# Small business loans in Lafayette, LA

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Lafayette, LA since FY2024 are Newtek Bank (8 loans) and Northeast Bank (6). The median loan was $150,000, and half fell between $75,000 and $550,500. For free help, see the Louisiana Small Business Development Center. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

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

## Lenders making SBA loans in Lafayette

No lender made more than 13% of the loans in Lafayette, and Newtek Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 48%.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Lafayette, LA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Newtek Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/newtek-bank/) | 8 | 12.7% |
| [Northeast Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/northeast-bank/) | 6 | 9.5% |
| [Readycap Lending, LLC](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/readycap-lending-llc/louisiana/): Non-bank lender | 6 | 9.5% |
| [Celtic Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/celtic-bank/) | 5 | 7.9% |
| [Gulf Coast Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/gulf-coast-bank/) | 5 | 7.9% |

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

## Local help near Lafayette

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

29% of Lafayette 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](https://www.sba.gov/district/louisiana)
- [Louisiana Small Business Development Center: Small Business Development Center](https://louisianasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in Louisiana: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/la/louisiana/)

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

- [Louisiana Small Business Loan Guaranty Program](https://www.louisianassbci.com/programs/small-business-loan-guaranty/)
- [Louisiana SSBCI Collateral Support Program](https://www.louisianassbci.com/programs/collateral-support/)
- [Louisiana SSBCI Micro Lending Program](https://www.louisianassbci.com/programs/micro-lending/)

## Loan counts and sizes in Lafayette

Lafayette ranks 3rd by loans since FY2024 among the 5 Louisiana cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 417th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 63 loans, 5.1% of the 1,231 in Louisiana, were approved for $36.5 million in all. The median loan was $150,000, close to the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $75,000 and $550,500. The Lafayette median is 31% below the Louisiana median of $218,000.

**Lafayette, LA compared with Louisiana and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Lafayette | Louisiana | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 63 | 1,231 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $218,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $75,000 | $100,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $550,500 | $576,850 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | Fewer than 5 | 18.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | Fewer than 5 | 13.6% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 15.9% | 22.1% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 15.9% | 12.2% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 6.5% | 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.

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

SBA loans in Lafayette, LA by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (21%): 13
- $50,001 to $150,000 (37%): 23
- $150,001 to $350,000 (13%): 8
- $350,001 to $500,000: Fewer than 5
- $500,001 to $1,000,000: Fewer than 5
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (11%): 7
- Over $2,000,000 (10%): 6

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

By business age, 54.0% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.7% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 15.9% and changes of ownership 15.9%.

SBA loans in Lafayette, LA by fiscal year

- FY2020: 26
- FY2021: 23
- FY2022: 28
- FY2023: 21
- FY2024: 24
- FY2025: 23
- FY2026 (through June 30): 16

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

Volume held steady from FY2024 (24 loans) to FY2025 (23), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2022, with 28 loans. FY2026 already shows 16 loans through June 30.

Of the 77 loans Lafayette borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, 6.5% were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. That group is small, so treat the rate as rough. Lenders reported 841 jobs supported across the 63 loans since FY2024, about 13.3 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Lafayette borrow for

Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Lafayette since FY2020, with 8 loans or 5.0% of the total.

The five largest industries made up 22% of all Lafayette loans since FY2020.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Lafayette, LA, FY2020 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/) | 8 | 5.0% | 4.6% |
| [Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/hotels-motels/) | 8 | 5.0% | 1.1% |
| [Insurance Agencies and Brokerages](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/insurance-agencies-brokerages/) | 7 | 4.3% | 1.1% |
| [Offices of Chiropractors](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/offices-of-chiropractors/) | 6 | 3.7% | 0.8% |
| [Offices of Mental Health Practitioners (except Physicians)](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/offices-of-mental-health-practitioners/) | 6 | 3.7% | 0.8% |

Share is the percent of all Lafayette 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 Lafayette

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

The median variable-rate loan in Lafayette 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 Lafayette loan sizes over 10 years**

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $75,000 | $981 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $1,962 |
| 75th percentile loan | $550,500 | $7,199 |

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).

Lafayette 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 $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 Lafayette

Lafayette has 25 SBA 504 loans since FY2020, with $16.8 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.

Louisiana Capital Certified Development Company, Inc. is the one Certified Development Company (CDC) named on five or more loans, 23 since FY2020.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Louisiana Capital Certified Development Company, Inc. | 23 |

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/).

## Louisiana cities near Lafayette

Lafayette made up 5.1% of Louisiana's SBA loans since FY2024.

Lafayette is one of 5 Louisiana cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [Louisiana page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/) covers all 1,231 loans in Louisiana. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Baton Rouge: 145 loans, median $225,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/baton-rouge/)
- [New Orleans: 155 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/new-orleans/)
- [Metairie: 63 loans, median $250,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/metairie/)
- [Shreveport: 60 loans, median $200,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/louisiana-small-business-loans/shreveport/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Lafayette

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

Newtek Bank leads with 8 loans in Lafayette since FY2024. Northeast Bank (6) and Readycap Lending, LLC (6) follow. Only lenders with five or more Lafayette loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Lafayette?

Full-Service Restaurants leads with 8 loans in Lafayette since FY2020. Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels (8) and Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (7) 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 Louisiana District Office (New Orleans)](https://www.sba.gov/district/louisiana)
- [Louisiana Small Business Development Center](https://louisianasbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, Louisiana](https://www.score.org/la/louisiana/)
- [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)