# Small business loans in New Orleans, LA

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in New Orleans, LA since FY2024 are Newtek Bank (38 loans) and JPMorgan Chase Bank (13). The median loan was $150,000, and half fell between $79,750 and $403,750. 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/new-orleans/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in New Orleans

No lender made more than 25% of the loans in New Orleans, and Newtek Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 54%.

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

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Newtek Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/newtek-bank/) | 38 | 24.5% |
| [JPMorgan Chase Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/jpmorgan-chase-bank/) | 13 | 8.4% |
| [Hancock Whitney Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/hancock-whitney-bank/) | 12 | 7.7% |
| [Live Oak Banking Company](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/live-oak-banking-company/) | 10 | 6.5% |
| [Northeast Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/northeast-bank/) | 10 | 6.5% |

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

## Local help near New Orleans

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

34% of New Orleans 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 New Orleans

New Orleans ranks 1st by loans since FY2024 among the 5 Louisiana cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 109th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 155 loans, 12.6% of the 1,231 in Louisiana, were approved for $73.7 million in all. The median loan was $150,000, close to the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $79,750 and $403,750. The New Orleans median is 31% below the Louisiana median of $218,000.

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

| Measure | New Orleans | Louisiana | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 155 | 1,231 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $218,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $79,750 | $100,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $403,750 | $576,850 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 23.2% | 18.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 15.5% | 13.6% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 23.2% | 22.1% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 6.5% | 12.2% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.95 | 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. 23.2% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 15.5% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in New Orleans, LA by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (20%): 31
- $50,001 to $150,000 (31%): 48
- $150,001 to $350,000 (21%): 33
- $350,001 to $500,000 (7%): 11
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (10%): 15
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (5%): 7
- Over $2,000,000 (6%): 10

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

By business age, 59.4% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 11.0% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 23.2% and changes of ownership 6.5%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in New Orleans, LA by fiscal year

- FY2020: 31
- FY2021: 29
- FY2022: 28
- FY2023: 50
- FY2024: 63
- FY2025: 66
- FY2026 (through June 30): 26

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

Volume held steady from FY2024 (63 loans) to FY2025 (66), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 66 loans. FY2026 already shows 26 loans through June 30.

Of the 88 loans New Orleans borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 1,555 jobs supported across the 155 loans since FY2024, about 10.0 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in New Orleans borrow for

Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in New Orleans, with 15 loans or 9.7% of the total.

The four largest industries made up 23% of all New Orleans loans.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in New Orleans, LA, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/) | 15 | 9.7% | 4.6% |
| [Limited-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/) | 9 | 5.8% | 3.3% |
| [Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/clothing-clothing-accessories-retailers/) | 6 | 3.9% | 0.9% |
| [Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/snack-nonalcoholic-beverage-bars/) | 5 | 3.2% | 1.6% |

Share is the percent of all New Orleans 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 New Orleans

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

The median variable-rate loan in New Orleans was priced at Prime plus 2.95 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.95%. On $150,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $1,978 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $79,750 | $1,052 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $1,978 |
| 75th percentile loan | $403,750 | $5,324 |

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 3.0 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).

New Orleans 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 $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 New Orleans

New Orleans has 6 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $6.7 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in New Orleans was $1,009,500 in SBA and CDC dollars, 20% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.

Community Certified Development Corporation is the Certified Development Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 7. New Orleans Regional Business Development Loan Corporation follows with 5. The two CDCs listed are named on 12 loans between them.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Community Certified Development Corporation | 7 |
| New Orleans Regional Business Development Loan 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/).

## Louisiana cities near New Orleans

New Orleans made up 12.6% of Louisiana's SBA loans since FY2024.

New Orleans 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.

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

## Common questions about SBA loans in New Orleans

### Which lenders make the most SBA loans in New Orleans?

Newtek Bank leads with 38 loans in New Orleans since FY2024. JPMorgan Chase Bank (13) and Hancock Whitney Bank (12) follow. Only lenders with five or more New Orleans loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in New Orleans?

Full-Service Restaurants leads with 15 loans in New Orleans since FY2024. Limited-Service Restaurants (9) and Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (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](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)