How is SBA loan distress measured on the map?

The map counts 7(a) loans in DELINQ, PSTDUE, or LIQUID status as a share of loans in active statuses: CURR, DELINQ, PSTDUE, LIQUID, or DEFERD. Closed, charged-off, purchased, cancelled, committed, and unclassified status codes are not in that denominator.

Which state has seen the steepest decline in SBA lending?

Hawaii has seen the steepest decline in SBA lending among all states, down 55% from the 2010s to the 2020s.

Which state is most saturated with SBA loans relative to its businesses?

Measured against its base of employer businesses, New Hampshire is the most SBA-saturated state in the country.

Shane Pierson/The Data Desk/The Loan Map

Plate I · The Federal Record, Mapped

Where approvals are recorded.

Name: The SBA Loan Map: 1.9 Million 7(a) and 504 Loans by State and ZIP
Creator: Shane Pierson
License: https://www.sba.gov/

1.9 million SBA loans on one map. Shading shows lending intensity, loans per 1,000 employer businesses, so the darkest states are the ones where SBA lending runs deepest for their size. Click any state to read it zip by zip.

The record, read

What the map shows.

Read across 1.9 million SBA 7(a) and 504 approvals from FY1991 through the first half of FY2026, a handful of states carry the whole story. Florida is the fastest-growing SBA lending market in the United States, with approvals up 46% from the FY2010-2019 decade to FY2020-2026. The same file also lets you compare active-status distress, using delinquent, past-due, and liquidation rows only inside the active-status denominator.

At the other end, Hawaii has seen the steepest decline in SBA lending, down 55%, with Montana, Mississippi, and North Dakota not far behind. California remains the largest market by volume, with 220,522 loans worth about $84 billion, though its lending is down 9% from the prior decade. Measured against its base of employer businesses rather than raw count, New Hampshire is the most SBA-saturated state in the country. Click any state on the plate above to see its standout finding, its growth, its distress, and its zip-level concentration.

Browse SBA lending in all 50 states and the District of Columbia ↗

Figures describe SBA-approved 7(a) and 504 loans excluding cancellations, on a gross basis, from the FOIA release as of March 31, 2026. Approval is not funding, and a charge-off is an accounting event, not proof a business failed. Growth compares annualized approvals across the FY2010-2019 and FY2020-2026 windows. Active-status distress counts 7(a) loans in DELINQ, PSTDUE, or LIQUID status as a share of loans in CURR, DELINQ, PSTDUE, LIQUID, or DEFERD status. Rates are normalized against Census County Business Patterns 2023 employer establishments. No borrower identity appears anywhere on this map.

BASIS: SBA-APPROVED 7(A) AND 504 LOANS EXCLUDING CANCELLATIONS AND UNDISBURSED COMMITMENTS · APPROVAL IS NOT FUNDING · FOIA ASOF 3/31/2026 · DENOMINATOR: CENSUS CBP 2023 EMPLOYER ESTABLISHMENTS · ZIP DOTS PLACED AT CENSUS ZCTA CENTROIDS (98.6% OF LOANS LOCATED; PO-BOX AND NONSTANDARD ZIPS ROLL UP TO THE STATE) · ZIP CELLS UNDER 5 LOANS ARE SUPPRESSED INTO STATE TOTALS · NO BORROWER IDENTITY APPEARS ON THIS MAP · COUNTY DENSITY SHOWS 7(A) BY PROJECT COUNTY (96.8% MATCHED TO CENSUS FIPS) · SECTOR AND DELIVERY SPLITS DESCRIBE 7(A), ALL YEARS · SOURCE: DATA.SBA.GOV · SHANE PIERSON · SBA DATA ENGINE

Vol. I · Issue No. 1 · Cut along the dotted line

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