked | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | 67 | $51.7m | $260,000 | 6,656 | 10.07 | 19.4% | 29.9% |
| Unranked | York-Hanover PA | 89 | $33.8m | $100,000 | 8,840 | 10.07 | 44.9% | 44.9% |
| Unranked | Albany OR | 28 | $10.1m | $71,100 | 2,846 | 9.84 | 21.4% | 50.0% |
| Unranked | Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal SC | 67 | $42.0m | $272,300 | 6,925 | 9.68 | 37.3% | 26.9% |
| Unranked | Kennewick-Richland WA | 66 | $27.5m | $146,150 | 6,928 | 9.53 | 24.2% | 53.0% |
| Unranked | Burlington-South Burlington VT | 66 | $28.4m | $52,500 | 6,936 | 9.52 | 30.3% | 59.1% |
| Unranked | Amherst Town-Northampton MA | 33 | $6.5m | $50,000 | 3,491 | 9.45 | 36.4% | 48.5% |
| Unranked | Kenosha WI | 32 | $15.5m | $150,000 | 3,403 | 9.40 | 50.0% | 34.4% |
| Unranked | Sioux Falls SD, MN | 86 | $37.2m | $125,650 | 9,170 | 9.38 | 46.5% | 40.7% |
| Unranked | Jackson MI | 28 | $15.7m | $203,050 | 2,991 | 9.36 | 21.4% | 35.7% |
| Unranked | Waterbury-Shelton CT | 85 | $33.9m | $100,000 | 9,114 | 9.33 | 18.8% | 58.8% |
| Unranked | Bend OR | 90 | $35.1m | $130,000 | 9,663 | 9.31 | 31.1% | 36.7% |
| Unranked | St. Cloud MN | 50 | $23.2m | $207,500 | 5,449 | 9.18 | 32.0% | 26.0% |
| Unranked | Lake Havasu City-Kingman AZ | 39 | $15.6m | $100,000 | 4,305 | 9.06 | 30.8% | 43.6% |
| Unranked | Lansing-East Lansing MI | 88 | $41.5m | $179,000 | 9,748 | 9.03 | 36.4% | 29.5% |
| Unranked | Morgantown WV | 27 | $7.3m | $100,000 | 2,990 | 9.03 | 51.9% | 48.1% |
| Unranked | Salem OR | 97 | $36.5m | $61,000 | 10,763 | 9.01 | 14.4% | 52.6% |
| Unranked | Yuba City CA | 28 | $17.4m | $252,250 | 3,158 | 8.87 | 17.9% | 35.7% |
| Unranked | Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard WA | 55 | $22.9m | $120,000 | 6,272 | 8.77 | 29.1% | 47.3% |
| Unranked | Eugene-Springfield OR | 89 | $43.7m | $85,000 | 10,151 | 8.77 | 23.6% | 53.9% |
| Unranked | Hagerstown-Martinsburg MD, WV | 48 | $36.4m | $150,000 | 5,508 | 8.71 | 47.9% | 41.7% |
| Unranked | Reading PA | 74 | $39.3m | $150,000 | 8,521 | 8.68 | 31.1% | 31.1% |
| Unranked | Dover DE | 43 | $7.3m | $51,000 | 4,971 | 8.65 | 32.6% | 60.5% |
| Unranked | Utica-Rome NY | 50 | $13.7m | $50,000 | 5,837 | 8.57 | 34.0% | 66.0% |
| Unranked | Ann Arbor MI | 71 | $29.0m | $185,000 | 8,322 | 8.53 | 40.8% | 33.8% |
| Unranked | Greeley CO | 63 | $45.3m | $358,200 | 7,454 | 8.45 | 31.7% | 22.2% |
| Unranked | Fargo ND, MN | 61 | $32.0m | $200,000 | 7,294 | 8.36 | 42.6% | 50.8% |
| Unranked | Springfield MA | 78 | $23.2m | $96,500 | 9,339 | 8.35 | 34.6% | 57.7% |
| Unranked | Traverse City MI | 43 | $10.4m | $100,000 | 5,172 | 8.31 | 27.9% | 27.9% |
| Unranked | Punta Gorda FL | 38 | $28.0m | $424,350 | 4,601 | 8.26 | 26.3% | 10.5% |
| Unranked | Racine-Mount Pleasant WI | 34 | $25.1m | $243,750 | 4,114 | 8.26 | 26.5% | 38.2% |
| Unranked | Redding CA | 37 | $23.0m | $180,000 | 4,508 | 8.21 | 21.6% | 35.1% |
| Unranked | Mount Vernon-Anacortes WA | 30 | $22.1m | $200,000 | 3,670 | 8.17 | 40.0% | 43.3% |
| Unranked | Bellingham WA | 58 | $28.0m | $185,750 | 7,146 | 8.12 | 36.2% | 43.1% |
| Unranked | Columbia MO | 43 | $18.2m | $151,100 | 5,312 | 8.09 | 44.2% | 20.9% |
| Unranked | Trenton-Princeton NJ | 78 | $37.1m | $244,100 | 9,683 | 8.06 | 35.9% | 46.2% |
| Unranked | Atlantic City-Hammonton NJ | 79 | $50.8m | $250,000 | 10,008 | 7.89 | 29.1% | 44.3% |
