# Small business loans in North Charleston, SC

**Short answer:** The most active SBA lenders in North Charleston, SC since FY2024 are TD Bank (12 loans) and BayFirst National Bank (5). The median loan was $349,550, and half fell between $150,000 and $910,750. For free help, see the South Carolina Small Business Development Centers. Source: SBA 7(a) loan data.

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

## Lenders making SBA loans in North Charleston

No lender made more than 18% of the loans in North Charleston, and TD Bank made the most.

**Lenders with five or more SBA loans in North Charleston, SC, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Lender | Loans | Share |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [TD Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/td-bank/south-carolina/) | 12 | 18.2% |
| [BayFirst National Bank](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-lenders/bayfirst-national-bank/) | 5 | 7.6% |

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

North Charleston has two lenders with five or more loans since FY2024. Others had fewer, and the South Carolina page counts 140 lenders with at least one approved loan statewide.

## Local help near North Charleston

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

27% of North 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 Office: SBA district office](https://www.sba.gov/district/south-carolina)
- [South Carolina Small Business Development Centers: Small Business Development Center](https://www.scsbdc.com/)
- [SCORE mentors in South Carolina: Business mentoring](https://www.score.org/sc/)

Alongside SBA loans, South Carolina runs a loan program. The [South Carolina page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/#loan-programs-in-south-carolina) describes it, and the official page is linked here.

- [SSBCI Loan Participation Program](https://scjeda.com/programs/state-small-business-credit-initiative-program/)

## Loan counts and sizes in North Charleston

North Charleston ranks 7th by loans since FY2024 among the 10 South Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. Nationally it is the 396th busiest of the 580 cities that reach 100 loans.

The 66 loans, 3.5% of the 1,878 in South Carolina, were approved for $52.5 million in all. The median loan was $349,550, 2.3 times the national median of $150,300. Half of the loans fell between $150,000 and $910,750. The North Charleston median is 40% above the South Carolina median of $250,000.

**North Charleston, SC compared with South Carolina and the nation, loans from FY2024 to June 2026**

| Measure | North Charleston | South Carolina | U.S. |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Loans | 66 | 1,878 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $349,550 | $250,000 | $150,300 |
| 25th percentile | $150,000 | $75,000 | $50,000 |
| 75th percentile | $910,750 | $609,375 | $500,000 |
| Via SBA Express | 18.2% | 28.6% | 35.8% |
| Lines of credit | 13.6% | 25.2% | 28.1% |
| Startups | 13.6% | 21.4% | 16.1% |
| Ownership changes | 10.6% | 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.

64% of the loans were $500,000 or less, the size SBA Express covers. 18.2% of all loans went through SBA Express, below the national 35.8%. Lines of credit were 13.6% of loans, below the national 28.1%.

SBA loans in North Charleston, SC by size, FY2024 to June 2026

- $50,000 or less (17%): 11
- $50,001 to $150,000 (21%): 14
- $150,001 to $350,000 (17%): 11
- $350,001 to $500,000 (9%): 6
- $500,001 to $1,000,000 (12%): 8
- $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 (15%): 10
- Over $2,000,000 (9%): 6

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

By business age, 62.1% of loans went to businesses more than two years old and 13.6% to businesses two years old or younger. Startups received 13.6% and changes of ownership 10.6%. The national startup share is 16.1%.

SBA loans in North Charleston, SC by fiscal year

- FY2020: 5
- FY2021: 17
- FY2022: 17
- FY2023: 11
- FY2024: 26
- FY2025: 33
- FY2026 (through June 30): 7

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

Volume rose 27% from FY2024 (26 loans) to FY2025 (33), the two latest full years. The busiest full year in the file was FY2025, with 33 loans. FY2026 already shows 7 loans through June 30.

Of the 39 loans North Charleston borrowers received in FY2020 to FY2022, fewer than 5 were charged off by June 30, 2026, against 3.6% nationally. Lenders reported 797 jobs supported across the 66 loans since FY2024, about 12.1 per loan. SBA does not audit these estimates.

## What businesses in North Charleston borrow for

Offices of Dentists was the largest borrower group in North Charleston, with 7 loans or 10.6% of the total.

**Industries with the most SBA loans in North Charleston, SC, FY2024 to June 2026**

| Industry | Loans | Share | U.S. share |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Offices of Dentists](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/industries/offices-of-dentists/) | 7 | 10.6% | 1.1% |

Share is the percent of all North 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 North Charleston

The median North Charleston loan was $349,550 with a median term of 10 years.

The median variable-rate loan in North Charleston was priced at Prime plus 2.75 percentage points at approval. At today's Prime that spread works out to 9.75%. On $349,550 over 10 years, principal and interest would come to about $4,571 a month. That is arithmetic on past loans, not a rate a lender is offering.

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

| Loan | Amount | Monthly payment |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 25th percentile loan | $150,000 | $1,962 |
| Median loan | $349,550 | $4,571 |
| 75th percentile loan | $910,750 | $11,910 |

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 $349,550 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).

North Charleston 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 $350,000 loan](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/loan-amounts/350000-business-loan/) and [SBA Express payment calculator](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/sba-express-payment-calculator/).

## SBA 504 loans near North Charleston

North Charleston has 12 SBA 504 loans since FY2020, with $13.2 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 Company (CDC) named on five or more loans, 8 since FY2020.

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

| Certified Development Company | 504 loans |
| --- | --- |
| Provident Business Financial Services, Inc. | 8 |

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/).

## South Carolina cities near North Charleston

North Charleston made up 3.5% of South Carolina's SBA loans since FY2024.

North Charleston is one of 10 South Carolina cities with 100 or more SBA loans since FY2020. The [South Carolina page](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/) covers all 1,878 loans in South Carolina. The closest come first, ranked by county and ZIP code on their loans.

- [Charleston: 131 loans, median $300,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/charleston/)
- [Mount Pleasant: 59 loans, median $303,500](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/mount-pleasant/)
- [Summerville: 75 loans, median $300,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/summerville/)
- [Spartanburg: 49 loans, median $385,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/spartanburg/)
- [Myrtle Beach: 93 loans, median $300,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/myrtle-beach/)
- [Greenville: 159 loans, median $247,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/greenville/)
- [Columbia: 123 loans, median $275,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/columbia/)
- [Fort Mill: 81 loans, median $250,000](https://www.sbaexpress.loans/south-carolina-small-business-loans/fort-mill/)

## Common questions about SBA loans in North Charleston

### Which lenders make the most SBA loans in North Charleston?

TD Bank leads with 12 loans in North Charleston since FY2024. BayFirst National Bank (5) follows. Only lenders with five or more North Charleston loans are counted.

### Which industries get SBA loans in North Charleston?

Offices of Dentists leads with 7 loans in North Charleston since FY2024.

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 South Carolina District Office](https://www.sba.gov/district/south-carolina)
- [South Carolina Small Business Development Centers](https://www.scsbdc.com/)
- [SCORE, South Carolina](https://www.score.org/sc/)
- [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)