SBA Lending in 2025: A Year-Over-Year Snapshot
SBA Lending in 2025: A Year-Over-Year Snapshot
The first half of 2025 (through June 30) shows some interesting shifts in lending patterns, from loan volumes to franchise activity and job creation. Using data from SBADNA Analytics, we’re diving into the numbers to give you a clear picture of what’s changed and how things are looking so far in 2025 SBA lending.
Overall Lending Trends: 2025 vs. 2024
The "25-24 Counter" tab from SBADNA Analytics reveals key differences in SBA 7(a) lending for the first half of 2025 compared to 2024. Here’s what stands out:
Total Loans Approved:
2025: 41,108 loans
2024: 39,416 loans
Change: Up 4.3%, with 1,692 more loans approved.
Total Loan Amounts:
2025: $18,695,053,100
2024: $16,801,232,300
Change: Increased by 11.3%, or roughly $1.89 billion.
Average Loan Size:
2025: $454,779
2024: $426,254
Change: Up 6.7%, or $28,525 per loan.
Banks Involved:
2025: 1,166 banks
2024: 1,197 banks
Change: Down 2.6%, with 31 fewer banks.
Jobs Supported:
2025: 396,611 jobs
2024: 380,522 jobs
Change: Up 4.2%, supporting 16,089 more jobs.
Loan Size Breakdown
SBA 7(a) loans span various sizes, and the data shows shifts in how funds are distributed:
Small Loans (<$150K):
2025: 20,632 loans
2024: 21,712 loans
Change: Down 5.0%, with 1,080 fewer loans.
Mid-Sized Loans ($150K–$350K):
2025: 7,824 loans, $17,352,876,200
2024: 6,536 loans, $15,536,327,600
Change: Loans up 19.7% (1,288 more); amounts up 11.7% ($1.82 billion).
Larger Loans ($350K–$1M):
2025: 8,330 loans
2024: 7,191 loans
Change: Up 15.8%, with 1,139 more loans.
Big Loans (>$1M):
2025: 4,322 loans, $17,314,908,000
2024: 3,977 loans, $15,494,923,000
Change: Loans up 8.7% (345 more); amounts up 11.8% ($1.82 billion).
Franchise and Industry Activity
Franchises and specific industries play a big role in SBA lending. Here’s the YOY shift:
Franchise Loans:
2025: $2,266,845,000 across 1,005 brands
2024: $2,043,132,800 across 1,029 brands
Change: Loan amounts up 11.0% ($223.7 million); brands down 2.3% (24 fewer).
Average Franchise Loan Size:
2025: $675,674
2024: $624,747
Change: Up 8.2%, or $50,927.
Industry Groups:
2025: 269 industry groups, $17,352,876,200
2024: 261 industry groups, $15,536,327,600
Change: Groups up 3.1% (8 more); amounts up 11.7%.
Subsectors:
2025: 84 subsectors, $18,695,053,100
2024: 86 subsectors, $16,801,232,300
Change: Subsectors down 2.3% (2 fewer); amounts up 11.3%.
Geographic and Business Age Trends
Where and who’s borrowing also shifted:
Out-of-State vs. In-State Funding:
2025: 75.6% of loan dollars out-of-state, 24.4% in-state
2024: 72.6% out-of-state, 27.5% in-state
Change: Out-of-state funding share up 4.1%.
Business Age:
2025: 6,142 businesses <2 years, $2,385,974,600; 24,997 businesses >2 years, $8,709,330,000
2024: 6,437 businesses <2 years, $2,314,551,500; 23,466 businesses >2 years, $7,857,405,600
Change: Younger businesses down 4.6% (295 fewer) but loan amounts up 3.1% ($71.4 million); older businesses up 6.5% (1,531 more) and amounts up 10.8% ($851.9 million).
Startups:
2025: 6,168 startups, $3,248,630,800
2024: 6,153 startups, $2,994,684,800
Change: Startups up 0.2% (15 more); amounts up 8.5% ($253.9 million).
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