The Small Business Administration supported $27.5 billion worth of loans through its 2023 Major Loan Program, significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels as government officials seek to stabilize the economy.
Many small businesses start and expand their businesses with SBA loans. SBA lending has increased lending to Black, Latinx, and women entrepreneurs over the past few years, in line with efforts to become more equitable.
Flippa found the counties in Ohio that had the most applicants approved for SBA loan funds per capita in fiscal year 2023, which ends in September. This analysis is based on the SBA’s most common loan program, known as 7(a) loans. The SBA’s 7(a) program provides extra security to lenders when lending money to small businesses that are considered too risky to lend to. Loans can be up to $5 million, but in 2023, nearly 7 in 10 loans were for less than $350,000. Small businesses can use these funds for property acquisition or improvements, working capital, supplies and equipment, and other business start-up or acquisition purposes.
Although there are still barriers to qualifying, such as income, credit history, and location, SBA loans can be beneficial for founders who don’t qualify for traditional business financing. You can also protect against high or volatile interest rates, as the interest rate caps on SBA-backed loans are predictable and often lower than other loans.
A national analysis of each state’s No. 1 counties found that all but two had a population of less than 500,000 people, and most had less than 100,000 people. This is not surprising since the Census Bureau classifies approximately 99% of U.S. counties as small counties. Still, this means that these small communities are building an entrepreneurial environment in which to thrive. In most cases, a small business can be more successful than a small business within the major population centers of the United States, at least in terms of success in obtaining his SBA funding.
Find out if your county ranks among the counties receiving the most SBA loans.
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Michael Sheik // Shutterstock
#50.lucas county
– SBA approved approximately $44.39 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $19.1 million
– Number of loans: 103
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Kamba
#49.Scioto County
– SBA approved approximately $46.95 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $3.5 million
– Number of loans: 6
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Kamba
#48.Muskingum County
– SBA approved approximately $49.84 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $4.3 million
– Number of loans: 41
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Kamba
#47.preble county
– SBA approved approximately $51.43 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $2.1 million
– Number of loans: 4
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Kenneth Kiefer // Shutterstock
#46.Noble County
– SBA approved approximately $51.88 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $735,000
– Number of loans: 1
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Bravo Charlie Productions // Shutterstock
#45.allen county
– SBA approved approximately $53.77 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $5.5 million
– Number of loans: 12
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JNix // Shutterstock
#44.clinton county
– SBA approved approximately $55.05 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $2.3 million
– Number of loans: 7
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Big Joe // Shutterstock
#43.erie county
– SBA approved approximately $57.43 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $4.3 million
– Number of loans: 24
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Kamba
#42.guernsey county
– SBA approved approximately $57.43 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $2.2 million
– Number of loans: 14
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BLAZE Pro // Shutterstock
#41.Tuscarawas County
– SBA approved approximately $58.26 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $5.4 million
– Number of loans: 33
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Kamba
#40.miami county
– SBA approved approximately $61.46 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total funding approved: $6.6 million
– Number of loans: 30
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Keith J. Finks // Shutterstock
#39.huron county
– SBA approved approximately $63.21 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $3.7 million
– Number of loans: 13
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Kamba
#38.union county
– SBA approved approximately $64.35 per resident for 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $4 million
– Number of loans: 14
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Kamba
#37.Seneca County
– SBA approved approximately $64.85 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $3.6 million
– Number of loans: 13
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redtbird02 // Shutterstock
#36.ashtabula county
– SBA approved approximately $70.19 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $6.9 million
– Number of loans: 37
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Joshua D’Ariano // Shutterstock
#35.hancock county
– SBA approved approximately $71.42 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $5.4 million
– Number of loans: 23
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ADC Bradley // Shutterstock
#34.brown county
– SBA approved approximately $77.43 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total funding approved: $3.4 million
– Number of loans: 2
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Lakefront Drone // Shutterstock
#33.Lorain County
– SBA approved approximately $79.70 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $24.8 million
– Number of loans: 121
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jul11h // Shutterstock
#32.portage county
– SBA approved approximately $81.74 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $13.2 million
– Number of loans: 52
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JNix // Shutterstock
#31.pickaway county
– SBA approved approximately $82.38 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $4.8 million
– Number of loans: 19
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Kamba
#30.trumbull county
– SBA approved approximately $82.57 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $16.7 million
– Number of loans: 73
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Kamba
#29.holmes county
– SBA approved approximately $83.96 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $3.7 million
– Number of loans: 8
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American Explorer // Shutterstock
#28.Lawrence County
– SBA approved approximately $84.12 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $4.9 million
– Number of loans: 3
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Kamba
#27.butler county
– SBA approved approximately $85.04 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $33 million
– Number of loans: 109
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JNix // Shutterstock
#26.colombiana county
– SBA approved approximately $86.25 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $8.8 million
– Number of loans: 38
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iWilliams // Shutterstock
#twenty five.carroll county
– SBA approved approximately $92.37 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $2.5 million
– Number of loans: 12
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Kamba
#twenty four.fayette county
– SBA approved approximately $93.78 per resident in 2023 7(a) loans.
