SHANE PIERSON · SBA DATA
SBA Lending by State · Tennessee

SBA Lending in Tennessee

Tennessee is a mid-sized SBA market concentrated in food and lodging, growing +26%.

18,882
Total SBA loans
$7.3B
Approved dollars
3.4
Loans per 1,000 businesses / yr
+26%
Growth, 2010s to 2020s
10.8%
Active-loan distress
#27
Rank, national volume
#50
Rank, loans per business

Every SBA 7(a) and 504 loan approved in Tennessee since 1991 sits in the public federal record. Tennessee accounts for 18,882 of them, worth $7.3B, split 17,441 under 7(a) and 1,441 under 504. Roughly 16% of 7(a) went to startups and new businesses.

Top industries funded in Tennessee

  • Retail2,711 loans · $794M
  • Other2,069 loans · $484M
  • Food & Lodging1,867 loans · $1.1B
  • Personal Services1,603 loans · $512M
  • Construction1,463 loans · $321M
  • Healthcare1,337 loans · $633M

Program mix

17,441
7(a) loans
1,441
504 loans
16%
To startups & new businesses
84%
To existing businesses
See Tennessee on the interactive map

Drill Tennessee to the zip-code level, see its top lenders, and shade it by growth, dollars, or distress.

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Loan counts and dollars cover SBA 7(a) and 504, approved and not cancelled, gross basis. Growth, distress, per-business rates, industries, and startup share describe the 7(a) book. Approval is not funding. FOIA record as of March 31, 2026.