Small business loans in North Carolina
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in North Carolina since FY2024 are The Huntington National Bank (320 loans) and Live Oak Banking Company (272). The median loan was $300,000, and half fell between $102,500 and $710,500. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 3,871
- approved since FY2024
- $2.53B
- median loan
- $300,000
- through SBA Express
- 22.3%
Lenders making SBA loans in North Carolina
No lender made more than 8% of the loans in North Carolina, and The Huntington National Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 31%.
171 lenders had at least one SBA loan approved in North Carolina since FY2024, and 86 of them had five or more. Those 86 are 73 banks, 3 credit unions and 10 non-bank lenders. Banks made 84% of the loans, credit unions 1% and non-bank lenders 10%.
| Lender | Loans | Median | Express |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 320 | $250,000 | 40.3% |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 272 | $500,000 | 14.0% |
| Newtek Bank | 204 | $190,000 | 25.5% |
| Readycap Lending, LLCNon-bank lender | 202 | $50,000 | Fewer than 5 |
| Northeast Bank | 195 | $100,000 | 0.0% |
| Wells Fargo Bank | 176 | $20,000 | 73.3% |
| TD Bank | 120 | $55,000 | 85.8% |
| Pinnacle Bank | 112 | $744,500 | 11.6% |
| United Midwest Savings Bank | 111 | $150,000 | 0.0% |
| BayFirst National Bank | 101 | $150,000 | Fewer than 5 |
| Celtic Bank | 90 | $150,000 | 0.0% |
| Bank of America | 84 | $400,000 | 54.8% |
| First Community Bank | 84 | $280,650 | 44.0% |
| First Bank | 81 | $712,000 | 12.3% |
| TowneBank | 75 | $960,400 | 20.0% |
71 more lenders made five or more loans each. Median is the lender's median loan. Express is the percent of its loans made through SBA Express. A line under a name gives the type of any lender that is not an active bank. Each name links to that lender's page for the state.
Ask lending partners about a loan in North Carolina
171 lenders had SBA loans approved in North Carolina since FY2024. Tell us what you need and we refer your request to lending partners.
Start my loan requestJanover 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.
Local help in North Carolina: SBA, SBDC and SCORE
North Carolina has an SBA district office, a Small Business Development Center network and SCORE mentors.
39% of North Carolina 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 North Carolina. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. 171 lenders had SBA loans approved in North Carolina since FY2024.
The Wilmington branch serves 29 counties in eastern North Carolina, and the Charlotte office serves the rest of the state.
Loan counts and sizes in North Carolina
North Carolina ranks 14th among the 50 states, DC and Puerto Rico for SBA loans, with 2.4% of the 162,355 loans approved since FY2024.
The 3,871 loans were approved for $2.53 billion in all. The medianThe middle figure. Half the loans were larger and half were smaller. loan was $300,000, 100% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $102,500 and $710,500.
| Measure | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| Loans | 3,871 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $300,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $102,500 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $710,500 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 22.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 22.7% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 13.7% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 2.1% | 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.
69% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 22.3% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 18.0% 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, 47.7% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 15.8% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 22.7% and changes of ownership 13.7%. The national startup share is 16.1%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume rose 10% from FY2024 (1,419 loans) to FY2025 (1,561), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 1,561 loans. FY2026 already shows 891 loans through June 30.
Of the 2,682 loans North Carolina borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, 2.1% 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 41,458 jobs supported across the 3,871 loans since FY2024, about 10.7 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in North Carolina borrow for
Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in North Carolina, with 185 loans or 4.8% of the total.
The five largest industries made up 16% of all North Carolina loans. Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels stands out: its 101 loans are 2.6% of North Carolina loans, against 1.1% nationally, 2.4 times its national share.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Service Restaurants | 185 | 4.8% | 4.6% |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 145 | 3.7% | 3.3% |
| Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | 101 | 2.6% | 1.1% |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 98 | 2.5% | 2.1% |
| Residential Remodelers | 94 | 2.4% | 2.3% |
Share is the percent of all North Carolina loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the state page for that industry where one exists.
Cities in North Carolina with SBA loan pages
12 North Carolina cities have 100 or more SBA loans in the file, and each has its own page.
Charlotte (560 loans), Raleigh (287 loans) and Wilmington (138 loans) lead North Carolina by loan count, together 25% of the loans since FY2024.
- Charlotte560 loans, median $260,000
- Raleigh287 loans, median $343,800
- Wilmington138 loans, median $346,300
- Durham131 loans, median $325,000
- Greensboro116 loans, median $350,000
- Cary98 loans, median $309,000
- Asheville86 loans, median $262,000
- Winston-Salem83 loans, median $315,000
- Concord70 loans, median $250,000
- Mooresville69 loans, median $350,000
- Fayetteville61 loans, median $325,000
- Apex59 loans, median $306,500
A typical loan payment in North Carolina
The median North Carolina loan was $300,000 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in North Carolina was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $300,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $3,923 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.
| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile loan | $102,500 | $1,340 |
| Median loan | $300,000 | $3,923 |
| 75th percentile loan | $710,500 | $9,291 |
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 $300,000 is Prime plus 4.5 percentage points, or 11.50% today. The median variable-rate loan here was priced 1.8 points under that ceiling. Source: 13 CFR § 120.214(d)(3); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395).
North Carolina loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 10.25% at approval, matching the national median. 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 $300,000 loan and SBA Express payment calculator.
SBA 504 loans and Certified Development Companies in North Carolina
North Carolina has 212 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $317.4 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
The median 504 loan in North Carolina was $1,051,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 21% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.
Business Expansion Funding Corporation is the Certified Development CompanyA nonprofit that SBA certifies and regulates to arrange 504 loans together with a bank. (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2024, with 138. Carolina Business Capital, Inc. follows with 41. The three CDCs listed are named on 201 loans between them.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Business Expansion Funding Corporation | 138 |
| Carolina Business Capital, Inc. | 41 |
| 504 Capital Corporation | 22 |
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.
Common questions about SBA loans in North Carolina
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in North Carolina?
The Huntington National Bank leads with 320 loans in North Carolina since FY2024. Live Oak Banking Company (272) and Newtek Bank (204) follow. 86 lenders had five or more loans approved.
Do startups get SBA loans in North Carolina?
880 loans to startups were approved in North Carolina since FY2024, 22.7% of the total. The file lists approvals only, so it cannot show how many startups applied or were turned down.
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. 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 North Carolina District Office (Charlotte, with a Wilmington branch)
- North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center
- SCORE, North Carolina
- 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)(3); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)
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Cite this page: Small business loans in North Carolina. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/
Ask lending partners about a loan in North Carolina
171 lenders had SBA loans approved in North Carolina since FY2024. 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.