SBA data · California
SBA lending in California
135,894 loans worth $85.40B have been approved for California projects since FY2010 - the largest state by SBA dollars, 16.8% of the national total.
State rank
#1
by dollars approved
Approved
$85.40B
FY2010 onward
Loans
135,894
Median loan
$300,000
+67% vs national
Median 7(a) rate
6.99%
Jobs supported
1,539,215
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 California
Ranked by dollars approved for projects in this state. Ranking is computed from federal data and cannot be purchased.
| # | Lender | Approved in CA | Loans | Avg loan | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mortgage Capital Development Corporation | $5.19B | 4,425 | $1,173,620 | |
| 2 | Wells Fargo Bank | $5.14B | 13,505 | $380,612 | |
| 3 | CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | $4.60B | 6,226 | $739,092 | |
| 4 | U.S. Bank | $4.48B | 13,304 | $336,746 | |
| 5 | Business Finance Capital | $3.52B | 2,806 | $1,252,683 | |
| 6 | Live Oak Banking Company | $2.90B | 2,269 | $1,276,709 | |
| 7 | Enterprise Bank & Trust | $2.79B | 2,907 | $959,408 | |
| 8 | California Statewide Certified Development Corporation | $2.76B | 2,670 | $1,035,516 | |
| 9 | Bank of Hope | $2.33B | 4,135 | $563,788 | |
| 10 | Columbia Bank | $2.09B | 3,029 | $690,009 | |
| 11 | JPMorgan Chase Bank | $1.83B | 8,876 | $206,119 | |
| 12 | Open Bank | $1.64B | 1,410 | $1,163,140 |
By sector in California
- Restaurants & Hotels16,673 · $12.09B
- Health Care13,944 · $9.75B
- Retail13,594 · $9.58B
- Wholesale10,991 · $9.03B
- Professional Services15,101 · $7.17B
- Other Services11,437 · $6.48B
- Construction12,804 · $5.50B
- Transportation5,414 · $2.66B
- Manufacturing3,276 · $2.61B
- Real Estate3,683 · $2.56B
- Administrative & Waste4,810 · $2.04B
- Arts & Recreation3,372 · $1.80B
Most-financed industries
Approvals by fiscal year
Gross approval dollars in California. The final bar is a partial fiscal year.
Loan sizes in California
- Under $50K16%
- $50K - $150K16%
- $150K - $350K22%
- $350K - $1M27%
- $1M - $2M12%
- Over $2M8%
SBA lending in California: common questions
- How many SBA loans are approved in California?
- 135,894 SBA 7(a) and 504 loans totalling $85,399,322,200 have been approved for projects in California since fiscal year 2010, ranking it #1 among states and territories by dollars approved - 16.8% of all SBA lending nationally.
- Which lenders make the most SBA loans in California?
- By dollars approved in California, the most active lenders are Mortgage Capital Development Corporation, Wells Fargo Bank, CDC Small Business Finance Corp., U.S. Bank, Business Finance Capital. 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 California?
- The median gross approval in California is $300,000, 67% above the national median of $180,000. Half of all loans in the state fall between $25,000 and $1,660,000.
- Do I need to use a lender based in California?
- 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 California, 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.