| Unranked | Grand Junction CO | 38 | $21.9m | $225,250 | 4,827 | 7.87 | 21.1% | 13.2% |
| Unranked | Clarksville TN, KY | 40 | $17.3m | $197,500 | 5,129 | 7.80 | 47.5% | 22.5% |
| Unranked | Odessa TX | 31 | $26.4m | $274,500 | 3,994 | 7.76 | 22.6% | 19.4% |
| Unranked | Cheyenne WY | 28 | $19.8m | $172,650 | 3,625 | 7.72 | 28.6% | 32.1% |
| Unranked | Kingston NY | 39 | $15.9m | $144,000 | 5,065 | 7.70 | 30.8% | 38.5% |
| Unranked | Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor FL | 37 | $23.5m | $258,000 | 4,820 | 7.68 | 24.3% | 27.0% |
| Unranked | Springfield IL | 39 | $12.0m | $132,800 | 5,132 | 7.60 | 35.9% | 25.6% |
| Unranked | Gainesville GA | 38 | $39.8m | $483,850 | 5,181 | 7.33 | 42.1% | 5.3% |
| Unranked | Saginaw MI | 30 | $12.0m | $150,000 | 4,092 | 7.33 | 36.7% | 23.3% |
| Unranked | Norwich-New London-Willimantic CT | 43 | $12.5m | $108,000 | 5,883 | 7.31 | 34.9% | 55.8% |
| Unranked | Wilmington NC | 97 | $77.6m | $350,000 | 13,302 | 7.29 | 37.1% | 18.6% |
| Unranked | Vallejo CA | 56 | $22.1m | $175,000 | 7,755 | 7.22 | 25.0% | 33.9% |
| Unranked | Wenatchee-East Wenatchee WA | 26 | $9.7m | $75,000 | 3,636 | 7.15 | 53.8% | 50.0% |
| Unranked | Twin Falls ID | 26 | $9.5m | $196,750 | 3,660 | 7.10 | 26.9% | 42.3% |
| Unranked | Killeen-Temple TX | 51 | $40.3m | $330,000 | 7,200 | 7.08 | 49.0% | 15.7% |
| Unranked | Lafayette-West Lafayette IN | 32 | $9.9m | $137,850 | 4,577 | 6.99 | 18.8% | 43.8% |
| Unranked | Stockton-Lodi CA | 95 | $62.5m | $350,000 | 13,638 | 6.97 | 31.6% | 22.1% |
| Unranked | Binghamton NY | 33 | $5.0m | $60,000 | 4,744 | 6.96 | 42.4% | 45.5% |
| Unranked | Green Bay WI | 55 | $25.4m | $250,000 | 7,968 | 6.90 | 43.6% | 25.5% |
| Unranked | Prescott Valley-Prescott AZ | 45 | $33.5m | $300,000 | 6,559 | 6.86 | 28.9% | 11.1% |
| Unranked | Las Cruces NM | 26 | $9.1m | $150,000 | 3,798 | 6.85 | 23.1% | 30.8% |
| Unranked | Jackson MS | 96 | $57.0m | $231,950 | 14,359 | 6.69 | 42.7% | 6.2% |
| Unranked | South Bend-Mishawaka IN, MI | 45 | $22.6m | $150,000 | 6,736 | 6.68 | 40.0% | 33.3% |
| Unranked | Lakeland-Winter Haven FL | 93 | $49.3m | $250,000 | 13,992 | 6.65 | 33.3% | 24.7% |
| Unranked | Modesto CA | 66 | $41.4m | $250,000 | 10,013 | 6.59 | 27.3% | 28.8% |
| Unranked | Durham-Chapel Hill NC | 93 | $73.3m | $350,000 | 14,217 | 6.54 | 47.3% | 15.1% |
| Unranked | La Crosse-Onalaska WI, MN | 27 | $20.0m | $300,000 | 4,231 | 6.38 | 44.4% | 29.6% |
| Unranked | San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles CA | 57 | $31.7m | $300,000 | 8,962 | 6.36 | 28.1% | 22.8% |
| Unranked | Savannah GA | 69 | $55.5m | $305,000 | 10,891 | 6.34 | 39.1% | 13.0% |
| Unranked | Tyler TX | 40 | $26.5m | $268,000 | 6,356 | 6.29 | 45.0% | 22.5% |
| Unranked | Spartanburg SC | 49 | $32.5m | $315,000 | 7,817 | 6.27 | 38.8% | 22.4% |
| Unranked | Fort Wayne IN | 69 | $27.8m | $150,000 | 11,053 | 6.24 | 42.0% | 33.3% |
| Unranked | Napa CA | 28 | $9.5m | $150,000 | 4,486 | 6.24 | 25.0% | 32.1% |
| Unranked | Lincoln NE | 59 | $18.0m | $175,000 | 9,484 | 6.22 | 28.8% | 35.6% |
| Unranked | Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent FL | 69 | $55.3m | $226,500 | 11,092 | 6.22 | 49.3% | 17.4% |
| Unranked | Kalamazoo-Portage MI | 35 | $17.3m | $125,000 | 5,704 | 6.14 | 28.6% | 37.1% |
| Unranked | Winston-Salem NC | 88 | $73.7m | $300,000 | 14,336 | 6.14 | 40.9% | 18.2% |
