# Small business loans in Palm Desert, CA

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Palm Desert, CA since FY2024 are U.S. Bank (8 loans) and Newtek Bank (5). The median loan was $238,500, and half fell between $54,900 and $502,500. For free help, see the California SBDC. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/palm-desert/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in Palm Desert

No lender made more than 14% of the loans in Palm Desert, and U.S. Bank made the most.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Palm Desert, CA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [U.S. Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/u-s-bank/) | 8 | 14.3% |
| [Newtek Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/newtek-bank/) | 5 | 8.9% |

Share is the percent of all Palm Desert loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for California where one exists.

Palm Desert has two lenders with five or more loans since FY2024. Others had fewer, and the California page counts 251 lenders with at least one approved loan statewide.

## Local help near Palm Desert

Palm Desert borrowers can start with SBA's district offices for California, an SBDC or SCORE.

23% of Palm Desert borrowers since FY2024 were startups or businesses two years old or younger. SBDCs provide counseling and training, and SCORE mentors give advice at no cost, according to SBA.

SBA runs six district offices that cover California. Each page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in its area. The California SBDC gives free counseling across California. The SBA Orange County / Inland Empire District Office (Santa Ana and Palm Desert) comes first below because its name matches Palm Desert.

- [SBA Orange County / Inland Empire District Office (Santa Ana and Palm Desert): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/orange-county-inland-empire)
- [SBA Fresno District Office (San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/fresno)
- [SBA Los Angeles District Office (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/los-angeles)
- [SBA Sacramento District Office (northeastern California): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/sacramento)
- [SBA San Diego District Office (San Diego and Imperial counties): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/san-diego)
- [SBA San Francisco District Office (northern California): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/san-francisco)
- [California SBDC: Small Business Development Center](https://www.californiasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in California: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/ca/)

Alongside SBA loans, California runs three loan programs. The [California page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/#loan-programs-in-california) describes each, and the official pages are linked here.

- [Small Business Loan Guarantee Program (IBank)](https://ibank.ca.gov/small-business/loan-guarantees/)
- [CalCAP for Small Business](https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/cpcfa/calcap/sb)
- [CalCAP Collateral Support](https://www.treasurer.ca.gov/cpcfa/calcap/collateral)

## Loan counts and sizes in Palm Desert

Palm Desert ranks 79th by loans since FY2024 among the 92 California cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 485th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 56 loans, 0.3% of the 19,508 in California, were approved for $27.1 million in all. The median loan was $238,500, 59% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $54,900 and $502,500. The Palm Desert median is 19% above the California median of $200,000.

**Palm Desert, CA compared with California and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Palm Desert | California | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 56 | 19,508 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $238,500 | $200,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $54,900 | $65,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $502,500 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 30.4% | 29.0% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 21.4% | 18.8% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 10.7% | 8.9% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 10.7% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 3.0 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 3.5% | 3.6% |

A quarter of loans were smaller than the 25th percentile loan and a quarter were larger than the 75th. Median spread is in percentage points over Prime. Charged off is the share of FY2020 to FY2022 loans a lender wrote off as a loss. It is shown only for groups of 30 loans or more. Fewer than 5 marks a share that would stand for 1 to 4 loans, which we do not publish. U.S. covers every loan in the file.

75% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 30.4% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 21.4% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Palm Desert, CA by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (23%): 13
- $50,001 to $150,000 (21%): 12
- $150,001 to $350,000 (21%): 12
- $350,001 to $500,000 (9%): 5
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (18%): 10
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000: Fewer than 5
- Over $2,000,000: Fewer than 5

Labels show each size's share of all loans. The highlighted bar is the size band that contains the median.

By business age, 66.1% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.5% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 10.7% and changes of ownership 10.7%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in Palm Desert, CA by fiscal year

- FY2020: 11
- FY2021: 12
- FY2022: 21
- FY2023: 12
- FY2024: 23
- FY2025: 18
- FY2026 (through June 30): 15

Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.

Volume fell 22% from FY2024 (23 loans) to FY2025 (18), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2024, with 23 loans. FY2026 already shows 15 loans through June 30.

Of the 44 loans Palm Desert borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 484 jobs supported across the 56 loans since FY2024, about 8.6 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Palm Desert borrow for

Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Palm Desert since FY2020, with 8 loans or 7.1% of the total.

The three largest industries made up 16% of all Palm Desert loans since FY2020.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Palm Desert, CA, FY2020 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/california/) | 8 | 7.1% | 4.6% |
| [Beauty Salons](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/beauty-salons/california/) | 5 | 4.5% | 1.5% |
| [Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/plumbing-heating-air-conditioning-contractors/california/) | 5 | 4.5% | 1.9% |

Share is the percent of all Palm Desert loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the California page for that industry where one exists.

