# Small business loans in Cary, NC

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in Cary, NC since FY2024 are The Huntington National Bank (11 loans) and Newtek Bank (8). The median loan was $309,000, and half fell between $132,750 and $882,975. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

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

## Lenders making SBA loans in Cary

No lender made more than 11% of the loans in Cary, and The Huntington National Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 37%.

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

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [The Huntington National Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/the-huntington-national-bank/north-carolina/) | 11 | 11.2% |
| [Newtek Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/newtek-bank/) | 8 | 8.2% |
| [Live Oak Banking Company](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/live-oak-banking-company/) | 7 | 7.1% |
| [Northeast Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/northeast-bank/) | 5 | 5.1% |
| [Readycap Lending, LLC](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/readycap-lending-llc/): Non-bank lender | 5 | 5.1% |

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

## Local help near Cary

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

43% of Cary 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 Cary

Cary ranks 6th by loans since FY2024 among the 12 North Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 216th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 98 loans, 2.5% of the 3,871 in North Carolina, were approved for $74.2 million in all. The median loan was $309,000, 2.1 times the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $132,750 and $882,975. The North Carolina median is $300,000.

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

| Measure | Cary | North Carolina | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 98 | 3,871 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $309,000 | $300,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $132,750 | $102,500 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $882,975 | $710,500 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 20.4% | 22.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 15.3% | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 26.5% | 22.7% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 18.4% | 13.7% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 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.

67% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 20.4% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 15.3% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

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

- $50,000 or less (15%): 15
- $50,001 to $150,000 (20%): 20
- $150,001 to $350,000 (23%): 23
- $350,001 to $500,000 (8%): 8
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (13%): 13
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (7%): 7
- Over $2,000,000 (12%): 12

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

By business age, 38.8% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 16.3% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 26.5% and changes of ownership 18.4%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in Cary, NC by fiscal year

- FY2020: 15
- FY2021: 26
- FY2022: 24
- FY2023: 40
- FY2024: 33
- FY2025: 44
- FY2026 (through June 30): 21

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

Volume rose 33% from FY2024 (33 loans) to FY2025 (44), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 44 loans. FY2026 already shows 21 loans through June 30.

Of the 65 loans Cary borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 1,206 jobs supported across the 98 loans since FY2024, about 12.3 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in Cary borrow for

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers was the largest borrower group in Cary, with 6 loans or 6.1% of the total.

The three largest industries made up 16% of all Cary loans.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in Cary, 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/) | 6 | 6.1% | 2.1% |
| [Full-Service Restaurants](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/full-service-restaurants/north-carolina/) | 5 | 5.1% | 4.6% |
| [Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/pet-care-services/) | 5 | 5.1% | 0.9% |

Share is the percent of all Cary 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 Cary

The median Cary loan was $309,000 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in Cary was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $309,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $4,041 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $132,750 | $1,736 |
| Median loan | $309,000 | $4,041 |
| 75th percentile loan | $882,975 | $11,547 |

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 $309,000 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).

Cary 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 $300,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/300000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near Cary

The 504 file lists fewer than five loans in Cary since FY2020.

That is too few to publish a count, a dollar total or a median for Cary.

No Certified Development Company (CDC) is named on five or more 504 loans in Cary, so the list below is North Carolina's. Business Expansion Funding Corporation is named on the most there, 138 loans since FY2024.

**CDCs named on five or more 504 loans in North Carolina, FY2024 to June 2026**

| 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 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 Cary

Cary made up 2.5% of North Carolina's SBA loans since FY2024.

Cary 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.

- [Apex: 59 loans, median $306,500](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/apex/)
- [Raleigh: 287 loans, median $343,800](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/raleigh/)
- [Greensboro: 116 loans, median $350,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/greensboro/)
- [Durham: 131 loans, median $325,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/durham/)
- [Winston-Salem: 83 loans, median $315,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/winston-salem/)
- [Concord: 70 loans, median $250,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/concord/)
- [Mooresville: 69 loans, median $350,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/mooresville/)
- [Charlotte: 560 loans, median $260,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/charlotte/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in Cary

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

The Huntington National Bank leads with 11 loans in Cary since FY2024. Newtek Bank (8) and Live Oak Banking Company (7) follow. Only lenders with five or more Cary loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in Cary?

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers leads with 6 loans in Cary since FY2024. Full-Service Restaurants (5) and Pet Care (except Veterinary) Services (5) 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)