Small business loans in Charlotte, NC
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in Charlotte, NC since FY2024 are The Huntington National Bank (65 loans) and TD Bank (36). The median loan was $260,000, and half fell between $70,750 and $606,250. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 560
- approved since FY2024
- $327.82M
- median loan
- $260,000
- through SBA Express
- 30.4%
Lenders making SBA loans in Charlotte
No lender made more than 12% of the loans in Charlotte, and The Huntington National Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 35%.
| Lender | Loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 65 | 11.6% |
| TD Bank | 36 | 6.4% |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 34 | 6.1% |
| Readycap Lending, LLCNon-bank lender | 31 | 5.5% |
| Pinnacle Bank | 30 | 5.4% |
Share is the percent of all Charlotte loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for North Carolina where one exists.
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Local help near Charlotte
Charlotte borrowers can start with SBA's district office for North Carolina, an SBDC or SCORE.
43% of Charlotte 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.
Loan counts and sizes in Charlotte
Charlotte ranks 1st by loans since FY2024 among the 12 North Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 20th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.
The 560 loans, 14.5% of the 3,871 in North Carolina, were approved for $327.8 million in all. The medianThe middle figure. Half the loans were larger and half were smaller. loan was $260,000, 73% above the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $70,750 and $606,250. The Charlotte median is 13% below the North Carolina median of $300,000.
| Measure | Charlotte | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loans | 560 | 3,871 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $260,000 | $300,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $70,750 | $102,500 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $606,250 | $710,500 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 30.4% | 22.3% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 25.4% | 18.0% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 25.5% | 22.7% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 9.8% | 13.7% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 2.1% | 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.
72% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 30.4% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 25.4% of loans, close to 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, 47.1% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 17.5% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 25.5% and changes of ownership 9.8%. The national startup share is 16.1%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume rose 19% from FY2024 (192 loans) to FY2025 (229), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 229 loans. FY2026 already shows 139 loans through June 30.
Of the 331 loans Charlotte 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 6,733 jobs supported across the 560 loans since FY2024, about 12.0 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in Charlotte borrow for
Other Personal Care Services was the largest borrower group in Charlotte, with 21 loans or 3.8% of the total.
The five largest industries made up 16% of all Charlotte loans. Other Personal Care Services stands out: its 21 loans are 3.8% of Charlotte loans, against 1.2% nationally, 3.1 times its national share.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other Personal Care Services | 21 | 3.8% | 1.2% |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 19 | 3.4% | 2.1% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 19 | 3.4% | 4.6% |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 16 | 2.9% | 3.3% |
| Beauty Salons | 14 | 2.5% | 1.5% |
Share is the percent of all Charlotte 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 Charlotte
The median Charlotte loan was $260,000 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in Charlotte was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $260,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $3,400 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.
| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile loan | $70,750 | $925 |
| Median loan | $260,000 | $3,400 |
| 75th percentile loan | $606,250 | $7,928 |
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 $260,000 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).
Charlotte 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 $250,000 loan and SBA Express payment calculator.
SBA 504 loans near Charlotte
Charlotte has 36 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $53.0 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
The median 504 loan in Charlotte was $964,500 in SBA and CDC dollars, 19% 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 21. Carolina Business Capital, Inc. follows with 10. The two CDCs listed are named on 31 loans between them.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Business Expansion Funding Corporation | 21 |
| Carolina Business Capital, Inc. | 10 |
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.
North Carolina cities near Charlotte
Charlotte made up 14.5% of North Carolina's SBA loans since FY2024.
Charlotte is one of 12 North Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The North Carolina page covers all 3,871 loans in North Carolina. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.
Common questions about SBA loans in Charlotte
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Charlotte?
The Huntington National Bank leads with 65 loans in Charlotte since FY2024. TD Bank (36) and Live Oak Banking Company (34) follow. Only lenders with five or more Charlotte loans are counted.
Which industries get SBA loans in Charlotte?
Other Personal Care Services leads with 21 loans in Charlotte since FY2024. Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (19) and Full-Service Restaurants (19) 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.
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 Charlotte, NC. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/north-carolina-small-business-loans/charlotte/
Ask lending partners about a loan in Charlotte
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.