# Small business loans in Des Moines, IA

**Short answer:** U.S. Bank made the most SBA loans in Des Moines, IA since FY2024, with 19. The median loan was $150,000, and half fell between $50,000 and $350,000. For free help, see the Iowa SBDC. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/iowa-small-business-loans/des-moines/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in Des Moines

No lender made more than 23% of the loans in Des Moines, and U.S. Bank made the most.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Des Moines, IA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [U.S. Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/u-s-bank/iowa/) | 19 | 22.9% |

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

Des Moines has one lender with five or more loans since FY2024. Others had fewer, and the Iowa page counts 148 lenders with at least one approved loan statewide.

## Local help near Des Moines

Des Moines borrowers can start with SBA's district office for Iowa, an SBDC or SCORE.

42% of Des Moines 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 Iowa. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The Iowa SBDC gives free counseling across Iowa.

- [SBA Iowa District Office (Des Moines): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/iowa)
- [Iowa SBDC (Iowa State University): Small Business Development Center](https://iowasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in Iowa: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/ia/)

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

- [Small Business Collateral Support Program](https://opportunityiowa.gov/business/small-business-entrepreneurs/small-business-resources/state-small-business-credit-initiative-ssbci)

## Loan counts and sizes in Des Moines

Des Moines ranks 1st by loans since FY2024 among the 2 Iowa cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 274th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 83 loans, 8.5% of the 978 in Iowa, were approved for $32.2 million in all. The median loan was $150,000, close to the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $50,000 and $350,000. The Iowa median is $150,000.

**Des Moines, IA compared with Iowa and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Des Moines | Iowa | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 83 | 978 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $150,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $350,000 | $400,000 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 32.5% | 33.9% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 22.9% | 20.7% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 22.9% | 20.7% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 10.8% | 15.5% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 2.4% | 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.

32.5% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 22.9% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Des Moines, IA by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (34%): 28
- $50,001 to $150,000 (23%): 19
- $150,001 to $350,000 (20%): 17
- $350,001 to $500,000: Fewer than 5
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (10%): 8
- $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, 47.0% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 19.3% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 22.9% and changes of ownership 10.8%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in Des Moines, IA by fiscal year

- FY2020: 24
- FY2021: 25
- FY2022: 21
- FY2023: 17
- FY2024: 30
- FY2025: 36
- FY2026 (through June 30): 17

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

Volume rose 20% from FY2024 (30 loans) to FY2025 (36), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 36 loans. FY2026 already shows 17 loans through June 30.

Of the 70 loans Des Moines borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 751 jobs supported across the 83 loans since FY2024, about 9.0 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Des Moines borrow for

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers was the largest borrower group in Des Moines, with 7 loans or 8.4% of the total.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Des Moines, IA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/fitness-recreational-sports-centers/) | 7 | 8.4% | 2.1% |

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

## A typical loan payment in Des Moines

The median Des Moines loan was $150,000 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Des Moines was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $150,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $1,962 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $50,000 | $654 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $1,962 |
| 75th percentile loan | $350,000 | $4,577 |

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 $150,000 is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points, or 13.00% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 3.2 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).

Des Moines loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 9.75% 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 $150,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/150000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Des Moines

Des Moines has 12 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $11.2 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Des Moines was $433,500 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.

Iowa Business Growth Company is the Certified Development Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 22. Pivotal Business Partners follows with 7. The two CDCs listed are named on 29 loans between them.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Iowa Business Growth Company | 22 |
| Pivotal Business Partners | 7 |

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/).

## Iowa cities near Des Moines

Des Moines made up 8.5% of Iowa's SBA loans since FY2024.

Des Moines is one of 2 Iowa cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [Iowa page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/iowa-small-business-loans/) covers all 978 loans in Iowa. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Cedar Rapids: 57 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/iowa-small-business-loans/cedar-rapids/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Des Moines

### Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Des Moines?

U.S. Bank leads with 19 loans in Des Moines since FY2024. Only lenders with five or more Des Moines loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Des Moines?

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers leads with 7 loans in Des Moines 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 Iowa District Office (Des Moines)](https://www.sba.gov/district/iowa)
- [Iowa SBDC (Iowa State University)](https://iowasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, Iowa](https://www.score.org/ia/)
- [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)