# Small business loans in Clearwater, FL

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Clearwater, FL since FY2024 are Newtek Bank (11 loans) and JPMorgan Chase Bank (10). The median loan was $272,500, and half fell between $100,000 and $713,325. For free help, see the Florida SBDC Network. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/clearwater/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in Clearwater

No lender made more than 9% of the loans in Clearwater, and Newtek Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 34%.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Clearwater, FL, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Newtek Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/newtek-bank/) | 11 | 8.9% |
| [JPMorgan Chase Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/jpmorgan-chase-bank/) | 10 | 8.1% |
| [Readycap Lending, LLC](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/readycap-lending-llc/): Non-bank lender | 8 | 6.5% |
| [Live Oak Banking Company](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/live-oak-banking-company/) | 7 | 5.6% |
| [BayFirst National Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/bayfirst-national-bank/florida/) | 6 | 4.8% |

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

## Local help near Clearwater

Clearwater borrowers can start with SBA's district offices for Florida, an SBDC or SCORE.

28% of Clearwater 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 two district offices that cover Florida. Each page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in its area. The Florida SBDC Network gives free counseling across Florida.

- [SBA North Florida District Office (Jacksonville and Orlando): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/north-florida)
- [SBA South Florida District Office (Miami, Fort Pierce and Tampa): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/south-florida)
- [Florida SBDC Network (University of West Florida): Small Business Development Center](https://floridasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in Florida: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/fl/)

Alongside SBA loans, Florida runs a loan program. The [Florida page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/#loan-programs-in-florida) describes it, and the official page is linked here.

- [Florida SSBCI small business programs](https://floridajobs.org/business-growth/State-Small-Business-Credit-Initiative/for-businesses)

## Loan counts and sizes in Clearwater

Clearwater ranks 17th by loans since FY2024 among the 55 Florida cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 140th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 124 loans, 1.0% of the 12,780 in Florida, were approved for $68.3 million in all. The median loan was $272,500, 81% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $100,000 and $713,325. The Clearwater median is 20% above the Florida median of $226,250.

**Clearwater, FL compared with Florida and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Clearwater | Florida | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 124 | 12,780 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $272,500 | $226,250 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $100,000 | $90,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $713,325 | $500,000 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 23.4% | 30.0% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 17.7% | 26.1% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 15.3% | 15.1% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 12.9% | 10.5% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 3.0 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 6.1% | 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.

67% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 23.4% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 17.7% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Clearwater, FL by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (17%): 21
- $50,001 to $150,000 (22%): 27
- $150,001 to $350,000 (20%): 25
- $350,001 to $500,000 (8%): 10
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (19%): 23
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (10%): 12
- Over $2,000,000 (5%): 6

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

By business age, 58.9% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.9% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 15.3% and changes of ownership 12.9%.

SBA loans in Clearwater, FL by fiscal year

- FY2020: 25
- FY2021: 46
- FY2022: 42
- FY2023: 31
- FY2024: 55
- FY2025: 39
- FY2026 (through June 30): 30

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

Volume fell 29% from FY2024 (55 loans) to FY2025 (39), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2024, with 55 loans. FY2026 already shows 30 loans through June 30.

Of the 113 loans Clearwater borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 1,284 jobs supported across the 124 loans since FY2024, about 10.4 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Clearwater borrow for

Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Clearwater, with 7 loans or 5.6% of the total.

The three largest industries made up 15% of all Clearwater loans.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Clearwater, FL, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/florida/) | 7 | 5.6% | 4.6% |
| [Home Health Care Services](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/home-health-care-services/florida/) | 7 | 5.6% | 1.0% |
| [Offices of Dentists](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/offices-of-dentists/florida/) | 5 | 4.0% | 1.1% |

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

## A typical loan payment in Clearwater

The median Clearwater loan was $272,500 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Clearwater was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $272,500 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $3,563 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $100,000 | $1,308 |
| Median loan | $272,500 | $3,563 |
| 75th percentile loan | $713,325 | $9,328 |

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 $272,500 is Prime plus 4.5 percentage points, or 11.50% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 1.8 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(3); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).

Clearwater loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 10.75% 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 Clearwater

Clearwater has 12 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $8.3 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Clearwater was $439,500 in SBA and CDC dollars, 9% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.

Florida Business Development Corporation is the Certified Development Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 15. Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, Inc. follows with 11. The three CDCs listed are named on 37 loans between them.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Florida Business Development Corporation | 15 |
| Florida First Capital Finance Corporation, Inc. | 11 |
| Sunshine State Economic Development Corporation | 11 |

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/).

## Florida cities near Clearwater

Clearwater made up 1.0% of Florida's SBA loans since FY2024.

Clearwater is one of 55 Florida cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [Florida page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/) covers all 12,780 loans in Florida. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Largo: 67 loans, median $285,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/largo/)
- [St. Petersburg: 199 loans, median $262,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/st-petersburg/)
- [Lakeland: 116 loans, median $217,500](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/lakeland/)
- [Tampa: 556 loans, median $300,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/tampa/)
- [Fort Myers: 199 loans, median $350,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/fort-myers/)
- [Cape Coral: 108 loans, median $245,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/cape-coral/)
- [Riverview: 44 loans, median $175,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/riverview/)
- [Wesley Chapel: 69 loans, median $185,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/florida-small-business-loans/wesley-chapel/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Clearwater

### Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Clearwater?

Newtek Bank leads with 11 loans in Clearwater since FY2024. JPMorgan Chase Bank (10) and Readycap Lending, LLC (8) follow. Only lenders with five or more Clearwater loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Clearwater?

Full-Service Restaurants leads with 7 loans in Clearwater since FY2024. Home Health Care Services (7) and Offices of Dentists (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 North Florida District Office (Jacksonville and Orlando)](https://www.sba.gov/district/north-florida)
- [SBA South Florida District Office (Miami, Fort Pierce and Tampa)](https://www.sba.gov/district/south-florida)
- [Florida SBDC Network (University of West Florida)](https://floridasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, Florida](https://www.score.org/fl/)
- [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)(3); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.214)