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SBA loans for convenience stores under the 2017 NAICS code

Short answer

From FY2023, SBA's loan file lists convenience stores under 2022 NAICS code 445131. Under code 445120, SBA approved 650 loans from October 2019 to June 2026, with a median of $350,000. Source: SBA 7(a) loan file, June 30, 2026.

SBA loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
650
Median loan
$350,000
Median spread over Prime
Prime + 2
Loans since Oct 2023
13

These figures come from SBA's public loan file for the 7(a) program, which includes SBA Express. They cover NAICS 445120, Convenience Stores. The loans were approved from October 1, 2019 to June 30, 2026. The file lists approvals only, so it shows what lenders funded, not who applied or who was turned down.

The 2022 NAICS change

From FY2023, lenders file convenience stores under 2022 NAICS code 445131.

NAICS codes were revised in 2022. SBA's loan file shows lenders moving these businesses from 2017 code 445120 to NAICS 445131, Convenience retailers during FY2022 and FY2023. The fall in loans under 445120 is that change of code, not a fall in lending to convenience stores.

SBA loans by fiscal year under each code, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
Fiscal yearNAICS 445120 (2017)NAICS 445131 (2022)Codes together
FY20202370237
FY20213000300
FY20227992171
FY202321183204
FY202411233244
FY2025Fewer than 5235236 to 239
FY2026 (to June 30)0155155

A count of 1 to 4 loans shows as Fewer than 5, so a total that includes one is shown as a range. The last column adds the codes shown. Some businesses in this trade may be filed under other codes.

What lenders check

Each lender sets its own checklist. SBA sets the basic eligibility tests.

A lender reviewing a loan to convenience stores looks at the business's numbers and these items for the trade:

  • Tobacco and vape sales as a share of revenue and the licenses held, since regulation and local flavor bans can change that line fast
  • Whether sales on tax returns match point-of-sale records and bank deposits, since cash-heavy stores must show their income
  • Beer, wine and lottery licenses, and a clean record on sales to minors

What SBA sets and what the lender sets

Under SOP 50 10 8.1, SBA sets no minimum credit score; the lender applies its own credit standards. To qualify, a business must be an operating, for-profit business located in the United States that is small under SBA size standards and can show a need for the credit. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; SBA Procedural Notice 5000-876777; 13 CFR § 120.100.

Common uses of the money

Businesses like these use SBA loans for:

  • A walk-in beer cave or cooler doors to sell more cold drinks
  • Hot food and coffee equipment to raise margin beyond packaged goods
  • Purchase of a nearby store or a buyout of a co-owner

The cash cycle

Customers pay at the register, often in cash, while vendors who deliver snacks and drinks are paid on delivery or on a set schedule. Tobacco is bought up front at thin margins, so much of the cash sits in cartons on the shelf.

Collateral

Store fixtures, coolers and inventory secure the loan, and many owners rent the space, so real estate often adds little.

SBA collateral and guarantee rules

On an SBA Express loan of $50,000 or less, collateral is not required. Above that, the lender may use its own collateral policies for similar non-SBA loans. Under SOP 50 10 8.1, a loan request must not be declined solely because collateral is inadequate.

Every owner of 20% or more of the business must give an unlimited personal guaranteeYour promise to repay the loan yourself if the business cannot. . Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 19, Para. B.3; App. 19, Para. A (p. 404); Sec. A, Ch. 5, Para. A.1 (p. 93); 13 CFR § 120.160(a).

How much they borrow

65% of these loans were $500,000 or less, the range where SBA Express is available.

Share of 650 loans by size, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
  • $50,000 or less20%
  • $50,001 to $150,00010%
  • $150,001 to $350,00023%
  • $350,001 to $500,00012%
  • $500,001 to $1,000,00023%
  • $1,000,001 to $2,000,00011%
  • Over $2,000,0001.8%

Bars show each band's share of the loans.

The median loan was $350,000, larger than the $200,000 median for all SBA 7(a) loans. Half of the loans fell between $110,075 and $678,000. The most common size band was $150,001 to $350,000.

By business age, 48.5% had operated for more than 2 years and 13% for 2 years or less. 9.5% were startups opening with the loan, and 26% paid for a change of ownership.

What they paid

SBA approved 13 loans to these businesses since October 2023. Recent loans that few give no rate of their own, so these figures cover October 1, 2019 to June 30, 2026.

