Small business loans in San Diego, CA
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in San Diego, CA since FY2024 are U.S. Bank (101 loans) and Newtek Bank (51). The median loan was $164,000, and half fell between $60,000 and $464,700. For free help, see the California SBDC. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 829
- approved since FY2024
- $367.45M
- median loan
- $164,000
- through SBA Express
- 28.8%
Lenders making SBA loans in San Diego
No lender made more than 12% of the loans in San Diego, and U.S. Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 35%.
| Lender | Loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank | 101 | 12.2% |
| Newtek Bank | 51 | 6.2% |
| Zions Bank | 50 | 6.0% |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank | 45 | 5.4% |
| Northeast Bank | 44 | 5.3% |
Share is the percent of all San Diego loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for California where one exists.
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Local help near San Diego
San Diego borrowers can start with SBA's district offices for California, an SBDC or SCORE.
22% of San Diego 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 San Diego District Office (San Diego and Imperial counties) comes first below because its name matches San Diego.
- SBA San Diego District Office (San Diego and Imperial counties)SBA district office
- SBA Fresno District Office (San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast)SBA district office
- SBA Los Angeles District Office (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties)SBA district office
- SBA Orange County / Inland Empire District Office (Santa Ana and Palm Desert)SBA district office
- SBA Sacramento District Office (northeastern California)SBA district office
- SBA San Francisco District Office (northern California)SBA district office
- California SBDCSmall Business Development Center
- SCORE mentors in CaliforniaBusiness mentoring
Alongside SBA loans, California runs three loan programs. The California page describes each, and the official pages are linked here.
Loan counts and sizes in San Diego
San Diego ranks 2nd by loans since FY2024 among the 92 California cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 8th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.
The 829 loans, 4.2% of the 19,508 in California, were approved for $367.4 million in all. The medianThe middle figure. Half the loans were larger and half were smaller. loan was $164,000, 9% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $60,000 and $464,700. The San Diego median is 18% below the California median of $200,000.
| Measure | San Diego | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loans | 829 | 19,508 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $164,000 | $200,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $60,000 | $65,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $464,700 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 28.8% | 29.0% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 20.5% | 18.8% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 9.4% | 8.9% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 8.6% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 3.0 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 4.1% | 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.
80% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 28.8% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 20.5% of loans, below the national 28.1%.
Labels show each size's share of all loans. The highlighted bar is the size band that contains the median.
By business age, 69.6% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.3% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 9.4% and changes of ownership 8.6%. The national startup share is 16.1%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume rose 18% from FY2024 (296 loans) to FY2025 (348), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 348 loans. FY2026 already shows 185 loans through June 30.
Of the 566 loans San Diego borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, 4.1% were charged offThe lender wrote the loan off as a loss because it was not being repaid. by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 8,214 jobs supported across the 829 loans since FY2024, about 9.9 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in San Diego borrow for
Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in San Diego, with 39 loans or 4.7% of the total.
The five largest industries made up 17% of all San Diego loans. Offices of Lawyers stands out: its 22 loans are 2.7% of San Diego loans, against 0.9% nationally, 3.0 times its national share.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Service Restaurants | 39 | 4.7% | 4.6% |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 32 | 3.9% | 3.3% |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 28 | 3.4% | 2.1% |
| Offices of Lawyers | 22 | 2.7% | 0.9% |
| Other Personal Care Services | 19 | 2.3% | 1.2% |
Share is the percent of all San Diego 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 San Diego
The median San Diego loan was $164,000 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in San Diego was priced at Prime plus 3.0 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 10.00%. On $164,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $2,167 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.
| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile loan | $60,000 | $793 |
| Median loan | $164,000 | $2,167 |
| 75th percentile loan | $464,700 | $6,141 |
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 $164,000 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).
San Diego 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 $175,000 loan and SBA Express payment calculator.
SBA 504 loans near San Diego
San Diego has 80 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $117.9 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
The median 504 loan in San Diego was $1,071,500 in SBA and CDC dollars, 21% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.
Mortgage Capital Development Corporation is the Certified Development CompanyA nonprofit that SBA certifies and regulates to arrange 504 loans together with a bank. (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2024, with 31. California Statewide Certified Development Corporation follows with 21. The five CDCs listed are named on 77 loans between them.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Mortgage Capital Development Corporation | 31 |
| California Statewide Certified Development Corporation | 21 |
| Southland Economic Development Corporation | 10 |
| CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 9 |
| 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 capitalMoney for day-to-day costs such as payroll, rent and inventory. Full definition or inventory. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221). SBA keeps a list of Certified Development Companies.
California cities near San Diego
San Diego made up 4.2% of California's SBA loans since FY2024.
San Diego is one of 92 California cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The California page covers all 19,508 loans in California. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.
Common questions about SBA loans in San Diego
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in San Diego?
U.S. Bank leads with 101 loans in San Diego since FY2024. Newtek Bank (51) and Zions Bank (50) follow. Only lenders with five or more San Diego loans are counted.
Which industries get SBA loans in San Diego?
Full-Service Restaurants leads with 39 loans in San Diego since FY2024. Limited-Service Restaurants (32) and Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (28) 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.
Sources
- SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan-level data, as of June 30, 2026
- SBA, 504 loans
- SBA, resource partners: SBDCs and SCORE
- SBA Fresno District Office (San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast)
- SBA Los Angeles District Office (Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties)
- SBA Orange County / Inland Empire District Office (Santa Ana and Palm Desert)
- SBA Sacramento District Office (northeastern California)
- SBA San Diego District Office (San Diego and Imperial counties)
- SBA San Francisco District Office (northern California)
- California SBDC
- SCORE, California
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. D.1 (p. 241); 13 CFR § 120.931
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. C, Ch. 1, Para. B (p. 221)
- sba.gov/loans/504-loans; SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. A, Ch. 3, Para. A (p. 51)
- SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126)
- 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)
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Cite this page: Small business loans in San Diego, CA. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/california-small-business-loans/san-diego/
Ask lending partners about a loan in San Diego
Tell us what you need and we refer your request to lending partners.
Janover Capital LLC is not a lender and is not the SBA. The lender makes the credit decision. A lender or marketplace may pay us a referral fee if we connect you, at no cost to you. Advertiser disclosure.