| Unranked | Lancaster PA | 84 | $50.3m | $150,000 | 13,776 | 6.10 | 35.7% | 38.1% |
| Unranked | Wichita KS | 93 | $45.8m | $255,800 | 15,367 | 6.05 | 38.7% | 18.3% |
| Unranked | Slidell-Mandeville-Covington LA | 42 | $29.2m | $264,100 | 7,101 | 5.91 | 31.0% | 21.4% |
| Unranked | McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | 79 | $30.6m | $122,400 | 13,393 | 5.90 | 43.0% | 25.3% |
| Unranked | Topeka KS | 29 | $12.4m | $250,000 | 4,927 | 5.89 | 31.0% | 37.9% |
| Unranked | Santa Fe NM | 29 | $11.5m | $250,000 | 4,976 | 5.83 | 37.9% | 27.6% |
| Unranked | Lubbock TX | 51 | $27.8m | $200,000 | 8,844 | 5.77 | 33.3% | 13.7% |
| Unranked | Salinas CA | 53 | $32.4m | $261,800 | 9,212 | 5.75 | 24.5% | 20.8% |
| Unranked | Bozeman MT | 39 | $23.5m | $150,000 | 6,828 | 5.71 | 23.1% | 30.8% |
| Unranked | Naples-Marco Island FL | 83 | $47.9m | $250,000 | 14,541 | 5.71 | 22.9% | 34.9% |
| Unranked | Rockford IL | 41 | $26.8m | $200,000 | 7,176 | 5.71 | 39.0% | 26.8% |
| Unranked | College Station-Bryan TX | 32 | $18.1m | $190,500 | 5,631 | 5.68 | 40.6% | 12.5% |
| Unranked | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | 70 | $45.8m | $187,500 | 12,484 | 5.61 | 24.3% | 24.3% |
| Unranked | Harrisburg-Carlisle PA | 80 | $37.9m | $150,000 | 14,274 | 5.60 | 38.8% | 43.8% |
| Unranked | Ocala FL | 47 | $20.8m | $200,000 | 8,389 | 5.60 | 40.4% | 19.1% |
| Unranked | Visalia CA | 40 | $31.0m | $349,200 | 7,189 | 5.56 | 27.5% | 30.0% |
| Unranked | Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | 39 | $24.2m | $336,000 | 7,136 | 5.47 | 20.5% | 15.4% |
| Unranked | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley AL | 35 | $23.3m | $300,000 | 6,409 | 5.46 | 48.6% | 5.7% |
| Unranked | Billings MT | 37 | $22.8m | $294,100 | 6,797 | 5.44 | 37.8% | 10.8% |
| Unranked | Appleton WI | 34 | $21.8m | $260,750 | 6,272 | 5.42 | 26.5% | 35.3% |
| Unranked | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach SC | 57 | $42.9m | $350,000 | 10,550 | 5.40 | 40.4% | 26.3% |
| Unranked | Waco TX | 35 | $31.6m | $500,000 | 6,481 | 5.40 | 48.6% | 11.4% |
| Unranked | Duluth MN, WI | 38 | $22.2m | $226,700 | 7,066 | 5.38 | 39.5% | 31.6% |
| Unranked | Evansville IN | 37 | $20.4m | $225,000 | 6,910 | 5.35 | 29.7% | 43.2% |
| Unranked | Rochester MN | 28 | $26.8m | $368,500 | 5,314 | 5.27 | 25.0% | 35.7% |
| Unranked | Mobile AL | 47 | $25.6m | $158,000 | 8,960 | 5.25 | 31.9% | 19.1% |
| Unranked | Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin FL | 49 | $30.4m | $350,000 | 9,359 | 5.24 | 18.4% | 6.1% |
| Unranked | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR | 75 | $44.9m | $311,000 | 14,311 | 5.24 | 57.3% | 14.7% |
| Unranked | Huntsville AL | 57 | $26.5m | $218,000 | 10,924 | 5.22 | 50.9% | 21.1% |
| Unranked | Athens-Clarke County GA | 28 | $18.4m | $396,850 | 5,372 | 5.21 | 67.9% | 14.3% |
| Unranked | Kahului-Wailuku HI | 26 | $6.2m | $84,650 | 5,000 | 5.20 | 26.9% | 23.1% |
| Unranked | Asheville NC | 69 | $36.4m | $300,000 | 13,350 | 5.17 | 36.2% | 21.7% |
| Unranked | Cedar Rapids IA | 35 | $16.8m | $250,000 | 6,793 | 5.15 | 40.0% | 17.1% |
| Unranked | Midland TX | 32 | $28.2m | $473,800 | 6,228 | 5.14 | 34.4% | 9.4% |
| Unranked | Longview TX | 35 | $27.0m | $376,000 | 6,852 | 5.11 | 28.6% | 14.3% |
| Unranked | Gainesville FL | 40 | $26.5m | $480,500 | 7,902 | 5.06 | 40.0% | 15.0% |
| Unranked | Panama City-Panama City Beach FL | 29 | $20.8m | $315,000 | 5,751 | 5.04 | 37.9% | 13.8% |
