From 1 October 2023 to 30 June 2026, SBA lenders approved 2,673 7(a) loans in Oregon worth $1.04 billion. The median loan was $80,000, well below the national median of $150,300, and the median rate at approval was 10.75%, above the national 10.25%, because small loans carry higher SBA rate caps. SBA Express made up 52.3% of approvals. Yet 296 loans were $1 million or more, and acquisitions, only 7.5% of loans, had a median of $722,200. An established Oregon company borrowing at that size needs the lenders that make large loans, not the Express programs behind most of the count.
| Measure | Oregon | All industries |
|---|---|---|
| SBA 7(a) loans approved | 2,673 | 162,355 |
| Median loan | $80,000 | $150,300 |
| Middle half of loans | $50,000 – $350,000 | $50,000 – $500,000 |
| Loans of $1 million or more | 11.1% | 12.9% |
| Median rate at approval | 10.75% | 10.25% |
| Middle half of rates | 9.5% – 12.5% | 9.3% – 11.25% |
| Acquisitions (change of ownership) | 200 (7.5%) | 16,849 (10.4%) |
| Median acquisition loan | $722,200 | $693,000 |
| Lenders that made these loans | 114 | 1,648 |
| SBA 504 loans (real estate, equipment) | 161 | 16,714 |
Approvals FY2024 – FY2026 to date (1 Oct 2023 – 30 Jun 2026), cancelled loans excluded. Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records, as of June 30, 2026.
- 7(a) loans approved
- 2,673, worth $1.04 billion (1 Oct 2023 – 30 Jun 2026)
- Median loan
- $80,000 (national: $150,300)
- Median rate at approval
- 10.75%, middle half 9.5% to 12.5%
- SBA Express share
- 52.3% of approvals
- Acquisition loans
- 200 (7.5%), median $722,200 at 9.75%
- Lenders that approved an Oregon loan
- 114
Why Oregon's median loan is so small, and its rate so high
Half of Oregon's 7(a) approvals were for $80,000 or less, and the middle half ran from $50,000 to $350,000, so at least a quarter of all Oregon loans were $50,000 or less. SBA Express, which goes up to $500,000 with a 50% guaranty and lets the lender approve under its own credit policy, carried 52.3% of approvals. Much of Oregon's SBA activity is small loans made under a lender's own standard process.
That mix explains the price. SBA caps a variable 7(a) rate at a spread over the base rate that shrinks as the loan grows, and small loans sit in the widest tiers. Oregon's median rate at approval was 10.75%, half a point above the national median, and the middle half ran from 9.5% to 12.5%, a wide band with a high top. A borrower who needs a larger loan should not read that band as its own price.
| Loan size | SBA cap on a variable rate | Where Oregon loans sit |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 or less | Base rate plus 6.5% | At least a quarter of Oregon approvals |
| $50,001 to $250,000 | Base rate plus 6% | The median Oregon loan, $80,000 |
| $250,001 to $350,000 | Base rate plus 4.5% | The top of Oregon's middle half, $350,000 |
| Above $350,000 | Base rate plus 3% | Acquisitions (median $722,200) and the 296 loans of $1 million or more |
Only 15% of Oregon loans were fixed-rate. SBA loan rates sets out the caps in full, and the maximum SBA rate explains how the base rate is chosen.
The other Oregon market: loans above $1 million
The small-loan median hides a real tail. One loan in ten was larger than $1,096,320, and 296 loans, 11.1% of the total, were $1 million or more. Oregon's 200 acquisition loans had a median of $722,200 at a median rate of 9.75%, a full point below the state's overall median, and its 161 SBA 504 loans had a median of $864,000. These are companies and buildings, and they are underwritten on historical cash flow, collateral and the buyer's or owner's record.
The practical consequence is lender selection. 114 lenders approved an Oregon 7(a) loan in the period, but a lender that runs most of its volume through Express is set up for $80,000 files, not a seven-figure acquisition with a business valuation, a seller note on standby and real estate. An established company that applies where the small loans are made can be turned down for reasons that have nothing to do with its credit.
In Oregon, the question is less whether a business qualifies for SBA than which of the state's SBA lenders actually makes loans of its size.
Few start-ups, few franchises, lots of contractors
Oregon's borrowers are mostly independent, existing businesses. Start-ups took only 7.7% of loans and franchises 6.3%, far lower shares than in franchise-heavy states. The top five industries by loan count were full-service restaurants (114), residential remodelers (105), limited-service restaurants (75), plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors (51) and fitness and recreational sports centers (45).
