Small business loans in Cincinnati, OH
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in Cincinnati, OH since FY2024 are The Huntington National Bank (232 loans) and U.S. Bank (46). The median loan was $150,000, and half fell between $50,000 and $424,100. For free help, see the Small Business Development Centers of Ohio. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 493
- approved since FY2024
- $207.47M
- median loan
- $150,000
- through SBA Express
- 44.4%
Lenders making SBA loans in Cincinnati
The Huntington National Bank made the most loans in Cincinnati, 47% of the total. The five largest lenders together made 66%.
| Lender | Loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 232 | 47.1% |
| U.S. Bank | 46 | 9.3% |
| First Commonwealth Bank | 21 | 4.3% |
| PNC Bank | 15 | 3.0% |
| KeyBank | 11 | 2.2% |
Share is the percent of all Cincinnati loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for Ohio where one exists.
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Local help near Cincinnati
Cincinnati borrowers can start with SBA's district office for Ohio, an SBDC or SCORE.
33% of Cincinnati 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 Ohio. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The Small Business Development Centers of Ohio gives free counseling across Ohio.
- SBA Ohio District Office (Columbus, with Cleveland and Cincinnati offices and a virtual Dayton office)SBA district office
- Small Business Development Centers of OhioSmall Business Development Center
- SCORE mentors in OhioBusiness mentoring
Alongside SBA loans, Ohio runs a loan program. The Ohio page describes it, and the official page is linked here.
Loan counts and sizes in Cincinnati
Cincinnati ranks 2nd by loans since FY2024 among the 34 Ohio cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 24th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.
The 493 loans, 6.4% of the 7,738 in Ohio, were approved for $207.5 million in all. The medianThe middle figure. Half the loans were larger and half were smaller. loan was $150,000, close to the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $50,000 and $424,100. The Cincinnati median is 50% above the Ohio median of $100,000.
| Measure | Cincinnati | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loans | 493 | 7,738 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $100,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $50,000 | $50,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $424,100 | $304,750 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 44.4% | 43.5% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 38.3% | 39.2% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 20.5% | 19.3% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 13.2% | 8.9% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.0 | 2.0 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | 3.3% | 3.2% | 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.
83% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 44.4% of all loans went through SBA Express, above the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 38.3% of loans, above 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, 53.3% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 12.8% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 20.5% and changes of ownership 13.2%. The national startup share is 16.1%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume fell 11% from FY2024 (205 loans) to FY2025 (182), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2023, with 215 loans. FY2026 already shows 106 loans through June 30.
Of the 508 loans Cincinnati borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, 3.3% 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 5,210 jobs supported across the 493 loans since FY2024, about 10.6 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in Cincinnati borrow for
Limited-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Cincinnati, with 21 loans or 4.3% of the total.
The five largest industries made up 15% of all Cincinnati loans. Home Health Care Services stands out: its 15 loans are 3.0% of Cincinnati loans, against 1.0% nationally, 3.2 times its national share.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 21 | 4.3% | 3.3% |
| Full-Service Restaurants | 15 | 3.0% | 4.6% |
| Home Health Care Services | 15 | 3.0% | 1.0% |
| General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload | 13 | 2.6% | 1.3% |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 12 | 2.4% | 2.1% |
Share is the percent of all Cincinnati loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the Ohio page for that industry where one exists.
A typical loan payment in Cincinnati
The median Cincinnati loan was $150,000 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in Cincinnati was priced at Prime plus 2.0 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.00%. On $150,000 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $1,900 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.
| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile loan | $50,000 | $633 |
| Median loan | $150,000 | $1,900 |
| 75th percentile loan | $424,100 | $5,372 |
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 $150,000 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).
Cincinnati 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 $150,000 loan and SBA Express payment calculator.
SBA 504 loans near Cincinnati
Cincinnati has 20 SBA 504 loans since FY2024, with $19.3 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
The median 504 loan in Cincinnati was $683,000 in SBA and CDC dollars, 14% of the $5,000,000 program maximum. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.
Alloy Development Co., Inc. 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 FY2020, with 51. Ohio Statewide Development Corporation follows with 5. The two CDCs listed are named on 56 loans between them.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Alloy Development Co., Inc. | 51 |
| Ohio Statewide Development Corporation | 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 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.
Ohio cities near Cincinnati
Cincinnati made up 6.4% of Ohio's SBA loans since FY2024.
Cincinnati is one of 34 Ohio cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The Ohio page covers all 7,738 loans in Ohio. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.
Common questions about SBA loans in Cincinnati
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Cincinnati?
The Huntington National Bank leads with 232 loans in Cincinnati since FY2024. U.S. Bank (46) and First Commonwealth Bank (21) follow. Only lenders with five or more Cincinnati loans are counted.
Which industries get SBA loans in Cincinnati?
Limited-Service Restaurants leads with 21 loans in Cincinnati since FY2024. Full-Service Restaurants (15) and Home Health Care Services (15) 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 Ohio District Office (Columbus, with Cleveland and Cincinnati offices and a virtual Dayton office)
- Small Business Development Centers of Ohio
- SCORE, Ohio
- 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)(2); SOP 50 10 8.1, App. 18, Para. A.2 (p. 395)
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Cite this page: Small business loans in Cincinnati, OH. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/ohio-small-business-loans/cincinnati/
Ask lending partners about a loan in Cincinnati
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.