| Unranked | Amarillo TX | 33 | $14.9m | $150,000 | 6,630 | 4.98 | 27.3% | 12.1% |
| Unranked | Augusta-Richmond County GA, SC | 57 | $51.4m | $350,000 | 11,640 | 4.90 | 40.4% | 15.8% |
| Unranked | Lexington-Fayette KY | 66 | $32.5m | $196,450 | 13,490 | 4.89 | 28.8% | 34.8% |
| Unranked | Charlottesville VA | 30 | $13.2m | $150,000 | 6,209 | 4.83 | 26.7% | 43.3% |
| Unranked | Anchorage AK | 56 | $44.1m | $455,000 | 11,621 | 4.82 | 28.6% | 19.6% |
| Unranked | Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton NC | 38 | $33.9m | $687,000 | 7,901 | 4.81 | 39.5% | 21.1% |
| Unranked | Greensboro-High Point NC | 89 | $57.1m | $340,000 | 18,589 | 4.79 | 36.0% | 18.0% |
| Unranked | Tallahassee FL | 46 | $37.5m | $248,950 | 9,695 | 4.74 | 41.3% | 13.0% |
| Unranked | Kingsport-Bristol TN, VA | 28 | $17.0m | $259,650 | 6,020 | 4.65 | 60.7% | 25.0% |
| Unranked | Chattanooga TN, GA | 58 | $55.1m | $343,900 | 12,621 | 4.60 | 46.6% | 19.0% |
| Unranked | Shreveport-Bossier City LA | 42 | $22.9m | $243,850 | 9,193 | 4.57 | 47.6% | 16.7% |
| Unranked | Columbus GA, AL | 28 | $15.7m | $341,050 | 6,158 | 4.55 | 53.6% | 10.7% |
| Unranked | Fayetteville NC | 29 | $22.7m | $250,000 | 6,438 | 4.50 | 31.0% | 6.9% |
| Unranked | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway AR | 86 | $59.0m | $228,750 | 19,170 | 4.49 | 39.5% | 26.7% |
| Unranked | Lafayette LA | 53 | $43.5m | $270,000 | 11,874 | 4.46 | 28.3% | 5.7% |
| Unranked | Baton Rouge LA | 87 | $39.3m | $250,000 | 19,589 | 4.44 | 39.1% | 17.2% |
| Unranked | Huntington-Ashland WV, KY, OH | 31 | $11.5m | $100,000 | 7,018 | 4.42 | 35.5% | 35.5% |
| Unranked | El Paso TX | 71 | $33.1m | $225,000 | 16,311 | 4.35 | 39.4% | 31.0% |
| Unranked | Gulfport-Biloxi MS | 33 | $22.8m | $425,500 | 7,882 | 4.19 | 48.5% | 9.1% |
| Unranked | Davenport-Moline-Rock Island IA, IL | 35 | $20.1m | $160,000 | 8,812 | 3.97 | 22.9% | 25.7% |
| Unranked | Corpus Christi TX | 37 | $38.6m | $258,000 | 9,852 | 3.76 | 35.1% | 8.1% |
| Unranked | Peoria IL | 30 | $22.3m | $189,500 | 8,084 | 3.71 | 16.7% | 30.0% |
| Unranked | Beaumont-Port Arthur TX | 29 | $22.0m | $436,000 | 7,915 | 3.66 | 37.9% | 13.8% |
| Unranked | Roanoke VA | 25 | $25.0m | $400,000 | 8,368 | 2.99 | 40.0% | 20.0% |
How each metro compares with the rest of its state
The 80 ranked metro areas that sit within a single state, against their state’s own rate computed the same way — approvals per 1,000 employer establishments across all of the state’s counties. Metro areas that cross state lines are left out, because no single state is the right comparison.
| Springfield | Missouri | 13.00 | 6.74 | 1.93× |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh | New York | 13.01 | 7.88 | 1.65× |
| Des Moines-West Des Moines | Iowa | 7.60 | 4.63 | 1.64× |
| Rochester | New York | 12.25 | 7.88 | 1.55× |
| Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood | Indiana | 9.83 | 6.73 | 1.46× |
| Canton-Massillon | Ohio | 15.15 | 11.19 | 1.35× |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga | New York | 10.60 | 7.88 | 1.35× |
| Birmingham | Alabama | 6.03 | 4.53 | 1.33× |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | Tennessee | 7.31 | 5.56 | 1.31× |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | Texas | 9.66 | 7.65 | 1.26× |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | California | 9.53 | 7.57 | 1.26× |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | Wisconsin | 8.33 | 6.64 | 1.25× |
