County distribution

Most counties sit below the national rate

SBA 7(a) and 504 loans per 1,000 businesses, FY2021–FY2025. 2,445 counties with at least 200 establishments.

The national rate of 35.3 sits well above the median county at 24.8, because the largest counties pull the average upward. Bars left of the median line are hatched: these are counties receiving less SBA credit per business than half the country.

35.3loans per 1,000 businesses — national rate, five-year total

24.8median county

5.6×ratio between the 90th and 10th percentile county

Source: Analysis of SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan data (as of 31 March 2026), US Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023, and Population Estimates Vintage 2025. Cancelled and never-funded approvals excluded. Published by sba-feasibility-study.com.