What’s Changed in SBA 7(a) Industry Lending: 2025 vs. 2024
What’s Changed in SBA 7(a) Industry Lending: 2025 vs. 2024
Wondering which industries are driving SBA 7(a) loan approvals in 2025? The first half of 2025 (through June 30) shows clear shifts in the top 25 industries compared to 2024, with some sectors gaining momentum and others cooling off. Using SBADNA Analytics data, we’ve crunched the numbers to spotlight what’s changed—helping you see where lender appetite is growing. Whether you’re running a restaurant, fitness center, or retail shop, LoanBox uses these real-time trends to match you with lenders who already love your industry, making your financing faster and more predictable.
Key Industry Trends: 2025 vs. 2024
The "Top 25 Industry 2025 1H" and "Top 25 Industry 2024 1H" dashboards reveal year-over-year (YOY) shifts in loan volume, dollar amounts, and average size. Here are the standout movers:
Full-Service Restaurants
2025: 1,843 loans, $899.7M, avg. $499,731
2024: 1,797 loans, $884.0M, avg. $495,850
Change: +2.6% loans, +1.8% volume, +0.8% avg. size. Market share dipped slightly from 5.26% to 4.81%.
Limited-Service Restaurants
2025: 1,344 loans, $599.3M, avg. $430,030
2024: 1,285 loans, $588.4M, avg. $486,234
Change: +4.6% loans, +1.8% volume, -11.6% avg. size. Share fell from 3.50% to 3.21%.
Residential Remodelers
2025: 972 loans, $198.1M, avg. $192,275
2024: 988 loans, $170.5M, avg. $179,302
Change: -1.6% loans, +16.2% volume, +7.2% avg. size. Share stable at ~1.0–1.1%.
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers
2025: 830 loans, $332.3M, avg. $371,411
2024: 714 loans, $245.5M, avg. $396,722
Change: +16.2% loans, +35.4% volume, -6.4% avg. size. Share rose from 1.46% to 1.78%.
Offices of Dentists
2025: 447 loans, $417.9M, avg. $861,856
2024: 362 loans, $295.4M, avg. $841,858
Change: +23.5% loans, +41.4% volume, +2.4% avg. size. Share jumped from 1.76% to 2.24%.
New Entrants to Top 25 (2025)
General Automotive Repair – 690 loans, $282.1M (ranked #8)
Administrative Management Consulting – 429 loans, $102.8M (ranked #20)
New Single-Family Housing Construction – 411 loans, $142.7M (ranked #21)
Dropped from Top 25 (2025)
General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (was #9 in 2024)
Hotels and Motels (was #21)
Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (was #24)
Think Inside the LoanBox
These shifts aren’t just numbers—they’re signals. Fitness centers, dental practices, and home services are surging, while trucking and hospitality cool. LoanBox doesn’t just show you the data; we use it to match you with the exact lenders who funded the most deals in your industry last quarter. No guesswork. No wasted applications. Just faster proposals from banks already eager to say yes.
Log in today, upload your package, and let LoanBox connect you to the top SBA 7(a) lenders for your sector—before the next trend shifts.
Skip the confusion. Minimize risk. Maximize clarity. Think inside the LoanBox.