| Charleston-North Charleston | South Carolina | 7.86 | 6.28 | 1.25× |
| New Orleans-Metairie | Louisiana | 5.49 | 4.39 | 1.25× |
| St. George | Utah | 15.30 | 12.25 | 1.25× |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | Texas | 9.53 | 7.65 | 1.24× |
| Columbus | Ohio | 13.85 | 11.19 | 1.24× |
| Portland-South Portland | Maine | 9.76 | 7.91 | 1.23× |
| Raleigh-Cary | North Carolina | 7.39 | 6.07 | 1.22× |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | California | 9.13 | 7.57 | 1.21× |
| Knoxville | Tennessee | 6.67 | 5.56 | 1.20× |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | Georgia | 8.58 | 7.17 | 1.20× |
| Youngstown-Warren | Ohio | 13.27 | 11.19 | 1.19× |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | California | 8.90 | 7.57 | 1.18× |
| Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood | Michigan | 10.91 | 9.30 | 1.17× |
| Port St. Lucie | Florida | 8.91 | 7.62 | 1.17× |
| Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 5.13 | 4.42 | 1.16× |
| Scranton--Wilkes-Barre | Pennsylvania | 8.43 | 7.31 | 1.15× |
| Akron | Ohio | 12.90 | 11.19 | 1.15× |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial | Colorado | 11.81 | 10.37 | 1.14× |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | Florida | 8.63 | 7.62 | 1.13× |
| Colorado Springs | Colorado | 11.74 | 10.37 | 1.13× |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi | Utah | 13.55 | 12.25 | 1.11× |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | Texas | 8.42 | 7.65 | 1.10× |
| Tulsa | Oklahoma | 4.81 | 4.42 | 1.09× |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer | South Carolina | 6.81 | 6.28 | 1.08× |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville | Florida | 8.25 | 7.62 | 1.08× |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | Michigan | 10.04 | 9.30 | 1.08× |
| Boise City | Idaho | 13.83 | 12.82 | 1.08× |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota | Florida | 8.17 | 7.62 | 1.07× |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler | Arizona | 9.02 | 8.45 | 1.07× |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | California | 7.92 | 7.57 | 1.05× |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas | Nevada | 9.82 | 9.40 | 1.04× |
| Cleveland | Ohio | 11.62 | 11.19 | 1.04× |
| Urban Honolulu | Hawaii | 5.84 | 5.68 | 1.03× |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford | Florida | 7.81 | 7.62 | 1.03× |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | California | 7.75 | 7.57 | 1.02× |
| Bakersfield-Delano | California | 7.73 | 7.57 | 1.02× |
| Albuquerque | New Mexico | 6.22 | 6.11 | 1.02× |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson | Maryland | 8.53 | 8.44 | 1.01× |
| Syracuse | New York | 7.95 | 7.88 | 1.01× |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | California | 7.62 | 7.57 | 1.01× |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater | Florida | 7.59 | 7.62 | 1.00× |
| Fresno | California | 7.53 | 7.57 | 1.00× |
| Toledo | Ohio | 11.10 | 11.19 | 0.99× |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue | Washington | 9.32 | 9.43 | 0.99× |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley | Washington | 9.30 | 9.43 | 0.99× |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury | Connecticut | 8.96 | 9.10 | 0.98× |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | Texas | 7.53 | 7.65 | 0.98× |
