SHANE PIERSON · SBA DATA
SBA Lending by State · North Carolina

SBA Lending in North Carolina

North Carolina is a mid-sized SBA market concentrated in food and lodging, growing +12%.

34,034
Total SBA loans
$14.7B
Approved dollars
3.4
Loans per 1,000 businesses / yr
+12%
Growth, 2010s to 2020s
10.6%
Active-loan distress
#19
Rank, national volume
#49
Rank, loans per business

Every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan approved in North Carolina since 1991 sits in the public federal record. North Carolina accounts for 34,034 of them, worth $14.7B, split 30,187 under 7(a) and 3,847 under 504. Roughly 19% of 7(a) went to startups and new businesses.

Top industries funded in North Carolina

  • Retail4,250 loans · $1.3B
  • Food & Lodging4,006 loans · $2.9B
  • Personal Services2,727 loans · $968M
  • Other2,600 loans · $533M
  • Professional Services2,586 loans · $875M
  • Healthcare2,577 loans · $1.3B

Program mix

30,187
7(a) loans
3,847
504 loans
19%
To startups & new businesses
81%
To existing businesses
See North Carolina on the interactive map

Drill North Carolina to the zip-code level, see its top lenders, and shade it by growth, dollars, or distress.

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Loan counts and dollars cover SBA 7(a) and 504, approved and not cancelled, gross basis. Growth, distress, per-business rates, industries, and startup share describe the 7(a) book. Approval is not funding. FOIA record as of March 31, 2026.