Two of those five are trades, and contractors carry their own file questions. Oregon requires construction contractors to be licensed through the state Construction Contractors Board, and a lender will confirm the license is active and bonded. In an acquisition it will ask how the license carries over to the new owner and whether the people who qualify the license are staying. It will also read the work itself: deposits taken against jobs not yet done, how much revenue depends on the owner selling and estimating, and whether margins hold up job by job. The residential remodelers and plumbing and HVAC contractors pages cover each trade's figures, and financing an HVAC company acquisition covers a purchase.
Oregon questions a lender will ask
SBA's rules are federal, but a few Oregon realities show up in the underwriting.
- Cannabis exposure. Oregon has a licensed cannabis industry, and SBA treats businesses that grow, process or sell marijuana as ineligible. A business that sells to them, leases to them or services them can be caught by the same rules. Expect the lender to ask what share of revenue, if any, comes from cannabis customers, and answer it in writing.
- The Corporate Activity Tax. Oregon's Corporate Activity Tax is charged on gross receipts above a threshold, so it is paid even in a thin-margin year. A lender builds it into cash flow as an operating cost; show it clearly rather than letting it surface as an unexplained line.
- Insurance on real estate collateral. Where a building secures the loan, the lender requires hazard insurance. In wildfire-exposed parts of the state, the cost and availability of that cover is part of whether the property works as collateral.
- Personal real estate. On larger loans that business assets do not fully secure, SBA expects lenders to take available equity in the owners' personal real estate. See will an SBA loan take my house.
Buying an Oregon business with SBA
Acquisitions were only 7.5% of Oregon loans against 10.4% nationally, but the ones that closed were substantial. A buyer needs equity of at least 10% of total project costs; a seller note can count for up to half of that only on full standby for the life of the SBA loan, and a note that pays is debt in the coverage math. SBA prohibits an earnout to the seller, and the seller may stay on only as a consultant, for up to 12 months, or up to 24 months under SOP 50 10 8.1 from 1 October 2026.
The same revision tightens underwriting from that date: a change of ownership must show 1.25x debt service coverage on historical results, financial due diligence is required on every change of ownership, and a quality of earnings report is required on acquisitions of $3 million or more excluding real estate. For a remodeler or HVAC company whose last year was its best, that means the prior years matter. How SBA 7(a) loans finance an acquisition and seller notes and SBA's full-standby rule cover the structure.
SBA or conventional in Oregon
| What the business needs | Usually fits | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A small working-capital or equipment loan | SBA Express, or a conventional loan | Express handles loans up to $500,000 inside the lender's own process; compare the rate against the cap tier. |
| Buying a company, mostly goodwill | Standard SBA 7(a) | A 10% minimum injection and 10-year amortization; conventional lenders want more equity against intangible value. |
| Buying or building an owner-occupied property | SBA 504, or 7(a) up to 25 years | Oregon's 504 loans had a median of $864,000; the borrower must occupy at least 51% of an existing building. |
| A contractor's seasonal swings in receivables | Conventional or asset-based line | A line sized to receivables follows the work; see seasonal lines of credit. |
Transparent's lender book holds 1,800+ lenders, of which 278 write SBA 7(a) and 504 and 1,148 write conventional term and private credit, so an Oregon company can see which SBA lenders make loans its size and what the conventional alternative costs on the same file. The file itself starts with two to three years of business and personal tax returns, a P&L, balance sheet and debt schedule, and a personal financial statement for each 20%+ owner; contractors should add the license record and a list of open jobs, and buyers the target's latest full year of figures and the letter of intent.
Once the documents are in, Transparent builds the lender package, a financing model, lender presentation, blind teaser and underwriting memo, in a day; built by hand, it takes at least a week. Transparent charges nothing before a loan closes, and on SBA loans the lender pays Transparent, not the borrower.
Common questions
- What is the typical SBA loan size in Oregon?
- The median Oregon 7(a) loan approved from October 2023 to June 2026 was $80,000, against a national median of $150,300. The middle half ran from $50,000 to $350,000, and 296 loans were $1 million or more.
- Why are SBA rates higher in Oregon?
- Mostly because Oregon's loans are smaller. SBA allows a wider spread over the base rate on small loans, up to plus 6.5% at $50,000 or less, and at least a quarter of Oregon loans are that size. Oregon's acquisition loans, which sit above $350,000 where the cap is plus 3%, had a median rate of 9.75%.
- Can a business that sells to cannabis companies get an SBA loan?
- Often not. SBA treats marijuana businesses as ineligible, and businesses that derive revenue from serving them can be caught too. The lender will ask, and the answer depends on the specific revenue and relationship.
- Is SBA Express right for an Oregon business?
- For a loan up to $500,000 that the lender can approve under its own policy, it can be. Express carries a 50% guaranty, against 85% or 75% on a standard 7(a) loan, so lenders use it for smaller, simpler credits. Acquisitions and real estate usually go through a standard 7(a) or 504 loan.