| Richmond | Virginia | 5.57 | 5.68 | 0.98× |
| Ogden | Utah | 12.01 | 12.25 | 0.98× |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford | Connecticut | 8.85 | 9.10 | 0.97× |
| Salt Lake City-Murray | Utah | 11.86 | 12.25 | 0.97× |
| Jacksonville | Florida | 7.34 | 7.62 | 0.96× |
| Worcester | Massachusetts | 9.02 | 9.38 | 0.96× |
| Boulder | Colorado | 9.93 | 10.37 | 0.96× |
| Madison | Wisconsin | 6.35 | 6.64 | 0.96× |
| Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 6.96 | 7.31 | 0.95× |
| New Haven | Connecticut | 8.56 | 9.10 | 0.94× |
| Reno | Nevada | 8.67 | 9.40 | 0.92× |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | Florida | 6.99 | 7.62 | 0.92× |
| Manchester-Nashua | New Hampshire | 12.24 | 13.40 | 0.91× |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek | Ohio | 10.02 | 11.19 | 0.90× |
| Fort Collins-Loveland | Colorado | 9.27 | 10.37 | 0.89× |
| Columbia | South Carolina | 5.57 | 6.28 | 0.89× |
| Tucson | Arizona | 7.44 | 8.45 | 0.88× |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach | Florida | 6.50 | 7.62 | 0.85× |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | California | 6.36 | 7.57 | 0.84× |
| Albany-Schenectady-Troy | New York | 6.44 | 7.88 | 0.82× |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | California | 6.12 | 7.57 | 0.81× |
Metro vs. nonmetro SBA lending
For each state, the share of SBA 7(a) approvals that went to metropolitan areas compared with the share of the state’s employer establishments located there. A positive gap means metro areas received a larger share of approvals than their share of business locations. States that are entirely metropolitan show no gap.
| South Dakota | 144 | 75.7% | 51.2% | +24.5 |
| Iowa | 383 | 74.9% | 59.4% | +15.5 |
| Kansas | 414 | 80.2% | 67.4% | +12.8 |
| Nebraska | 287 | 74.9% | 62.4% | +12.6 |
| North Dakota | 109 | 68.8% | 57.1% | +11.7 |
| Kentucky | 486 | 78.6% | 67.5% | +11.1 |
| Mississippi | 277 | 60.3% | 50.2% | +10.1 |
| Minnesota | 1,399 | 87.1% | 77.1% | +10.0 |
| Wyoming | 108 | 37.0% | 28.4% | +8.6 |
| Indiana | 1,042 | 87.8% | 79.3% | +8.5 |
| Wisconsin | 956 | 82.2% | 74.3% | +7.9 |
| Maine | 339 | 68.7% | 61.3% | +7.5 |
| Illinois | 2,298 | 96.0% | 88.7% | +7.3 |
| North Carolina | 1,560 | 88.6% | 81.4% | +7.2 |
| South Carolina | 767 | 95.7% | 88.6% | +7.1 |
| Oklahoma | 423 | 77.8% | 70.7% | +7.0 |
| Montana | 217 | 64.1% | 57.4% | +6.6 |
| Alaska | 86 | 70.9% | 64.6% | +6.4 |
| Colorado | 1,881 | 89.8% | 83.5% | +6.4 |
| Tennessee | 829 | 87.7% | 81.9% | +5.8 |
| Ohio | 2,842 | 89.0% | 83.7% | +5.3 |
| Georgia | 1,865 | 91.4% | 86.2% | +5.2 |
| Virginia | 1,191 | 94.9% | 89.9% | +5.0 |
| Missouri | 1,016 | 82.1% | 77.4% | +4.7 |
| Texas | 5,123 | 95.2% | 90.8% | +4.4 |
| Louisiana | 474 | 91.1% | 87.2% | +4.0 |
| Vermont | 176 | 37.5% | 33.8% | +3.7 |
| Michigan | 2,112 | 87.3% | 83.6% | +3.6 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,237 | 90.6% | 87.4% | +3.2 |
| Alabama | 476 | 83.8% | 80.7% | +3.1 |
| Utah | 1,161 | 87.7% | 86.0% | +1.7 |
| Connecticut | 805 | 96.2% | 94.7% | +1.5 |
| Arizona | 1,367 | 98.0% | 96.6% | +1.4 |
| New Mexico | 271 | 70.5% | 69.2% | +1.3 |
| Nevada | 720 | 94.3% | 93.2% | +1.1 |
| Florida | 4,907 | 98.8% | 97.7% | +1.1 |
