Lending data
Who lends to arts and recreation businesses, state by state
8,305 SBA 7(a) loans to arts and recreation businesses across 45 states, with the most active lender and the median loan in each.
Short answer
8,305 SBA 7(a) loans went to arts and recreation businesses across 45 states with enough volume to report. Pick your state below to see which lenders actually funded them.
By state
Only states with at least 20 loans are listed, because below that the figures are noise rather than signal. Computed from SBA 7(a) loan-level FOIA data released 2026-06-30.
| State | Loans | Median loan | Startup share | Most active lender |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 893 | $150,000 | 46% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Texas | 760 | $350,000 | 73% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Florida | 570 | $320,000 | 61% | The Huntington National Bank |
| New York | 531 | $150,000 | 48% | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company |
| Ohio | 419 | $112,000 | 58% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Pennsylvania | 320 | $209,300 | 63% | The Huntington National Bank |
| New Jersey | 307 | $240,000 | 58% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Michigan | 305 | $175,000 | 52% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Illinois | 290 | $300,000 | 57% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Colorado | 230 | $267,450 | 69% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Georgia | 227 | $350,000 | 74% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Washington | 227 | $240,000 | 55% | KeyBank |
| North Carolina | 219 | $475,500 | 72% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Minnesota | 206 | $200,000 | 65% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Virginia | 200 | $300,000 | 70% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Massachusetts | 199 | $150,000 | 49% | Rockland Trust Company |
| Wisconsin | 183 | $175,000 | 62% | Summit CU |
| Missouri | 177 | $211,000 | 56% | OakStar Bank |
| Arizona | 171 | $350,000 | 67% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Indiana | 157 | $200,000 | 56% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Tennessee | 153 | $329,300 | 60% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Maryland | 150 | $137,450 | 69% | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company |
| Utah | 150 | $250,000 | 73% | The Huntington National Bank |
| South Carolina | 107 | $315,000 | 61% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Nevada | 101 | $252,000 | 55% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Oregon | 101 | $150,000 | 46% | Columbia Bank |
| Connecticut | 92 | $132,500 | 56% | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company |
| Iowa | 81 | $281,700 | 72% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Idaho | 76 | $186,350 | 75% | Zions Bank |
| Alabama | 68 | $326,400 | 72% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Kentucky | 67 | $150,000 | 55% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Kansas | 65 | $325,000 | 71% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Oklahoma | 64 | $327,500 | 69% | BancFirst |
| Louisiana | 58 | $210,000 | 55% | American Bank |
| New Hampshire | 54 | $151,500 | 57% | TD Bank |
| Nebraska | 49 | $243,400 | 82% | Union Bank and Trust Company |
| Maine | 44 | $95,000 | 68% | Norway Savings Bank |
| Arkansas | 35 | $271,800 | 66% | Arvest Bank |
| Delaware | 33 | $173,000 | 58% | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company |
| Mississippi | 31 | $350,000 | 64% | Peoples Bank |
| West Virginia | 30 | $183,100 | 63% | The Huntington National Bank |
| Montana | 27 | $110,000 | 70% | U.S. Bank |
| New Mexico | 27 | $280,000 | 67% | Western Commerce Bank |
| Rhode Island | 26 | $182,000 | 50% | BankNewport |
| Hawaii | 25 | $50,000 | 32% | Central Pacific Bank |
What 7(a) lending to arts and recreation businesses looks like nationally
| Measure | Arts, entertainment, and recreation | All 7(a) borrowers |
|---|---|---|
| Loans approved, fiscal years 2023 to 2026, using data released June 2026 | 8,422 | 214,102 |
| Median loan | $231,350 | $150,000 |
| 25th - 75th percentile | $50,000 - $505,000 | $50,000 - $500,000 |
| Median term | 10 years | 10 years |
| Median initial rate | 10.25% | 10.25% |
| Share to startups | 60.2% | 33.6% |
| Charge-off rate, FY2010-19 | 9.2% | 7.1% |
| Jobs supported | 89,601 | 2,142,602 |
Reading those figures against all 7(a) borrowers:
- Loans here run larger than average. The median of $231,350 is 54% above the $150,000 national median. Expect lenders in this market to be geared toward bigger deals, and expect a small request to get less attention.
- New businesses do well here. 60% of these loans went to startups or businesses under two years old, against 34% nationally — an unusually open market if you have no trading history.
- Lenders have been burned here before. 9.2% of loans to this market from the FY2010-2019 cohorts were charged off, against 7.1% overall. That history is why underwriting in this sector is tighter than the numbers alone would suggest — it is not personal.
How to use this
Open your state, shortlist three lenders whose median loan is close to what you need, then read choosing an SBA lender before you call.