# Small business loans in Asheville, NC

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Asheville, NC since FY2024 are Mountain Bizcapital (9 loans) and The Huntington National Bank (8). The median loan was $262,000, and half fell between $100,000 and $591,075. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

Canonical page: https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/asheville/
Data as of: 2026-06-30

## Lenders making SBA loans in Asheville

No lender made more than 10% of the loans in Asheville, and Mountain Bizcapital made the most. The five largest lenders together made 40%.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in Asheville, NC, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Mountain Bizcapital](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/mountain-bizcapital/): Non-bank lender | 9 | 10.5% |
| [The Huntington National Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/the-huntington-national-bank/north-carolina/) | 8 | 9.3% |
| [TD Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/td-bank/north-carolina/) | 7 | 8.1% |
| [Northeast Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/northeast-bank/) | 5 | 5.8% |
| [Readycap Lending, LLC](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/readycap-lending-llc/): Non-bank lender | 5 | 5.8% |

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

## Local help near Asheville

Asheville borrowers can start with SBA's district office for North Carolina, an SBDC or SCORE.

36% of Asheville 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. The North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center gives free counseling across North Carolina.

- [SBA North Carolina District Office (Charlotte, with a Wilmington branch): SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/north-carolina)
- [North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center: Small Business Development Center](https://sbtdc.org/)
- [SCORE mentors in North Carolina: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/nc/)

## Loan counts and sizes in Asheville

Asheville ranks 7th by loans since FY2024 among the 12 North Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 261st busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 86 loans, 2.2% of the 3,871 in North Carolina, were approved for $50.8 million in all. The median loan was $262,000, 74% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $100,000 and $591,075. The Asheville median is 13% below the North Carolina median of $300,000.

**Asheville, NC compared with North Carolina and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | Asheville | North Carolina | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 86 | 3,871 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $262,000 | $300,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $100,000 | $102,500 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $591,075 | $710,500 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 22.1% | 22.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 19.8% | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 24.4% | 22.7% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 15.1% | 13.7% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 0.0% | 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.

71% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 22.1% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 19.8% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in Asheville, NC by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (17%): 15
- $50,001 to $150,000 (26%): 22
- $150,001 to $350,000 (17%): 15
- $350,001 to $500,000 (10%): 9
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (15%): 13
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (7%): 6
- Over $2,000,000 (7%): 6

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

By business age, 48.8% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 11.6% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 24.4% and changes of ownership 15.1%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in Asheville, NC by fiscal year

- FY2020: 24
- FY2021: 30
- FY2022: 28
- FY2023: 37
- FY2024: 33
- FY2025: 37
- FY2026 (through June 30): 16

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

Volume rose 12% from FY2024 (33 loans) to FY2025 (37), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2023, with 37 loans. FY2026 already shows 16 loans through June 30.

Of the 82 loans Asheville borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, 0.0% were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. That group is small, so treat the rate as rough. Lenders reported 1,071 jobs supported across the 86 loans since FY2024, about 12.5 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Asheville borrow for

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers was the largest borrower group in Asheville, with 7 loans or 8.1% of the total.

The three largest industries made up 22% of all Asheville loans.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Asheville, NC, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/fitness-recreational-sports-centers/) | 7 | 8.1% | 2.1% |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/north-carolina/) | 6 | 7.0% | 4.6% |
| [Limited-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/limited-service-restaurants/north-carolina/) | 6 | 7.0% | 3.3% |

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

## A typical loan payment in Asheville

The median Asheville loan was $262,000 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Asheville was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $262,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $3,426 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $100,000 | $1,308 |
| Median loan | $262,000 | $3,426 |
| 75th percentile loan | $591,075 | $7,730 |

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 $262,000 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).

Asheville loans approved since FY2024 had a median starting rate of 10% 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](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/250000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Asheville

Asheville has 5 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $8.9 million in SBA and CDC dollars.

The median 504 loan in Asheville was $1,210,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 24% 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 Company (CDC) named on the most loans since FY2020, with 12. Carolina Business Capital, Inc. follows with 5. The two CDCs listed are named on 17 loans between them.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Business Expansion Funding Corporation | 12 |
| Carolina Business Capital, Inc. | 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/).

## North Carolina cities near Asheville

Asheville made up 2.2% of North Carolina's SBA loans since FY2024.

Asheville is one of 12 North Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [North Carolina page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/) covers all 3,871 loans in North Carolina. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Wilmington: 138 loans, median $346,300](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/wilmington/)
- [Fayetteville: 61 loans, median $325,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/fayetteville/)
- [Charlotte: 560 loans, median $260,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/charlotte/)
- [Mooresville: 69 loans, median $350,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/mooresville/)
- [Concord: 70 loans, median $250,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/concord/)
- [Durham: 131 loans, median $325,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/durham/)
- [Raleigh: 287 loans, median $343,800](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/raleigh/)
- [Cary: 98 loans, median $309,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/cary/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Asheville

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

Mountain Bizcapital leads with 9 loans in Asheville since FY2024. The Huntington National Bank (8) and TD Bank (7) follow. Only lenders with five or more Asheville loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Asheville?

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers leads with 7 loans in Asheville since FY2024. Full-Service Restaurants (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](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 North Carolina District Office (Charlotte, with a Wilmington branch)](https://www.sba.gov/district/north-carolina)
- [North Carolina Small Business and Technology Development Center](https://sbtdc.org/)
- [SCORE, North Carolina](https://www.score.org/nc/)
- [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)(3); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-13/section-120.214)