SBA loan data
How the SBA loan data pages are built
Every figure in the SBA loan data section comes from one public source, processed by one script, with the same rules everywhere. This page lists the source files, the fields, the rules and the caveats.
Data as of (SBA 7(a) & 504 FOIA release). Headline figures cover fiscal years 2020 through 2025 (October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2025). Methodology and sources.
Source
The U.S. Small Business Administration publishes loan-level data for its 7(a) and 504 programs on its open data portal, as the 7(a) & 504 FOIA dataset, updated quarterly and in the public domain. We use the release with data as of June 30, 2026.
| Program | File |
|---|---|
| 7(a) | FOIA_7a_FY2020_Present_asof_260630.csv |
| 504 | FOIA_504_FY2010_Present_asof_260630.csv |
| Data dictionary | 7a_504_foia_data_dictionary.xlsx |
Period
Headline figures cover loans approved in fiscal years 2020 through 2025 (October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2025), using the approval fiscal year recorded on each loan. FY2026 is incomplete in this release (it runs to June 30, 2026), so it appears only as a labelled partial row in the yearly tables and is excluded from every other figure.
Rules applied
| Topic | Rule |
|---|---|
| Loans counted | Every approved 7(a) and 504 loan in the period, whatever its current status (for example paid in full, charged off, committed or not yet funded), except loans with status "CANCLD" (cancelled). |
| Amount | The "GrossApproval" field. For 504 loans this is the CDC portion; the first-lien lender amount ("ThirdPartyDollars") is not added. |
| Location | "ProjectState" (falling back to the borrower state if blank) and, in Pennsylvania, "ProjectCounty". National totals include U.S. territories. |
| Industry | "NaicsCode". Sectors are the 2-digit NAICS sectors (31-33, 44-45 and 48-49 combined as usual). Industry names are the most common "NaicsDescription" for each code; short names on industry pages are our abbreviations, with the official title shown on the page. |
| Lenders | "BankName" for 7(a) and "CDC_Name" for 504, exactly as recorded. Names are not merged, so one institution may appear under more than one name. Ranked by loan count, then amount, then name. |
| Loan sizes | Median and quartiles use linear interpolation. Size bands are the same for both programs: under $150,000; $150,000 to $349,999; $350,000 to $999,999; $1 million to $1,999,999; $2 million to $4,999,999; $5 million or more. |
| Small numbers | Any cell based on fewer than 10 loans is shown as "fewer than 10", and its amount and percentages are withheld. Lenders, CDCs and industries are listed only with at least 10 loans in the place shown. Pennsylvania counties with fewer than 10 loans in the period (Cameron, Forest, Fulton, Juniata, Montour, Sullivan) have no page; their loans count in the state totals. |
| Jobs | The sum of "JobsSupported" as reported on each loan. It is the figure recorded at approval, not a measured outcome. |
| Industries with pages | The 25 six-digit NAICS codes with the most 7(a) and 504 loans nationally in the period. |
Record counts in this release
| Rows read (7(a) FY2020 onward file plus 504 FY2010 onward file) | 506,321 |
|---|---|
| Excluded: cancelled loans (any year) | 64,573 |
| Excluded: approved before FY2020 | 58,896 |
| Used in headline figures (FY2020–FY2025) | 342,797 |
| FY2026 partial year (yearly tables only) | 40,055 |
Caveats
- Approvals, not applications. The data has no record of declined or withdrawn applications, so nothing here measures approval rates or odds.
- Recent years move. Loans can be cancelled after approval, and the SBA revises records between releases, so recent-year counts can change in later releases.
- No rates or terms. The source includes interest rate and term fields, but we do not publish them: past rates are not a quote, and these pages are not about pricing.
- Lender names as recorded. Mergers, renamings and spelling differences are not reconciled. Listing a lender is not a recommendation, and absence from a list means only that it had fewer than 10 loans in that place, or ranked below the top 10 by count.
- 504 amounts are the CDC portion only, so 504 and 7(a) amounts are not directly comparable.
- Location is the project location recorded on the loan, which may differ from where the borrower is headquartered.
Reproducing these numbers
The figures are built by a single script that downloads the two source files, applies the rules above and writes small summary files that the pages read. Re-running it against the same release produces the same numbers. Last built October 20, 2026. Found a discrepancy? Tell us.
Have a specific deal in mind?
The numbers above describe loans that were approved. They do not say what any lender would do with your request. Tell us what you are trying to finance and we will help you see how it lines up. No documents needed to start, and we do not pull your credit.
Figures are compiled by Precise SBA from the U.S. Small Business Administration's public 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data and are shown as recorded, including lender names. They describe past approvals only: they are not rates, approval odds, a ranking or an endorsement of any lender, and not a prediction for any loan. Precise SBA is not a lender and is not affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration. We never charge you. If a loan closes, the lender may pay us a referral fee, disclosed on SBA Form 159 (how we get paid).