Small business loans in Charleston, SC
Short answer
The most active SBA lenders in Charleston, SC since FY2024 are The Huntington National Bank (24 loans) and TD Bank (13). The median loan was $300,000, and half fell between $100,000 and $597,000. For free help, see the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.
- SBA loans since FY2024
- 131
- approved since FY2024
- $78.76M
- median loan
- $300,000
- through SBA Express
- 28.2%
Lenders making SBA loans in Charleston
No lender made more than 18% of the loans in Charleston, and The Huntington National Bank made the most. The five largest lenders together made 47%.
| Lender | Loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 24 | 18.3% |
| TD Bank | 13 | 9.9% |
| Newtek Bank | 11 | 8.4% |
| Northeast Bank | 7 | 5.3% |
| SouthState Bank | 7 | 5.3% |
Share is the percent of all Charleston loans in that period. Each name links to that lender's page for South Carolina where one exists.
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Local help near Charleston
Charleston borrowers can start with SBA's district office for South Carolina, an SBDC or SCORE.
38% of Charleston 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 South Carolina. Its page points to state and federal resources and to lenders in the area. The South Carolina Small Business Development Centers gives free counseling across South Carolina.
- SBA South Carolina District OfficeSBA district office
- South Carolina Small Business Development CentersSmall Business Development Center
- SCORE mentors in South CarolinaBusiness mentoring
Alongside SBA loans, South Carolina runs a loan program. The South Carolina page describes it, and the official page is linked here.
Loan counts and sizes in Charleston
Charleston ranks 2nd by loans since FY2024 among the 10 South Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 135th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.
The 131 loans, 7.0% of the 1,878 in South Carolina, were approved for $78.8 million 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 $100,000 and $597,000. The Charleston median is 20% above the South Carolina median of $250,000.
| Measure | Charleston | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loans | 131 | 1,878 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $300,000 | $250,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $100,000 | $75,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $597,000 | $609,375 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 28.2% | 28.6% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 21.4% | 25.2% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 16.8% | 21.4% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 15.3% | 13.2% | 10.4% |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median spread | 2.75 | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Charged off | Fewer than 5 | 3.6% | 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. 28.2% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 21.4% 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, 46.6% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 21.4% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 16.8% and changes of ownership 15.3%.
Fiscal years run October to September. The last bar covers nine of its twelve months.
Volume rose 53% from FY2024 (36 loans) to FY2025 (55), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 55 loans. FY2026 already shows 40 loans through June 30.
Of the 62 loans Charleston borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 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 1,443 jobs supported across the 131 loans since FY2024, about 11.0 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.
What businesses in Charleston borrow for
Full-Service Restaurants was the largest borrower group in Charleston, with 8 loans or 6.1% of the total.
The five largest industries made up 23% of all Charleston loans.
| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full-Service Restaurants | 8 | 6.1% | 4.6% |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 7 | 5.3% | 3.3% |
| All Other Home Furnishings Retailers | 5 | 3.8% | 0.1% |
| Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers | 5 | 3.8% | 0.9% |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 5 | 3.8% | 2.1% |
Share is the percent of all Charleston loans in that period. Industry is the NAICS code on each loan. A name links to the South Carolina page for that industry where one exists.
A typical loan payment in Charleston
The median Charleston loan was $300,000 with a median term of 10 years.
The median variable-rate loan in Charleston 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 | $100,000 | $1,308 |
| Median loan | $300,000 | $3,923 |
| 75th percentile loan | $597,000 | $7,807 |
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).
Charleston 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 near Charleston
Charleston has 18 SBA 504 loans since FY2020, with $17.1 million in SBA and CDC dollars.
Fewer than five of them came in FY2024 or later, so no recent median is published. The bank's share of each project is separate and is not counted in these figures.
Provident Business Financial Services, Inc. is the one Certified Development CompanyA nonprofit that SBA certifies and regulates to arrange 504 loans together with a bank. (CDC) named on five or more loans, 13 since FY2020.
| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
|---|---|
| Provident Business Financial Services, Inc. | 13 |
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.
South Carolina cities near Charleston
Charleston made up 7.0% of South Carolina's SBA loans since FY2024.
Charleston is one of 10 South Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The South Carolina page covers all 1,878 loans in South Carolina. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.
Common questions about SBA loans in Charleston
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Charleston?
The Huntington National Bank leads with 24 loans in Charleston since FY2024. TD Bank (13) and Newtek Bank (11) follow. Only lenders with five or more Charleston loans are counted.
Which industries get SBA loans in Charleston?
Full-Service Restaurants leads with 8 loans in Charleston since FY2024. Limited-Service Restaurants (7) and All Other Home Furnishings Retailers (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.
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 South Carolina District Office
- South Carolina Small Business Development Centers
- SCORE, South 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 Charleston, SC. SBA Express Loans, Janover Capital LLC (data as of June 30, 2026). https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/charleston/
Ask lending partners about a loan in Charleston
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.