# Small business loans in Rochester, NY

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Rochester, NY since FY2024 are ESL Federal Credit Union (110 loans) and M&T Bank (92). The median loan was $75,000, and half fell between $26,150 and $203,500. For free help, see the New York Small Business Development Centers. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/rochester/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in Rochester

ESL Federal Credit Union made the most loans in Rochester, 32% of the total. The five largest lenders together made 78%.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Rochester, NY, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [ESL Federal Credit Union](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/esl-federal-credit-union/): Credit union | 110 | 32.1% |
| [M&T Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/m-and-t-bank/) | 92 | 26.8% |
| [Genesee Regional Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/genesee-regional-bank/) | 31 | 9.0% |
| [Five Star Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/five-star-bank/) | 17 | 5.0% |
| [The Canandaigua National Bank and Trust Company](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/the-canandaigua-national-bank-and-trust-company/) | 16 | 4.7% |

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

## Local help near Rochester

Rochester borrowers can start with SBA's district offices for New York, an SBDC or SCORE.

36% of Rochester 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 runs three district offices that cover New York. Each page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in its area. The New York Small Business Development Centers gives free counseling across New York. The SBA Buffalo District Office (14 western counties, with a Rochester branch) comes first below because its name matches Rochester.

- [SBA Buffalo District Office (14 western counties, with a Rochester branch): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/buffalo)
- [SBA Metro New York District Office (14 counties in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/metro-new-york)
- [SBA Syracuse District Office (34 counties across upstate New York): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/upstate-new-york)
- [New York Small Business Development Centers: Small Business Development Center](https://nysbdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in New York: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/ny/)

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

- [New York State Small Business Revolving Loan Fund Round 2](https://esd.ny.gov/nys-small-business-revolving-loan-fund-round-2)
- [Regional Revolving Loan Trust Fund Program](https://esd.ny.gov/regional-revolving-loan-trust-fund-program)

## Loan counts and sizes in Rochester

Rochester ranks 3rd by loans since FY2024 among the 17 New York cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 36th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 343 loans, 3.2% of the 10,743 in New York, were approved for $89.4 million in all. The median loan was $75,000, 50% below the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $26,150 and $203,500. The Rochester median is 50% below the New York median of $150,000.

**Rochester, NY compared with New York and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Rochester | New York | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 343 | 10,743 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $75,000 | $150,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $26,150 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $203,500 | $300,000 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 66.2% | 52.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 53.4% | 42.7% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 15.7% | 9.3% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 9.6% | 4.7% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 2.0% | 7.2% | 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.

90% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 66.2% of all loans went through SBA Express, above the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 53.4% of loans, above the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Rochester, NY by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (46%): 158
- $50,001 to $150,000 (22%): 76
- $150,001 to $350,000 (16%): 54
- $350,001 to $500,000 (6%): 19
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (5%): 17
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (3%): 9
- Over $2,000,000 (3%): 10

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

By business age, 53.9% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 20.7% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 15.7% and changes of ownership 9.6%.

SBA loans in Rochester, NY by fiscal year

- FY2020: 93
- FY2021: 66
- FY2022: 90
- FY2023: 82
- FY2024: 118
- FY2025: 150
- FY2026 (through June 30): 75

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

Volume rose 27% from FY2024 (118 loans) to FY2025 (150), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 150 loans. FY2026 already shows 75 loans through June 30.

Of the 249 loans Rochester borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, 2.0% were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 2,758 jobs supported across the 343 loans since FY2024, about 8.0 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Rochester borrow for

Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Rochester, with 26 loans or 7.6% of the total.

The five largest industries made up 20% of all Rochester loans.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Rochester, NY, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/new-york/) | 26 | 7.6% | 4.6% |
| [Limited-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/new-york/) | 14 | 4.1% | 3.3% |
| [Beauty Salons](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/beauty-salons/new-york/) | 12 | 3.5% | 1.5% |
| [Residential Remodelers](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/residential-remodelers/new-york/) | 9 | 2.6% | 2.3% |
| [All Other Specialty Trade Contractors](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/all-other-specialty-trade-contractors/new-york/) | 7 | 2.0% | 1.7% |

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

## A typical loan payment in Rochester

The median Rochester loan was $75,000 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Rochester was priced at Prime plus 2.0 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.00%. On $75,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $950 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $26,150 | $331 |
| Median loan | $75,000 | $950 |
| 75th percentile loan | $203,500 | $2,578 |

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 $75,000 is Prime plus 6.0 percentage points, or 13.00% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 4.0 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).

Rochester loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 9.5% 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 $75,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/75000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Rochester

Rochester has 16 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $7.2 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Rochester was $415,500 in SBA and CDC dollars, 8% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.

Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation is the Certified Development Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 32. Empire State Certified Development Corporation follows with 19. The two CDCs listed are named on 51 loans between them.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation | 32 |
| Empire State Certified Development Corporation | 19 |

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/).

## New York cities near Rochester

Rochester made up 3.2% of New York's SBA loans since FY2024.

Rochester is one of 17 New York cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [New York page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/) covers all 10,743 loans in New York. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Buffalo: 222 loans, median $95,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/buffalo/)
- [Syracuse: 92 loans, median $114,400](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/syracuse/)
- [Albany: 59 loans, median $114,700](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/albany/)
- [Jamaica: 84 loans, median $117,500](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/jamaica/)
- [Flushing: 105 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/flushing/)
- [Brooklyn: 1,498 loans, median $150,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/brooklyn/)
- [Astoria: 85 loans, median $101,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/astoria/)
- [Long Island City: 74 loans, median $250,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/new-york-small-business-loans/long-island-city/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Rochester

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

ESL Federal Credit Union leads with 110 loans in Rochester since FY2024. M&T Bank (92) and Genesee Regional Bank (31) follow. Only lenders with five or more Rochester loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Rochester?

Full-Service Restaurants leads with 26 loans in Rochester since FY2024. Limited-Service Restaurants (14) and Beauty Salons (12) 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 Buffalo District Office (14 western counties, with a Rochester branch)](https://www.sba.gov/district/buffalo)
- [SBA Metro New York District Office (14 counties in New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley)](https://www.sba.gov/district/metro-new-york)
- [SBA Syracuse District Office (34 counties across upstate New York)](https://www.sba.gov/district/upstate-new-york)
- [New York Small Business Development Centers](https://nysbdc.org/)
- [SCORE, New York](https://www.score.org/ny/)
- [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)