| Idaho | 738 | 75.2% | 74.3% | +0.9 |
| Massachusetts | 1,716 | 98.4% | 97.7% | +0.6 |
| Hawaii | 185 | 80.0% | 79.5% | +0.5 |
| New York | 4,257 | 95.0% | 94.5% | +0.5 |
| California | 7,779 | 98.5% | 98.1% | +0.4 |
| Maryland | 1,200 | 94.7% | 94.4% | +0.3 |
| District of Columbia | 147 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +0.0 |
| New Jersey | 2,261 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +0.0 |
| Rhode Island | 284 | 100.0% | 100.0% | +0.0 |
| West Virginia | 173 | 61.8% | 62.6% | -0.8 |
| Washington | 1,897 | 89.7% | 90.6% | -0.9 |
| New Hampshire | 519 | 60.3% | 62.0% | -1.7 |
| Arkansas | 333 | 63.7% | 65.5% | -1.9 |
| Oregon | 1,075 | 83.0% | 85.8% | -2.9 |
| Delaware | 223 | 71.7% | 78.1% | -6.3 |
What these numbers cannot tell you
- Lender footprint, not just demand. A metro’s rate reflects both how many businesses sought SBA loans and how actively lenders there use the programme. In 13 of the 97 ranked metro areas, a single lender made 40% or more of the approvals; 4 of the 10 metro areas ranked in the top ten are markets where one lender made more than half. A high or low rank is not a measure of credit availability or borrower demand on its own.
- Rankings move from year to year. Among metros with 100+ approvals in both years, 5 of the 10 highest rates in FY2024 were still in the top ten in FY2025. Read each rank as describing FY2025 only, not as a permanent trait of the metro area.
- Establishments are not businesses or firms. An employer establishment is a single location with paid employees; one firm can have many, and businesses without employees are not counted. A startup financed in FY2025 may not yet appear in the 2023 counts.
- Nothing about approval odds. The SBA file contains approvals only — no applications, no declines.
- 7(a) is one programme. It excludes 504 loans, microloans, conventional bank lending and every private lender.
- Location is where SBA records the project. Loans are placed by the project county SBA recorded, not the borrower’s mailing address or the lender’s location.
- Association, never cause. Differences between metros are measured differences; nothing here explains why they exist.
The full tables
Every column, every area, with geographic codes, the fiscal year, source vintages and whether each row is ranking-eligible. Counties and micropolitan areas are included as supporting data; they are not ranked.
- Metropolitan areas, FY2025 (CSV) · 387 rows · ranks for the 97 ranking-eligible metros
- Counties, FY2025 (CSV) · 2,268 counties with at least one approval · FIPS code, metro assignment and how SBA’s county name was matched
- Micropolitan areas, FY2025 (CSV) · 538 rows · not ranked: the largest had 63 approvals, below the 100-approval ranking threshold
- Data dictionary (CSV) · definition of every field in all three files
How these numbers were produced
Loans. SBA’s 7(a) & 504 FOIA loan-level file, 7(a) extract for FY2020 to present, snapshot dated 30 June 2026 (sha256 6c1e9132b5141a19…). We remove byte-identical duplicate rows, keep program 7(a) approvals in fiscal year 2025 (1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025), keep the 50 states and DC by ProjectState, require a positive gross approval amount and exclude the 13,917 approvals recorded as cancelled. That leaves 63,535 approvals worth $31.96bn, the same population, to the loan, as our state ranking.
