Metro Target Scans
The Metros
New York City
NY, NJ, CT, counted statewide
2,225 loans since fiscal 2020 · $660,000 regional median
Chicago
IL, IN, WI, counted statewide
3,275 loans since fiscal 2020 · $608,000 regional median
Los Angeles
Southern California (LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura)
1,759 loans since fiscal 2020 · $585,000 regional median
What the Scans Agree On
Commercial Cleaning / Janitorial
Ranked in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles · charge-off sample too thin to publish · regional medians $350,000 to $465,000
Electrical Contracting
Ranked in New York City, Chicago · charge-off sample too thin to publish · regional medians $600,000 to $1,254,000
Everything else earned its slot in one region only, which is the point of scanning regions instead of averaging the country: the same loan evidence picks different winners near different cities.
Method & Source
These scans cover 7 states of 53. A fourth region needs the loan-level file recomputed for it, so until one is built the country is covered by acquisition lending in every state , by the states with a buying guide, and by industries ranked nationally. Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level file, change-of-ownership approvals FY2020-25; charge-off rates from the FY2018-19 seasoned cohort. Rankings weigh loans approved in each region's states, median loan size at searcher scale, and survival. Charge-off rates are a lower bound on a seasoned cohort, so read the ordering, not the level. License moats draw on the ownership-rules matrix.