SBA loans by state
SBA loans in Arkansas: 327 approvals in FY 2026, median $267,600
No lender dominated: the busiest made 9% of loans. The state stood out for loans to chicken egg production.
Independent site, not a lender and not affiliated with the U.S. Small Business Administration. Loans are applied for only with an SBA lender.
Your loan against approvals in your state
Example, not your result yet· change a figure to see yours
Arkansas: 7(a) loans approved last year
327
| Your rate vs. last year’s loans of this size, all states | about the median for this size |
| Arkansas: median rate at approval, $250,001 to $350,000 | 9.50% |
| Arkansas: median 7(a) loan last year | $267,600 |
| Payment over 10 years, SBA fee added to the loan | $3,583/mo |
Last year’s loans: the 7(a) loans SBA approved from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026 (fiscal year 2026), in SBA’s public loan file of September 30, 2026. Rates at approval were set when prime was 6.75% or 7.00%; today: prime rate 7.00% on November 2, 2026. Your rate is compared on its margin over prime, so the change in prime since last year does not count against you.
Arkansas, FY 2026: 327 SBA 7(a) approvals for $259.6 million (35th of the 50 states and DC, SBA file of September 30, 2026). No lender dominated: the busiest made 9% of loans. The state stood out for loans to chicken egg production. 28% of loans ran 15 years or longer. 23% of loans went to businesses not yet open. Express was used for only 25% of loans. Home-state lenders made 41% of the loans, against 26% nationwide. The median loan, $267,600, was the 13th largest of the 50 states and DC. Credit lines were only 16% of approvals. Only 7% of variable loans sat at the SBA maximum. Only 13% of loans went to businesses under two years old. Today’s cap on a $268,000 variable loan: 11.50%.
Fee notices read and loan file counted by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method and sources
| Lender | FY 2026 loans | Median loan | Median variable rate | Lender’s home state |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Bancorp Bank | 29 | $663,400 | 7.38% | Arkansas (in-state) |
| Arvest Bank | 26 | $95,850 | 7.38% | Arkansas (in-state) |
| U.S. Bank | 26 | $37,250 | n/a | Ohio |
| Newtek Bank | 25 | $80,000 | 10.00% | Florida |
| First Financial Bank | 22 | $785,000 | n/a | Arkansas (in-state) |
No single lender dominates
The busiest lender in Arkansas, Southern Bancorp Bank, made only 9% of loans, a top-lender share the lowest among the 50 states and DC, and the five busiest together 39%. 65 lenders took part.
More common here than nationally: chicken egg production
13 Arkansas loans went to chicken egg production, 53.1 times the national share for that trade. The most frequent trades overall were broilers and other meat type chicken production, full-service restaurants and hotels and motels. The trade is on the food supply chain list of the FY 2027 fee notice, so its 7(a) loans of $700,000 or less pay no guaranty fee, and its 504 loans pay neither the upfront nor the annual SBA fee.
Real estate loans weigh heavily
28% of Arkansas’s loans ran 15 years or more, 2nd highest among the 50 states and DC. Those long loans are the only ones exposed to SBA’s 5-3-1 prepayment fee.
A start-up state
With 23% of loans going to businesses not yet open, Arkansas ranks 7th highest among the 50 states and DC for start-up lending. Every one of those borrowers had to put in at least 10% of the project cost, under SOP 50 10 8.1.
| Loan size | Loans | Median variable rate, FY 2026 | SBA maximum today |
|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 or less | 50 | 10.87% | 13.50% |
| $50,001 to $250,000 | 110 | 9.50% | 13.00% |
| $250,001 to $350,000 | 33 | 9.50% | 11.50% |
| over $350,000 | 134 | 8.50% | 10.00% |
Standard 7(a) more than Express
Only 25% of Arkansas’s approvals used SBA Express (34% nationally); 68% were made by Preferred Lenders under delegated authority, with the larger standard guaranty of 85% or 75%.
Arkansas banks keep most of the lending
Lenders with their SBA address in Arkansas made 41% of the state’s 327 approvals, 11th of the 50 states and DC and well above the 26% average. Southern Bancorp Bank, Arvest Bank and First Financial Bank rank among the five busiest. Local lenders also priced lower: their median variable margin was 1.55 points over prime, against 2.75 points for lenders based elsewhere.
Larger loans than most states
The median Arkansas approval was $267,600, 13th of the 50 states and DC ($220,000 nationally). At that size the variable cap is prime plus 4.5 points, 11.50% today, and the FY 2027 guaranty fee on the median loan is $6,021.
Term loans, few credit lines
Only 16% of Arkansas’s approvals were revolving lines (24% nationally); the rest were term loans repaid on a fixed schedule.
Counties with the most approvals: Pulaski (62), Benton (51) and Washington (32). Trades: broilers and other meat type chicken production (24), full-service restaurants (15), hotels and motels (13), chicken egg production (13) and plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contractors (9).
All states compared.