Counties. Each loan is placed in the county SBA recorded in ProjectCounty, matched to a Census county code in three steps: exact name match (61,859 approvals, 97.36%); a normalised match that ignores spelling differences such as “Saint” versus “St.” and spacing (941, 1.48%); and explicit, published rules for names that do not match (695, 1.09%). In total 63,495 approvals (99.94%) are placed in a county, and every name that is not placed is covered by an explicit rule below. The rules: Connecticut replaced its counties with nine planning regions, which Census and OMB now use, and SBA records them by abbreviation (CAPITOL → 09110; LOWER CT RIVER VLY → 09130; NAUGATUCK VLY → 09140; NORTHEASTERN CT → 09150; NW HILLS → 09160; SOUTH CENTRAL CT → 09170; SOUTHEASTERN CT → 09180; WESTERN CT → 09190); SBA records the Virginia independent cities of Bristol, Radford, Salem, Emporia without the word “city”, and no Virginia county shares those names. Where SBA recorded a name that cannot be assigned to a single current county — Connecticut’s former counties (Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, Windham), whose towns are now split across planning regions, and place names that are not counties (Pine Ridge, SD) — the loan is not forced into a metro area: the 40 FY2025 approvals affected stay in state and national totals only. Independent cities are kept separate from same-named counties exactly as SBA records them (Baltimore city and Baltimore County, for example).
Metro areas. Counties are grouped into Core Based Statistical Areas using OMB’s July 2023 delineations (Bulletin 23-01), as published by the Census Bureau. The ranking covers metropolitan statistical areas only. Micropolitan areas are small — the largest had 63 approvals, below the 100-approval ranking threshold — so they are in the download and not ranked. Puerto Rico’s areas are outside the loan population.
Employer establishments. The denominator is the number of employer establishments in Census County Business Patterns 2023 (all industries, all establishment sizes), summed from the county rows of each metro area so that county, metro and state figures reconcile. The Census Bureau’s own metro totals match those sums for all but 2 areas: Kahului-Wailuku, HI: Census’s own metro total is 1 establishment higher — Census publishes no county row for Kalawao County, which is part of this metro area; Providence-Warwick, RI-MA: Census’s own metro total is 427 establishments higher — Census counts Rhode Island establishments that have no county assignment in the metro total, because the metro area contains the whole state; the county sum leaves them out. An establishment is a single physical location with paid employees. It is not a firm, and it is not a business: a company with ten branches is ten establishments, and businesses with no employees are not counted at all. Counting only establishments with fewer than 500 employees produces the same ranking, so we use all employer establishments. The 2023 counts are the latest available and are older than the FY2025 lending they are compared with.
Rankings. Rate = approvals ÷ employer establishments × 1,000, rounded to two decimals. Only metropolitan areas with at least 100 approvals are ranked; in our build tests, rankings were more stable from one year to the next at 100 approvals than at 25 or 50. Ranks are competition-style: metros with the same rounded rate share a rank. Comparisons of median approval amounts use only metro areas with at least 250 approvals. Rankings are descriptive: we do not attach margins of error or tests to differences between metros, because the approvals are a complete count rather than a sample, lending is clustered by lender, and the denominator is older than the lending.
Metro versus state. State rates on this page are computed the same way as metro rates (all of the state’s county rows) and are shown only for metro areas within one state. They are not the rates on our state ranking, which uses a different denominator.
Reproducing it. All three sources are public. The derivation is deterministic and was recomputed by a second, independent implementation before this page was built; every published cell matched. Method version metro-1.0.
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You are welcome to reproduce any figure, chart or table on this page in reporting, research or educational material, with attribution and a link back to this page. No permission request is needed, and the downloads above contain every row.
If you need a cut that is not here — a group of counties, for example — the county file has what you need to build it from the same population.
Every source on this page
- US Small Business Administration — 7(a) & 504 FOIA loan-level data · 7(a) FY2020–present extract, snapshot 30 June 2026
- US Census Bureau — County Business Patterns · 2023 employer establishments by county, via the Census Data API
- US Census Bureau — Core Based Statistical Areas delineation file (List 1) · based on OMB’s July 2023 delineations
- US Office of Management and Budget — 2020 Standards for Delineating Core Based Statistical Areas · the rules behind the metro and micropolitan definitions
Fundur is a financing marketplace, not a lender. The same SBA file is cut by state on SBA lending by state and by industry on SBA lending by industry; national context is on our lending statistics page.
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