Read across 1.9 million SBA 7(a) and 504 loans from FY1991 through the first half of FY2026, a handful of states carry the whole story. Florida is the fastest-growing SBA lending market in the United States, with approvals up 46% from the FY2010-2019 decade to FY2020-2026, and it also carries the highest active-loan distress rate of any state, at 16.8% of its book delinquent, past due, or in liquidation. Growth and strain, in the same place.

At the other end, Hawaii has seen the steepest decline in SBA lending, down 55%, with Montana, Mississippi, and North Dakota not far behind. California remains the largest market by volume, with 220,522 loans worth about $84 billion, though its lending is down 9% from the prior decade. Measured against its base of employer businesses rather than raw count, New Hampshire is the most SBA-saturated state in the country. Click any state on the plate above to see its standout finding, its growth, its distress, and its zip-level concentration.