SHANE PIERSON · SBA DATA
SBA by City · San Diego, CA

SBA Lending in San Diego, California

The SBA FOIA record lists 8,847 7(a) approvals worth $2.8B for businesses in San Diego, CA, and annual volume has fallen 15% versus the prior decade.

8,847
7(a) loans
$2.8B
Approved dollars
$319,679
Average loan size
#2
Rank in California
-15%
Annualized vs prior decade
4.5%
Active-status distress

San Diego is the #2 SBA 7(a) market in California and #8 in the country. Since 1991 the FOIA record lists 8,847 approvals here worth $2.8B, averaging $319,679 each. Annual approval volume has fallen 15% between FY2013-2019 and FY2020-2026. Among 1,364 active-status loans, 4.5% are delinquent, past due, or in liquidation. The local business type with the most listed records is full-service restaurants.

What San Diego borrows for

Who lends in San Diego

See it on the map

Open the national map, drill into California, and compare San Diego against every zip code in the state.

Open the interactive map ↗

7(a) loans only, approved and not cancelled, gross basis, grouped by the borrower's city as filed. Active-status distress counts DELINQ, PSTDUE, or LIQUID loans as a share of CURR, DELINQ, PSTDUE, LIQUID, or DEFERD loans. Approval is not funding. FOIA record as of March 31, 2026. Methodology.

The paper

One useful thing for small business, every other Tuesday.

A tool, a fix, or a number from the public record worth knowing. Free, no selling, no list-sharing, unsubscribe in one click.