## A typical loan payment in Palm Desert

The median Palm Desert loan was $238,500 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Palm Desert was priced at Prime plus 3.0 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 10.00%. On $238,500 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $3,152 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

**Payment at today's rate on three Palm Desert loan sizes over 10 years**

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $54,900 | $726 |
| Median loan | $238,500 | $3,152 |
| 75th percentile loan | $502,500 | $6,641 |

Principal and interest only. Fees, a different term or a fixed rate change the payment. This is an illustration from SBA's file, not an offer.

SBA's rate ceiling for this loan size

SBA's maximum for a loan of $238,500 is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points, or 13.00% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 3.0 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).

Palm Desert loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 10.5% at approval, against 10.25% nationally. Prime changed during those years, so use the spread above, not that rate, as the guide to today's cost.

Run your own numbers: [payments on a $250,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/250000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Palm Desert

Palm Desert has 14 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $10.1 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Palm Desert was $647,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 13% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.

CDC Small Business Finance Corp. is the Certified Development Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 11. Mortgage Capital Development Corporation follows with 11. The three CDCs listed are named on 28 loans between them.

**CDCs named on five or more 504 loans in Palm Desert, FY2020 to June 2026**

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 11 |
| Mortgage Capital Development Corporation | 11 |
| Business Finance Capital | 6 |

How a 504 loan is split

A standard 504 project is 50% third party lender, 40% CDC debenture, 10% borrower. 504 money pays for major fixed assets such as land, buildings and long-term machinery and equipment, not working capital or inventory. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221). SBA keeps a [list of Certified Development Companies](https://www.sba.gov/loans/504-loans/list-of-certified-development-companies/).

## California cities near Palm Desert

Palm Desert made up 0.3% of California's SBA loans since FY2024.

Palm Desert is one of 92 California cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [California page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/) covers all 19,508 loans in California. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Riverside: 213 loans, median $221,100](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/riverside/)
- [Moreno Valley: 52 loans, median $64,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/moreno-valley/)
- [Murrieta: 107 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/murrieta/)
- [Temecula: 117 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/temecula/)
- [Corona: 118 loans, median $242,500](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/corona/)
- [Fontana: 86 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/fontana/)
- [Hesperia: 61 loans, median $50,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/hesperia/)
- [San Diego: 829 loans, median $164,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/san-diego/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Palm Desert

### Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Palm Desert?

U.S. Bank leads with 8 loans in Palm Desert since FY2024. Newtek Bank (5) follows. Only lenders with five or more Palm Desert loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Palm Desert?

Full-Service Restaurants leads with 8 loans in Palm Desert since FY2020. Beauty Salons (5) and Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors (5) follow.

How to read this

Counts come from SBA's 7(a) loan-level data release, as of June 30, 2026. The file lists loans SBA approved. It does not list declined applications, so it cannot show approval odds. We do not publish any figure built on fewer than 5 loans. Location is the borrower's address in the file, and city names are as SBA recorded them. Recent means FY2024 through June 30, 2026. Charge-off rates use FY2020 to FY2022 loans, the only years old enough to have had time to go bad. Jobs supported are lender-reported estimates. [How we build these pages](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/method/).

## Sources

- [SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data, as of June 30, 2026](https://data.sba.gov/dataset/7a-504-foia)
- [SBA, 504 loans](https://www.sba.gov/loans/504-loans/)
- [SBA, resource partners: SBDCs and SCORE](https://www.sba.gov/counseling/local-assistance/resource-partners/)
- [SBA Fresno District Office (San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast)](https://www.sba.gov/district/fresno)
- [SBA Los Angeles District Office (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties)](https://www.sba.gov/district/los-angeles)
- [SBA Orange County / Inland Empire District Office (Santa Ana and Palm Desert)](https://www.sba.gov/district/orange-county-inland-empire)
- [SBA Sacramento District Office (northeastern California)](https://www.sba.gov/district/sacramento)
- [SBA San Diego District Office (San Diego and Imperial counties)](https://www.sba.gov/district/san-diego)
- [SBA San Francisco District Office (northern California)](https://www.sba.gov/district/san-francisco)
- [California SBDC](https://www.californiasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, California](https://www.score.org/ca/)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 241); 13 CFR § 120.931](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [sba.gov/loans/504-loans; SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 3, Para. A (p. 51)](https://www.sba.gov/loans/504-loans/)
- [SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126)](https://legacy.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2026-10/SOP%2050%2010%208.1%20Technical%20Policy%20Updates%20effective%20%2010.1.2026.docx)
- [13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.214)