This story originally appeared on Flippa and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties receiving the most SBA loans in California
The Small Business Administration backed loans worth $27.5 billion through its primary lending program in 2023—rising well above pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels as government officials aim to stabilize the economy.
Many small businesses get their start and scale up with SBA loans, which increased lending to Black, Latino, and women entrepreneurs in the past few years in step with efforts to become more equitable.
Flippa found the county in California where applicants were approved for the most SBA loan funds per capita in fiscal year 2023, which ended in September. The analysis was based on the SBA's most common loan program, known as 7(a) loans. SBA's 7(a) program provides extra security to lenders when they loan money to small businesses that might otherwise be considered too risky to grant. Loans can be for up to $5 million, but in 2023, nearly 7 in 10 loans were for amounts of $350,000 or less. Small businesses can use these funds for real estate acquisitions or improvements, working capital, supplies and equipment, and for other business startup or acquisition purposes.
Barriers do still exist for eligibility, including income, credit history, and location, but SBA loans can be fruitful for founders who don't qualify for conventional business financing. They can also provide protection against high and volatile interest rates, as SBA-backed loans have maximum interest rates that are predictable and often lower than other loans.
In a national analysis of the #1 ranked counties in every state, all but two counties had populations of less than 500,000—most smaller than 100,000. That's not surprising, as the Census Bureau classifies about 99% of U.S. counties as small. Still, it signifies that these smaller communities are building successful entrepreneurial environments. In most cases, their small businesses are able to succeed beyond those within the major U.S. population centers—at least in terms of success in gaining SBA funding.
Read on to see whether your county ranks among those receiving the most SBA loans.
#56. Siskiyou County
- SBA approved about $1.97 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $87,000
- Number of loans: 2
#55. Mariposa County
- SBA approved about $5.22 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $90,000
- Number of loans: 1
#54. Alpine County
- SBA approved about $26.04 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $35,000
- Number of loans: 1
#53. Tehama County
- SBA approved about $37.34 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.4 million
- Number of loans: 1
#52. Marin County
- SBA approved about $44.98 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $11.8 million
- Number of loans: 37
#51. Colusa County
- SBA approved about $46.97 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.0 million
- Number of loans: 4
#50. Tuolumne County
- SBA approved about $48.15 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.7 million
- Number of loans: 8
#49. Del Norte County
- SBA approved about $52.25 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.4 million
- Number of loans: 1
#48. Solano County
- SBA approved about $53.40 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $24.1 million
- Number of loans: 47
#47. Monterey County
- SBA approved about $54.99 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $24.1 million
- Number of loans: 34
#46. Mendocino County
- SBA approved about $55.15 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $5.0 million
- Number of loans: 8
#45. Nevada County
- SBA approved about $56.65 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $5.8 million
- Number of loans: 17
#44. San Joaquin County
- SBA approved about $58.19 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $44.9 million
- Number of loans: 67
#43. San Benito County
- SBA approved about $58.53 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.7 million
- Number of loans: 4
#42. Butte County
- SBA approved about $61.81 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $13.5 million
- Number of loans: 24
#41. Ventura County
- SBA approved about $62.01 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $52.4 million
- Number of loans: 123
#40. Kern County
- SBA approved about $63.17 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $57.2 million
- Number of loans: 84
#39. Yolo County
- SBA approved about $63.59 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $13.8 million
- Number of loans: 24
#38. Santa Barbara County
- SBA approved about $63.84 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $28.6 million
- Number of loans: 49
#37. Kings County
- SBA approved about $64.64 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $9.8 million
- Number of loans: 6
#36. Merced County
- SBA approved about $64.69 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $18.1 million
- Number of loans: 21
#35. Contra Costa County
- SBA approved about $65.27 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $75.8 million
- Number of loans: 154
#34. San Mateo County
- SBA approved about $66.84 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $51.0 million
- Number of loans: 77
#33. Santa Cruz County
- SBA approved about $66.96 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $18.2 million
- Number of loans: 34
#32. Yuba County
- SBA approved about $68.30 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $5.5 million
- Number of loans: 6
#31. Tulare County
- SBA approved about $70.99 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $33.4 million
- Number of loans: 36
#30. Lake County
- SBA approved about $71.22 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $4.8 million
- Number of loans: 1
#29. Calaveras County
- SBA approved about $71.69 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.3 million
- Number of loans: 6
#28. Sutter County
- SBA approved about $73.33 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $7.3 million
- Number of loans: 14
#27. San Francisco
- SBA approved about $75.92 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $65.7 million
- Number of loans: 119
#26. Amador County
- SBA approved about $77.32 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.1 million
- Number of loans: 3
#25. Modoc County
- SBA approved about $78.53 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $685,000
- Number of loans: 1
#24. Sonoma County
- SBA approved about $80.21 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $39.5 million
- Number of loans: 81
#23. Riverside County
- SBA approved about $80.65 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $194.3 million
- Number of loans: 368
#22. Fresno County
- SBA approved about $81.84 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $82.1 million
- Number of loans: 105
#21. Alameda County
- SBA approved about $84.10 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $140.7 million
- Number of loans: 214
#20. Lassen County
- SBA approved about $90.58 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.0 million
- Number of loans: 2
#19. San Diego County
- SBA approved about $90.60 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $298.6 million
- Number of loans: 589
#18. Imperial County
- SBA approved about $90.80 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $16.3 million
- Number of loans: 16
#17. Santa Clara County
- SBA approved about $93.42 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $180.5 million
- Number of loans: 229
#16. San Bernardino County
- SBA approved about $96.73 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $210.0 million
- Number of loans: 345
#15. Napa County
- SBA approved about $99.13 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $13.8 million
- Number of loans: 29
#14. Glenn County
- SBA approved about $100.13 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.9 million
- Number of loans: 4
#13. Stanislaus County
- SBA approved about $102.78 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $56.6 million
- Number of loans: 69
#12. Los Angeles County
- SBA approved about $106.56 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.1 billion
- Number of loans: 1849
#11. Sacramento County
- SBA approved about $109.36 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $171.9 million
- Number of loans: 249
#10. Mono County
- SBA approved about $113.51 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.5 million
- Number of loans: 3
#9. Humboldt County
- SBA approved about $114.49 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $15.7 million
- Number of loans: 27
#8. Placer County
- SBA approved about $115.45 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $46.2 million
- Number of loans: 108
#7. San Luis Obispo County
- SBA approved about $115.71 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $32.7 million
- Number of loans: 56
#6. Orange County
- SBA approved about $120.36 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $383.1 million
- Number of loans: 670
#5. Inyo County
- SBA approved about $129.28 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.4 million
- Number of loans: 1
#4. Plumas County
- SBA approved about $133.23 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.6 million
- Number of loans: 1
#3. El Dorado County
- SBA approved about $138.86 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $26.5 million
- Number of loans: 37
#2. Shasta County
- SBA approved about $139.74 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $25.4 million
- Number of loans: 27
#1. Madera County
- SBA approved about $186.00 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $29.0 million
- Number of loans: 16
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
