Small business loans in Baton Rouge, LA
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in Baton Rouge, LA since FY2024 are American Bank (14 loans) and Newtek Bank (11). The median loan was $225,000, and half fell between $150,000 and $490,000. For free help, see the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 145
- approved since FY2024
- $80.87M
- median loan
- $225,000
- through SBA Express
- 20.7%
Lenders making SBA loans in Baton Rouge
No lender made more than 10% of the loans in Baton Rouge, and American Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 34%.
| Lender | Loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| American Bank | 14 | 9.7% |
| Newtek Bank | 11 | 7.6% |
| Hancock Whitney Bank | 8 | 5.5% |
| JPMorgan Chase Bank | 8 | 5.5% |
| Readycap Lending, LLCNon-bank lender | 8 | 5.5% |
Share is the percent of all Baton Rouge loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for Louisiana where one exists.
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Local help near Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge borrowers can start with SBA's district office for Louisiana, an SBDC or SCORE.
34% of Baton Rouge 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 Louisiana. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The Louisiana Small Business Development Center gives free counseling across Louisiana.
- SBA Louisiana District Office (New Orleans)SBA district office
- Louisiana Small Business Development CenterSmall Business Development Center
- SCORE mentors in LouisianaBusiness mentoring
Alongside SBA loans, Louisiana runs three loan programs. The Louisiana page describes each, and the official pages are linked here.
Loan counts and sizes in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge ranks 2nd by loans since FY2024 among the 5 Louisiana cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 122nd busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.
The 145 loans, 11.8% of the 1,231 in Louisiana, were approved for $80.9 million in all. The medianThe middle figure. Half the loans were larger and half were smaller. loan was $225,000, 50% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $150,000 and $490,000. The Louisiana median is $218,000.
| Measure | Baton Rouge | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loans | 145 | 1,231 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $225,000 | $218,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $150,000 | $100,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $490,000 | $576,850 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 20.7% | 18.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 15.9% | 13.6% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 19.3% | 22.1% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 9.7% | 12.2% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 4.8% | 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.
79% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 20.7% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 15.9% 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, 56.6% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 14.5% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 19.3% and changes of ownership 9.7%. The national startup share is 16.1%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume fell 31% from FY2024 (62 loans) to FY2025 (43), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2024, with 62 loans. FY2026 already shows 40 loans through June 30.
Of the 109 loans Baton Rouge borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 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 1,802 jobs supported across the 145 loans since FY2024, about 12.4 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in Baton Rouge borrow for
Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Baton Rouge, with 7 loans or 4.8% of the total.
The four largest industries made up 17% of all Baton Rouge loans.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Service Restaurants | 7 | 4.8% | 4.6% |
| Child Care Services | 6 | 4.1% | 1.5% |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 6 | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) | 6 | 4.1% | 1.1% |
Share is the percent of all Baton Rouge loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the Louisiana page for that industry where one exists.
A typical loan payment in Baton Rouge
The median Baton Rouge loan was $225,000 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in Baton Rouge was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $225,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $2,942 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.
| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile loan | $150,000 | $1,962 |
| Median loan | $225,000 | $2,942 |
| 75th percentile loan | $490,000 | $6,408 |
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 $225,000 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).
Baton Rouge 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 $250,000 loan and SBA Express payment calculator.
SBA 504 loans near Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge has 9 SBA 504 loans since FY2020, with $13.4 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
Fewer than five of them came in FY2024 or later, so no recent median is published. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.
No Certified Development CompanyA nonprofit that SBA certifies and regulates to arrange 504 loans together with a bank. (CDC) is named on five or more 504 loans in Baton Rouge, so the list below is Louisiana's. Louisiana Capital Certified Development Company, Inc. is named on the most there, 15 loans since FY2024.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Louisiana Capital Certified Development Company, Inc. | 15 |
| JEDCO Development Corporation | 14 |
| Community Certified Development Corporation | 13 |
| New Orleans Regional Business Development Loan Corporation | 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.
Louisiana cities near Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge made up 11.8% of Louisiana's SBA loans since FY2024.
Baton Rouge is one of 5 Louisiana cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The Louisiana page covers all 1,231 loans in Louisiana. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.
Common questions about SBA loans in Baton Rouge
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Baton Rouge?
American Bank leads with 14 loans in Baton Rouge since FY2024. Newtek Bank (11) and Hancock Whitney Bank (8) follow. Only lenders with five or more Baton Rouge loans are counted.
Which industries get SBA loans in Baton Rouge?
Full-Service Restaurants leads with 7 loans in Baton Rouge since FY2024. Child Care Services (6) and Limited-Service Restaurants (6) 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 Louisiana District Office (New Orleans)
- Louisiana Small Business Development Center
- SCORE, Louisiana
- 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 Baton Rouge, LA. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/baton-rouge/
Ask lending partners about a loan in Baton Rouge
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.