SBA data · Arkansas
SBA lending in Arkansas
5,413 loans worth $3.02B have been approved for Arkansas projects since FY2010 - the #35 state by SBA dollars, 0.6% of the national total.
State rank
#35
by dollars approved
Approved
$3.02B
FY2010 onward
Loans
5,413
Median loan
$203,100
+13% vs national
Median 7(a) rate
6.25%
Jobs supported
53,224
Lender-reported
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA data, as of 2026-06-30. Approvals from FY2010 onward. How we calculate this.
Who lends here
The most active SBA lenders in Arkansas
Ranked by dollars approved for projects in this state. Ranking is computed from federal data and cannot be purchased.
| # | Lender | Approved in AR | Loans | Avg loan | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Financial Bank | $355.5M | 568 | $625,924 | |
| 2 | Live Oak Banking Company | $311.4M | 187 | $1,665,164 | |
| 3 | Arvest Bank | $275.8M | 879 | $313,798 | |
| 4 | Southern Bancorp Bank | $130.8M | 156 | $838,744 | |
| 5 | Rural Missouri, Inc. | $121.2M | 135 | $897,741 | |
| 6 | First Service Bank | $102.7M | 154 | $666,805 | |
| 7 | Six Bridges Capital Corporation | $96.6M | 133 | $726,150 | |
| 8 | Regions Bank | $95.7M | 132 | $724,991 | |
| 9 | ACC Capital | $95.3M | 203 | $469,261 | |
| 10 | The Huntington National Bank | $88.4M | 141 | $627,021 | |
| 11 | Bank OZK | $82.3M | 119 | $691,629 | |
| 12 | Simmons Bank | $64.0M | 186 | $344,126 |
By sector in Arkansas
- Agriculture951 · $913.0M
- Restaurants & Hotels763 · $457.1M
- Health Care452 · $235.6M
- Retail445 · $229.6M
- Other Services428 · $145.9M
- Construction489 · $132.4M
- Professional Services334 · $127.5M
- Wholesale135 · $85.4M
- Arts & Recreation163 · $79.6M
- Administrative & Waste206 · $67.1M
- Transportation183 · $60.9M
- Real Estate90 · $56.3M
Most-financed industries
Approvals by fiscal year
Gross approval dollars in Arkansas. The final bar is a partial fiscal year.
Loan sizes in Arkansas
- Under $50K21%
- $50K - $150K21%
- $150K - $350K20%
- $350K - $1M21%
- $1M - $2M10%
- Over $2M7%
SBA lending in Arkansas: common questions
- How many SBA loans are approved in Arkansas?
- 5,413 SBA 7(a) and 504 loans totalling $3,023,389,500 have been approved for projects in Arkansas since fiscal year 2010, ranking it #35 among states and territories by dollars approved - 0.6% of all SBA lending nationally.
- Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Arkansas?
- By dollars approved in Arkansas, the most active lenders are First Financial Bank, Live Oak Banking Company, Arvest Bank, Southern Bancorp Bank, Rural Missouri, Inc.. Volume is not a recommendation - a lender's fit depends on your industry, loan size, and credit profile.
- What is the typical SBA loan size in Arkansas?
- The median gross approval in Arkansas is $203,100, 13% above the national median of $180,000. Half of all loans in the state fall between $25,000 and $1,656,000.
- Do I need to use a lender based in Arkansas?
- No. SBA lenders can and routinely do lend across state lines, and several of the largest national 7(a) lenders have no branch presence at all. The lenders listed on this page are those with the most approved dollars for projects located in Arkansas, wherever they are headquartered.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA data, as of 2026-06-30. Approvals from FY2010 onward. How we calculate this.
We are a publisher, not a lender or broker. We never take applications and are never paid by borrowers. Read the full disclosures.