– Total approved funding: $2.7 million
– Number of loans: 3
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Sean Pavone // Shutterstock
#twenty three.franklin county
– SBA approved approximately $94.61 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $124.3 million
– Number of loans: 510
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Mihalis Makarov // Shutterstock
#twenty two.lake county
– SBA approved approximately $99.01 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $23 million
– Number of loans: 87
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Rothermar // Shutterstock
#twenty one.wood county
– SBA approved approximately $99.96 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $13.2 million
– Number of loans: 50
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photo.ua // Shutterstock
#20.hamilton county
– SBA approved approximately $100.03 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $82.7 million
– Number of loans: 273
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Kenneth Sponsorer // Shutterstock
#19. Medina County
– SBA approved approximately $100.24 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $18.2 million
– Number of loans: 81
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Kamba
#18. Cuyahoga County
– SBA approved approximately $100.97 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $127.6 million
– Number of loans: 447
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Showcase Imaging // Shutterstock
#17.summit county
– SBA approved approximately $104.11 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $56.3 million
– Number of loans: 242
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Kenneth Sponsorer // Shutterstock
#16. Licking County
– SBA approved approximately $105.52 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $18.7 million
– Number of loans: 78
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BLAZE Pro // Shutterstock
#15. Stark County
– SBA approved approximately $107.93 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $40.4 million
– Number of loans: 169
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Kamba
#14. Montgomery County
– SBA approved approximately $111.20 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $59.6 million
– Number of loans: 112
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Kamba
#13. Wyandotte County
– SBA approved approximately $113.71 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $2.5 million
– Number of loans: 2
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Kilmer Media // Shutterstock
#12. Warren County
– SBA approved approximately $114.52 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $27.4 million
– Number of loans: 73
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Kenneth Kiefer // Shutterstock
#11. Madison County
– SBA approved approximately $120.33 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $5.3 million
– Number of loans: 31
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Kamba
#Ten.henry county
– SBA approved approximately $122.38 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total funding approved: $3.4 million
– Number of loans: 6
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Donna Wickerham // Shutterstock
#9. Richland County
– SBA approved approximately $124.57 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $15.5 million
– Number of loans: 38
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Kamba
#8. Clermont County
– SBA approved approximately $126.57 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $26.3 million
– Number of loans: 56
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Kamba
#7.mahoning county
– SBA approved approximately $131.36 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $30.1 million
– Number of loans: 91
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JNix // Shutterstock
#6. Belmont County
– SBA approved approximately $140.31 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $9.4 million
– Number of loans: 28
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Eric Glenn // Shutterstock
#5. Fairfield County
– SBA approved approximately $166.49 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $26.2 million
– Number of loans: 45
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Susie Prentice // Shutterstock
#4. Giaga County
– SBA approved approximately $168.34 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $16.1 million
– Number of loans: 50
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Roberto Galan // Shutterstock
#3. Defiance County
– SBA approved approximately $174.88 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $6.7 million
– Number of loans: 23
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dvgpro // shutterstock
#2. Delaware County
– SBA approved approximately $177.24 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $37.4 million
– Number of loans: 109
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Kamba
#1. Putnam County
– SBA approved approximately $214.00 per resident in 7(a) loans in 2023.
– Total approved funding: $7.4 million
– Number of loans: 10
This story features data reporting and writing by Paxtyn Merten and is part of a series on leveraging data automation across 50 states.
