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SBA loan write-off rates by business type
How often SBA-backed loans to each kind of small business ended in a write-off. The figures come from the SBA's own record of every 7(a) loan it guaranteed, read for loans approved in FY2010 to FY2019.
- Resolved loans
- 432,275
- Written off
- 34,554
- All-loan rate
- 7.99%
Share of loans written off, and share of dollars
The solid dot is the share of loans written off; the ring is the share of approved dollars charged off. A long line between them means the failed loans were small or partly repaid. Sorted from highest to lowest share of loans.
The full table
Sorted from highest to lowest share of loans written off. "Resolved" means repaid in full or charged off by 30 Sep 2026. The table scrolls sideways on a narrow screen.
| Business type | NAICS | Resolved loans | Written off | % of loans written off | % of dollars written off | Average loan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurant | 722513 | 10,727 | 1,181 | 11.01% | 6.34% | $329,277 |
| Full-service restaurant | 722511 | 15,647 | 1,569 | 10.03% | 5.70% | $342,343 |
| Pool / building services | 561790 | 1,247 | 113 | 9.06% | 6.96% | $202,342 |
| Bar | 722410 | 2,970 | 242 | 8.15% | 5.22% | $292,862 |
| Vending | 454210, 445132 | 753 | 59 | 7.84% | 3.01% | $224,141 |
| Car dealer | 441110 | 363 | 28 | 7.71% | 1.58% | $984,182 |
| Bowling | 713950 | 438 | 32 | 7.31% | 3.62% | $806,751 |
| HVAC / plumbing | 238220 | 5,952 | 424 | 7.12% | 4.66% | $206,621 |
| Landscaping | 561730 | 6,347 | 451 | 7.11% | 5.09% | $151,781 |
| Parking lot | 812930 | 77 | 5 | 6.49% | 5.95% | $394,813 |
| Pharmacy | 446110, 456110 | 2,816 | 173 | 6.14% | 3.67% | $560,249 |
| Car wash | 811192 | 1,879 | 111 | 5.91% | 1.53% | $1,109,041 |
| Golf course | 713910 | 288 | 16 | 5.56% | 2.81% | $863,516 |
| Insurance agency | 524210 | 3,840 | 199 | 5.18% | 1.55% | $299,726 |
| Pest control | 561710 | 647 | 33 | 5.10% | 3.50% | $181,109 |
| Liquor store | 445310, 445320 | 4,726 | 224 | 4.74% | 2.52% | $422,676 |
| Coin-operated laundries and drycleaners | 812310 | 1,487 | 69 | 4.64% | 1.41% | $484,796 |
| Daycare | 624410 | 4,846 | 218 | 4.50% | 1.04% | $648,144 |
| Marina | 713930 | 198 | 8 | 4.04% | 1.47% | $801,473 |
| Gas station | 447110, 457110 | 4,819 | 189 | 3.92% | 1.23% | $936,475 |
| Dentist | 621210 | 7,956 | 243 | 3.05% | 1.49% | $543,932 |
| Hotel / motel | 721110 | 6,159 | 186 | 3.02% | 1.46% | $1,879,090 |
| Funeral home | 812210 | 1,185 | 32 | 2.70% | 1.55% | $836,438 |
| RV park / campground | 721211 | 326 | 8 | 2.45% | 0.88% | $883,760 |
| Vet | 541940 | 3,479 | 84 | 2.41% | 0.98% | $715,634 |
| Self storage | 531130 | 845 | 7 | 0.83% | 0.06% | $1,333,068 |
| All 7(a) loans | 432,275 | 34,554 | 7.99% | 3.60% | $344,859 |
Source: US Small Business Administration, FOIA 7(a) loan file, FY2010-FY2019, as of 30 Sep 2026 (fields LoanStatus, NaicsCode, GrossApproval, GrossChargeOffAmount). Read 7 Nov 2026.
How the rates are worked out
The SBA publishes a file of every 7(a) loan it guarantees, with each loan's status. A loan counts here once it has finished: either paid in full or charged off. The write-off rate is the number of charged-off loans divided by the number of finished loans of that type.
The dollar figure is different. It is the total amount charged off divided by the total amount approved, across the same finished loans. A business type can have a high rate by count but a low rate in dollars when its failed loans were small or had been partly repaid before they were charged off. Average loan is the mean approved amount.
The business type is the loan's NAICS industry code, mapped to the names above. Where a row shows two codes, both are counted. Gas stations also include codes 447190 and 457120.
What the rates do not tell you
- Finished loans only. Loans still running on 30 Sep 2026, and canceled loans, are left out. Across all types that excludes 46,688 loans still outstanding and 66,746 canceled. Loans approved near the end of the period can only be counted if they ended early.
- The borrower picks the code. The NAICS code on an SBA loan is the borrower's own classification. A business filed under a different code drops out of its row, and the reverse.
- Some codes are shared. HVAC contractors share code 238220 with plumbers, and pool routes sit inside 561790 with other services to buildings, so those rows are not clean. Code 812310, coin-operated laundries and drycleaners, covers coin-operated drycleaners as well as laundromats.
- Gross, before recoveries. The dollar rate uses the gross amount charged off. Anything the lender recovered later is not deducted, so the true dollar loss is no higher than the figure shown.
- History only. No loan here was approved after FY2019, so the table cannot say how a loan made today, at today's prices and rates, will end.
Exclusion counts and definitions: SBA FOIA 7(a) loan file and the SBA data dictionary, as recorded in the Proprietor Atlas source register.
Buying one of these?
The three businesses with a buyer's pack are marked above. Their write-off rates are below, against 7.99% for all 7(a) loans. Each pack breaks its rate down by loan size and sets it beside the business you are looking at.
- Laundromat4.64%See the packFree guide
- Self storage0.83%See the packFree guide
- Car wash5.91%See the packFree guide