This story originally appeared on Flippa and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Counties receiving the most SBA loans in Kansas
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 Kansas 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.
#50. Bourbon County
- SBA approved about $4.16 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $60,000
- Number of loans: 1
#49. Crawford County
- SBA approved about $5.29 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $206,300
- Number of loans: 2
#48. Saline County
- SBA approved about $6.47 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $352,000
- Number of loans: 1
#47. Norton County
- SBA approved about $8.25 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $45,000
- Number of loans: 1
#46. Grant County
- SBA approved about $8.75 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $65,000
- Number of loans: 1
#45. Neosho County
- SBA approved about $9.42 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $150,000
- Number of loans: 1
#44. Morris County
- SBA approved about $10.04 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $54,000
- Number of loans: 1
#43. Sumner County
- SBA approved about $11.06 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $250,000
- Number of loans: 1
#42. Shawnee County
- SBA approved about $11.19 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.0 million
- Number of loans: 5
#41. Gray County
- SBA approved about $11.75 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $67,200
- Number of loans: 1
#40. Jefferson County
- SBA approved about $13.54 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $249,000
- Number of loans: 2
#39. Geary County
- SBA approved about $13.69 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $500,000
- Number of loans: 2
#38. Harvey County
- SBA approved about $18.38 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $625,000
- Number of loans: 1
#37. Reno County
- SBA approved about $18.53 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.2 million
- Number of loans: 2
#36. Dickinson County
- SBA approved about $24.28 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $451,000
- Number of loans: 2
#35. Greenwood County
- SBA approved about $24.42 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $147,700
- Number of loans: 1
#34. Kingman County
- SBA approved about $30.02 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $225,000
- Number of loans: 2
#33. Douglas County
- SBA approved about $30.75 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.7 million
- Number of loans: 15
#32. Allen County
- SBA approved about $45.39 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $570,000
- Number of loans: 3
#31. Cherokee County
- SBA approved about $47.02 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $917,200
- Number of loans: 2
#30. Lyon County
- SBA approved about $47.15 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.5 million
- Number of loans: 5
#29. Stevens County
- SBA approved about $51.69 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $275,000
- Number of loans: 1
#28. Trego County
- SBA approved about $53.10 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $150,000
- Number of loans: 1
#27. Cloud County
- SBA approved about $55.33 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $500,000
- Number of loans: 1
#26. Butler County
- SBA approved about $56.58 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.8 million
- Number of loans: 15
#25. Leavenworth County
- SBA approved about $56.67 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $4.6 million
- Number of loans: 7
#24. Labette County
- SBA approved about $59.14 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.2 million
- Number of loans: 2
#23. Rawlins County
- SBA approved about $59.27 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $150,000
- Number of loans: 1
#22. Decatur County
- SBA approved about $59.35 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $165,700
- Number of loans: 1
#21. Brown County
- SBA approved about $62.95 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $600,000
- Number of loans: 1
#20. Ford County
- SBA approved about $68.13 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.3 million
- Number of loans: 1
#19. Pawnee County
- SBA approved about $70.33 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $447,000
- Number of loans: 4
#18. Franklin County
- SBA approved about $71.46 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.9 million
- Number of loans: 1
#17. Republic County
- SBA approved about $73.83 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $347,500
- Number of loans: 1
#16. Haskell County
- SBA approved about $76.12 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $289,500
- Number of loans: 1
#15. Barton County
- SBA approved about $77.42 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.0 million
- Number of loans: 7
#14. Wyandotte County
- SBA approved about $83.08 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $14.0 million
- Number of loans: 19
#13. Miami County
- SBA approved about $90.59 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.1 million
- Number of loans: 6
#12. Edwards County
- SBA approved about $96.36 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $280,500
- Number of loans: 2
#11. Sedgwick County
- SBA approved about $100.79 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $52.5 million
- Number of loans: 82
#10. Sherman County
- SBA approved about $101.84 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $607,500
- Number of loans: 1
#9. Finney County
- SBA approved about $112.26 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $4.3 million
- Number of loans: 7
#8. Ellis County
- SBA approved about $120.63 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $3.5 million
- Number of loans: 22
#7. Harper County
- SBA approved about $130.68 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $722,000
- Number of loans: 2
#6. Johnson County
- SBA approved about $132.05 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $79.9 million
- Number of loans: 160
#5. Pottawatomie County
- SBA approved about $212.30 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $5.3 million
- Number of loans: 3
#4. Chautauqua County
- SBA approved about $417.06 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.4 million
- Number of loans: 1
#3. Ness County
- SBA approved about $460.07 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $1.3 million
- Number of loans: 1
#2. Mitchell County
- SBA approved about $679.81 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $4.0 million
- Number of loans: 2
#1. Gove County
- SBA approved about $721.00 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
- Total approved funds: $2.0 million
- Number of loans: 1
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 50 states.
