# Small business loans in Gainesville, GA

**Short answer:** Vallant Bank made the most SBA loans in Gainesville, GA since FY2024, with 5. The median loan was $466,500, and half fell between $244,450 and $1,395,625. For free help, see the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

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

## Lenders making SBA loans in Gainesville

No lender made more than 10% of the loans in Gainesville, and Vallant Bank made the most.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Gainesville, GA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Vallant Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/vallant-bank/) | 5 | 10.4% |

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

Gainesville has one lender with five or more loans since FY2024. Others had fewer, and the Georgia page counts 223 lenders with at least one approved loan statewide.

## Local help near Gainesville

Gainesville borrowers can start with SBA's district office for Georgia, an SBDC or SCORE.

33% of Gainesville 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 has one district office for Georgia. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The University of Georgia Small Business Development Center gives free counseling across Georgia.

- [SBA Georgia District Office (Atlanta): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/georgia)
- [University of Georgia Small Business Development Center: Small Business Development Center](https://georgiasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in Georgia: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/ga/)

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

- [Georgia Loan Participation Program](https://dca.georgia.gov/financing-tools/small-business/state-small-business-credit-initiative-ssbci/georgia-loan)
- [Georgia Small Business Credit Guaranty](https://dca.georgia.gov/financing-tools/small-business/state-small-business-credit-initiative-ssbci/georgia-small-business)

## Loan counts and sizes in Gainesville

Gainesville ranks 21st by loans since FY2024 among the 21 Georgia cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 542nd busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 48 loans, 1.0% of the 4,607 in Georgia, were approved for $52.0 million in all. The median loan was $466,500, 3.1 times the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $244,450 and $1,395,625. The Gainesville median is 54% above the Georgia median of $303,000.

**Gainesville, GA compared with Georgia and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Gainesville | Georgia | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 48 | 4,607 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $466,500 | $303,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $244,450 | $120,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $1,395,625 | $714,500 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | Fewer than 5 | 14.6% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 10.4% | 12.7% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 20.8% | 23.1% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 20.8% | 11.9% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.25 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 3.0% | 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.

Fewer than 5 of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 10.4% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Gainesville, GA by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less: Fewer than 5
- $50,001 to $150,000 (15%): 7
- $150,001 to $350,000 (21%): 10
- $350,001 to $500,000 (19%): 9
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (10%): 5
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (10%): 5
- Over $2,000,000 (19%): 9

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

By business age, 45.8% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.5% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 20.8% and changes of ownership 20.8%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in Gainesville, GA by fiscal year

- FY2020: 19
- FY2021: 13
- FY2022: 20
- FY2023: 19
- FY2024: 15
- FY2025: 20
- FY2026 (through June 30): 13

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

Volume rose 33% from FY2024 (15 loans) to FY2025 (20), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2022, with 20 loans. FY2026 already shows 13 loans through June 30.

Of the 52 loans Gainesville borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 875 jobs supported across the 48 loans since FY2024, about 18.2 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Gainesville borrow for

Limited-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Gainesville, with 5 loans or 10.4% of the total.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Gainesville, GA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Limited-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/georgia/) | 5 | 10.4% | 3.3% |

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

## A typical loan payment in Gainesville

The median Gainesville loan was $466,500 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Gainesville was priced at Prime plus 2.25 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.25%. On $466,500 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $5,973 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $244,450 | $3,130 |
| Median loan | $466,500 | $5,973 |
| 75th percentile loan | $1,395,625 | $17,869 |

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 $466,500 is Prime plus 3.0 percentage points, or 10.00% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 0.8 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(4); SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.5 (Para. B begins p. 126).

Gainesville loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 10% 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 $450,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/450000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Gainesville

Gainesville has 9 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $12.9 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Gainesville was $1,186,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 24% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.

Small Business Access Partners, Inc. is the Certified Development Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 14. Capital Partners Certified Development Company follows with 5. The three CDCs listed are named on 24 loans between them.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Small Business Access Partners, Inc. | 14 |
| Capital Partners Certified Development Company | 5 |
| Florida Business Development Corporation | 5 |

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/).

## Georgia cities near Gainesville

Gainesville made up 1.0% of Georgia's SBA loans since FY2024.

Gainesville is one of 21 Georgia cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [Georgia page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/) covers all 4,607 loans in Georgia. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Buford: 86 loans, median $325,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/buford/)
- [Atlanta: 596 loans, median $325,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/atlanta/)
- [McDonough: 75 loans, median $300,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/mcdonough/)
- [Woodstock: 75 loans, median $210,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/woodstock/)
- [Kennesaw: 76 loans, median $328,500](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/kennesaw/)
- [Canton: 61 loans, median $313,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/canton/)
- [Augusta: 62 loans, median $436,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/augusta/)
- [Duluth: 117 loans, median $370,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/georgia-small-business-loans/duluth/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Gainesville

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

Vallant Bank leads with 5 loans in Gainesville since FY2024. Only lenders with five or more Gainesville loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Gainesville?

Limited-Service Restaurants leads with 5 loans in Gainesville since FY2024.

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 Georgia District Office (Atlanta)](https://www.sba.gov/district/georgia)
- [University of Georgia Small Business Development Center](https://georgiasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, Georgia](https://www.score.org/ga/)
- [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)(4); SOP 50 10 8.1, Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.5 (Para. B begins p. 126)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.214)