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County8th of 78 in Puerto Rico by approvals
SBA loans in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico
7(a) and 504 approvals to businesses located in the county, set against the number of businesses there and against the state.
SBA approvals by fiscal year. The federal fiscal year runs 1 October to 30 September, so FY2025 is 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025. *FY2026 is open: approvals to 30 Jun 2026 only.
Businesses in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico, received 62 SBA loan approvals worth $9.1M in FY2021 to FY2025 (55 7(a), 7 504).
The Census Bureau publishes no establishment count for it, so approvals cannot be set against the number of businesses.
It ranks 8th of 78 Puerto Rico counties with approvals. In FY2025 there were 14, up 27% on FY2024.
8 lenders had approvals here; the most active were Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (35), Oriental Bank (12) and Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito de Arecibo (COOPACA) (5). The most common industry was restaurants and other eating places.
Loan status is as recorded by SBA at the data date; charge-off rates are computed on loans approved at least five fiscal years ago. Jobs supported are self-reported estimates from the SBA loan application, which SBA does not review, audit or validate. Data through 30 Jun 2026.
Lenders most active in Arecibo Municipio
By number of approvals to businesses in the county, FY2021–FY2025; 8 lenders had at least one.
| # | Lender | Approvals | Dollars | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banco Popular de Puerto RicoSan Juan, PR | 35 | $4.0M | 56.5% | |
| 2 | Oriental BankSan Juan, PR | 12 | $2.2M | 19.4% | |
| 3 | Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito de Arecibo (COOPACA)Arecibo, PR | 5 | $628K | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Corp. Financiamiento Empresarial del Comercio y Comunidades (COFECC)San Juan, PR · CDC | 3 | $385K | 4.8% | |
| 5 | PYMES Financial Partners, Inc.San Juan, PR · CDC | 2 | — | 3.2% | |
| 6 | FirstBank Puerto RicoSanturce, PR | 2 | — | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Marketing Small Business Finance CorporationSan Juan, PR · CDC | 2 | — | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Economic Development Bank for Puerto RicoSan Juan, PR | 1 | — | 1.6% |
Industries
| # | Industry group (NAICS 4-digit) | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225 | 8 | 12.9% | |
| 2 | Health and Personal Care RetailersNAICS 4561 | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Offices of PhysiciansNAICS 6211 | 6 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 6213 | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Other Food ManufacturingNAICS 3119 | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll ServicesNAICS 5412 | 3 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Building Material and Supplies DealersNAICS 4441 | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Health and Personal Care StoresNAICS 4461 | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical ServicesNAICS 5419 | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Gasoline StationsNAICS 4571 | 2 | 3.2% |
Sectors
| # | NAICS sector | Approvals | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail Trade | 16 | 25.8% | |
| 2 | Health Care and Social Assistance | 12 | 19.4% | |
| 3 | Accommodation and Food Services | 8 | 12.9% | |
| 4 | Manufacturing | 8 | 12.9% | |
| 5 | Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 5 | 8.1% | |
| 6 | Construction | 4 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Wholesale Trade | 2 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Other Services (except Public Administration) | 2 | 3.2% |
Approvals by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | 7(a) approvals | 7(a) dollars | Median 7(a) | 504 approvals | 504 dollars | All approvals | Jobs supported, as reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026* | 9 | $1.2M | $83K | 0 | — | 9 | 43 |
| FY2025 | 12 | $1.4M | $65K | 2 | — | 14 | 148 |
| FY2024 | 9 | $2.0M | $50K | 2 | — | 11 | 248 |
| FY2023 | 8 | $744K | $89K | 1 | — | 9 | 31 |
| FY2022 | 21 | $2.5M | $84K | 1 | — | 22 | 154 |
| FY2021 | 5 | $937K | $282K | 1 | — | 6 | 41 |
| FY2020 | 10 | $2.5M | $175K | 0 | — | 10 | 231 |
| FY2019 | 12 | $3.1M | $113K | 2 | — | 14 | 444 |
| FY2018 | 4 | $2.9M | $543K | 0 | — | 4 | 290 |
| FY2017 | 6 | $1.8M | $114K | 0 | — | 6 | 294 |
| FY2016 | 19 | $1.5M | $29K | 2 | — | 21 | 163 |
In FY2016–FY2020, the five fiscal years before the current window, the county had 55 approvals.
Against Puerto Rico and the country
| FY2021–FY2025 | Arecibo Municipio | Puerto Rico | United States |
|---|---|---|---|
| Approvals | 62 | 2,777 | 342,825 |
| Approvals per 1,000 establishments | — | — | 41.0 |
| Median 7(a) approval | $81K | $81K | $190K |
| Median 504 approval | $144K | $243K | $657K |
| Average approval | $147K | $205K | $573K |
| 504 share of approvals | 11.3% | 10.1% | 11.0% |
| Jobs supported per approval, as reported | 10.0 | 11.2 | 10.5 |
| Share of state approvals | 2.2% | 100.0% | — |
Approval sizes
- $50,000 or less37.1%23
- $50,001 to $150,00035.5%22
- $150,001 to $350,00019.4%12
- $350,001 to $1 million6.5%4
- $1 million to $2 million1.6%1
Age of the businesses
- Existing, more than 2 years old66.1%41
- New business, 2 years or less12.9%8
- Startup, loan funds will open the business21.0%13
Questions and answers
Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Arecibo Municipio?
By approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: Banco Popular de Puerto Rico (35), Oriental Bank (12), Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito de Arecibo (COOPACA) (5), Corp. Financiamiento Empresarial del Comercio y Comunidades (COFECC) (3), PYMES Financial Partners, Inc. (2). Volume says how active a lender is, nothing about terms or service.
How large are typical SBA loans in Arecibo Municipio?
The median 7(a) approval was $81K and the median 504 approval $144K; the Puerto Rico 7(a) median was $81K.
Which industries get the most SBA loans in Arecibo Municipio?
Restaurants and Other Eating Places (8); Health and Personal Care Retailers (6); Offices of Physicians (6); Offices of Other Health Practitioners (4); Other Food Manufacturing (3).
Is SBA lending in Arecibo Municipio rising?
Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 34, against 38 in the three before: falling (-11%).
How does Arecibo Municipio compare with the rest of Puerto Rico?
It had 62 of the state's 2,777 approvals.
About these figures
Figures are totals of the Small Business Administration's 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan files, data through 30 Jun 2026. SBA updates the files quarterly. Counts are loan approvals, including approvals later cancelled; the five-year window is FY2021–FY2025, the five latest complete fiscal years. Charge-off rates use only loans approved in FY2010–FY2021, at least five fiscal years ago, and count disbursed loans SBA records as charged off. Loans are listed under the lender they are assigned to today. Establishment counts are from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns 2023, which leaves out most farms, government and businesses without employees. Dollar figures behind fewer than three approvals are not shown, and no borrower is named anywhere on this site.Methodology · Report an error