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Which industries take the biggest SBA loans?

Accommodation and Food Services takes the largest SBA loans, averaging $813K, about 2 times the average in Administrative and Support ($380K). Average loan size says a lot about what each industry borrows for.

By Mario Bailey · Source: SBA FOIA data, as of 2026-03-31

What we measured. Average funded SBA loan size by industry sector, for sectors with at least 2,000 loans. Bigger averages usually mean loans that fund real estate and equipment; smaller averages mean working-capital-style borrowing.

Average SBA loan size by industry

Accommodation and Food Services $813K avg · 64,048 loans
Manufacturing $795K avg · 36,545 loans
Wholesale Trade $786K avg · 23,373 loans
Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing $689K avg · 4,567 loans
Real Estate $668K avg · 12,909 loans
Retail Trade $645K avg · 59,208 loans
Health Care and Social Assistance $634K avg · 52,278 loans
Arts, Entertainment, Recreation $615K avg · 16,558 loans
Information $559K avg · 4,367 loans
Educational Services $523K avg · 7,498 loans
Finance and Insurance $504K avg · 8,915 loans
Other Services $488K avg · 46,401 loans
Professional and Technical Services $467K avg · 45,481 loans
Construction $408K avg · 56,798 loans
Transportation and Warehousing $401K avg · 24,731 loans
Administrative and Support $380K avg · 24,423 loans

What it means

Industries that buy buildings and heavy equipment, like Accommodation and Food Services, naturally borrow more per loan, and lean on the 504 program. Service and food businesses borrow smaller amounts for working capital. If you are sizing up a loan, see typical amounts and lenders in your line of work under SBA lending by industry and the Lender Match tool.

Method, sources, and disclaimer. Computed from the public SBA FOIA 7(a) and 504 data (as of 2026-03-31); see our methodology. SBA Loan Index is not affiliated with the SBA and is not a lender, broker, or financial advisor.
Cite this analysis

Mario Bailey. (2026). Which industries take the biggest SBA loans?. SBA Loan Index. https://sbaloanindex.com/studies/biggest-sba-loans-by-industry/

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