Prime + 2Median spread over Prime
Prime + 2.6All industries, median spread

The median spread across 650 approvals was Prime plus 2 percentage points, against Prime plus 2.6 percentage points for all industries. A spread is measured against Prime on the approval date, which makes loans from different years comparable. It is not today's rate.

SBA's maximum rate today

SBA caps a variable rate by loan size. For a loan of $250,001 to $350,000, the cap is Prime plus 4.5 percentage points. The typical loan here, $350,000, is in that range. With Prime at 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026, the maximum is 11.50% today. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395); 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(3).

How the money comes

30% of the loans went through SBA Express and 15% were lines of credit. The median term was 10 years.

30.0%Through SBA Express
15.1%Lines of credit
10 yearsMedian term

Across all industries, 38.5% of loans went through SBA Express and 27% were lines of credit. Express counts here include Export Express.

SBA Express in brief

An SBA Express loan can be as large as $500,000, and SBA guarantees 50% of it. On an Express loan, the lender makes the credit decision without prior SBA review. SBA's procedures also say only a lender with SBA Express authority can make one. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. B.1 (p. 126); App. 16, Para. B.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2, Para. C.2; Sec. B, Ch. 2 (p. 125).

The median term was 10 years (120 months). For working capital, SBA's maximum term is 10 years. For equipment, it is 10 years, or up to 15 years if the IRS asset class useful life supports it. Source: SOP 50 10 8.1: App. 17, Para. A.1 (p. 390); App. 17, Para. A.2 (p. 390).

Who lends

Commonwealth Business Bank made the most loans, 94 of 650 (14%).

Largest lenders by loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
LenderTypeLoansShare of loans
Commonwealth Business BankBank9414.5%
TD BankBank396.0%
The Huntington National BankBank396.0%
Hanmi BankBank223.4%
U.S. BankBank172.6%

Lenders are ranked by loans and listed only when they made 5 or more. Janover Capital LLC does not represent these lenders, and a lender's past loans do not describe its current credit policy.

See every lender on the SBA Express lenders page.

Where the loans are

California had the most loans, 178 of 650 (27%).

Top states by loans, Oct 2019 to Jun 2026
StateLoansShare of loans
California17827.4%
Washington517.8%
Texas426.5%
New York335.1%
Ohio324.9%

Location is the state of the business, not of the lender.

Compare every state on SBA loans by state.

How often these loans went bad

2.1% of 616 seasoned loans were charged off, below the 3.6% rate for all SBA 7(a) loans.

616Seasoned loans
2.1%Charged off, by loans
0.2%Charged off, by dollars
3.6%All industries, by loans

13 of the 616 loans approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022 were charged offThe lender wrote the loan off as a loss because it was not being repaid. by June 30, 2026. By dollars, 0.2% of the approved amount was charged off.

How we measure this

A seasoned loan is one approved October 1, 2019 to September 30, 2022. Newer loans have not had time to go bad, so they are left out. Charged off means the lender wrote the loan off as a loss, shown as status CHGOFF in SBA's file on June 30, 2026. The rate is charged-off loans divided by seasoned loans. This describes what happened to approved loans. It says nothing about whether an application will be approved.

A payment example

Payment on a typical loan
ItemExample
Loan amount$350,000, the median
Term10 years (120 months), the median
Rate10.25%, the national median at approval
Monthly payment$4,674
Total interest over the term$210,864

The example uses the median loan and the median term. These businesses have too few recent loans for their own median rate, so it uses the national median at approval, 10.25%. It covers principal and interest only, and it assumes the loan runs the full term. It leaves out fees, including the SBA guaranty feeA fee SBA charges on the guaranteed part of a loan. The lender pays it and may pass it to you. Full definition.

On a variable-rate loan, a 1 percentage point move in Prime changes this payment by about $197 a month. Prime is 7.00% as of Nov 10, 2026. For a payment at today's rate, use the SBA Express payment calculator.

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. Industry is the NAICS code recorded on each loan. This page covers NAICS 445120, Convenience Stores. Express share counts SBA Express and Export Express loans. Lines of credit are loans the file marks as revolving. The median rate is the initial rate on loans with a rate on file. The spread is that rate minus Prime on the approval date, for variable-rate loans only. How we build these pages.

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