Top States and Cities in 2025 Small Business Lending
Using SBADNA Analytics data, we’re breaking down the numbers to reveal which regions are hot for SBA financing.
Top Project States: 2025 vs. 2024
The "2025 1H States" and "2024 1H States" tabs highlight year-over-year (YOY) changes in loan approvals, amounts, and other metrics across the top states. Here’s what’s shifted:
California (CA):
2025: 5,117 loans, $2,470,720,000, average $426,773
2024: 4,606 loans, $2,133,489,600, average $481,036
Change: Loans up 11.1% (511 more); amounts up 15.8% ($337.2M); average loan size down 11.3% ($54,263). Share rose from 12.70% to 13.22%.
Insight: California remains the top state, with more loans and dollars, but smaller average loans, suggesting broader access to financing.
Texas (TX):
2025: 3,257 loans, $2,007,032,900, average $616,246
2024: 2,946 loans, $1,771,326,200, average $612,832
Change: Loans up 10.6% (311 more); amounts up 13.3% ($235.7M); average loan size up 0.6% ($3,414). Share steady at ~10.7–10.5%.
Insight: Texas saw strong growth in loan volume and amounts, maintaining high average loans for larger projects.
Florida (FL):
2025: 3,088 loans, $1,611,353,800, average $486,295
2024: 3,201 loans, $1,481,293,100, average $472,564
Change: Loans down 3.5% (113 fewer); amounts up 8.8% ($130.1M); average loan size up 2.9% ($13,731). Share dropped from 8.82% to 8.62%.
Insight: Florida’s loan volume dipped, but higher loan sizes and amounts indicate bigger investments.
New York (NY):
2025: 2,806 loans, $953,603,500, average $298,602
2024: 2,671 loans, $778,579,800, average $283,095
Change: Loans up 5.1% (135 more); amounts up 22.5% ($175.0M); average loan size up 5.5% ($15,507). Share rose from 4.63% to 5.10%.
Insight: New York gained traction, with more loans and significantly higher amounts, reflecting growing demand.
Ohio (OH):
2025: 1,852 loans, $637,810,700, average $399,591
2024: 2,228 loans, $602,819,100, average $288,478
Change: Loans down 16.9% (376 fewer); amounts up 5.8% ($35.0M); average loan size up 38.5% ($111,113). Share dropped from 3.59% to 3.41%.
Insight: Ohio saw fewer loans but much larger average sizes, pointing to bigger projects per borrower.
Top Borrower Cities: 2025 vs. 2024
The "2025 1H Cities" and "2024 1H Cities" tabs show how lending shifted in key cities. Notable changes include:
Brooklyn, NY:
2025: 387 loans, $146,026,000, average $309,869
2024: 440 loans, $128,222,200, average $278,293
Change: Loans down 12.0% (53 fewer); amounts up 13.9% ($17.8M); average loan size up 11.3% ($31,576). Share steady at ~0.76–0.78%.
Insight: Brooklyn’s loan volume dropped, but larger loans boosted total funding.
Los Angeles, CA:
2025: 365 loans, $173,713,300, average $414,029
2024: 341 loans, $143,131,500, average $432,754
Change: Loans up 7.0% (24 more); amounts up 21.4% ($30.6M); average loan size down 4.3% ($18,725). Share rose from 0.85% to 0.93%.
Insight: Los Angeles saw growth in loans and amounts, with slightly smaller loans.
Houston, TX:
2025: 360 loans, $219,891,100, average $523,453
2024: 363 loans, $222,556,800, average $576,720
Change: Loans down 0.8% (3 fewer); amounts down 1.2% ($2.7M); average loan size down 9.2% ($53,267). Share dropped from 1.32% to 1.18%.
Insight: Houston’s activity remained stable, but smaller loans suggest more modest projects.
Miami, FL:
2025: 344 loans, $119,169,200, average $296,162
2024: 374 loans, $140,258,500, average $347,312
Change: Loans down 8.0% (30 fewer); amounts down 15.0% ($21.1M); average loan size down 14.7% ($51,150). Share dropped from 0.83% to 0.64%.
Insight: Miami saw declines across the board, indicating a pullback in lending activity.
New York, NY:
2025: 285 loans, $108,261,500, average $331,606
2024: 276 loans, $103,450,900, average $333,142
Change: Loans up 3.3% (9 more); amounts up 4.7% ($4.8M); average loan size down 0.5% ($1,536). Share steady at ~0.58–0.62%.
Insight: New York City held steady, with slight growth in loans and amounts.
Other Geographic Trends
Out-of-State vs. In-State Funding: Out-of-state lending (% $ OUT ST) increased in many states, e.g., California from 69.0% to 66.7% (less out-of-state lending), while Texas rose from 77.3% to 79.0%. This suggests mixed trends in cross-state lending.
Disbursed Loans and Amounts: Disbursements varied, with California up 15.8% in disbursed dollars ($659.4M vs. $1,693.2M), while Florida’s disbursements dropped 64.1% ($401.7M vs. $1,119.0M), reflecting cautious funding.
Spread (Interest Rate Spread): Most states saw slight increases, e.g., Florida from 3.10% to 2.96%, indicating stable but slightly higher lender margins.
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