SBA Ledger

Industries › Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services › Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services

NAICS 5418Industry group0.5% of all approvals

SBA loans for advertising, public relations, and related services

7(a) and 504 approvals to businesses SBA classifies under NAICS 5418, with the lenders and states behind them.

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 classified under NAICS 5418, advertising, public relations, and related services, received 1,733 SBA loan approvals worth $845M in FY2021 to FY2025 (1,576 7(a), 157 504).

That is 0.5% of all approvals. Set against the 38,864 establishments the Census Bureau counts in the industry, it comes to 44.6 approvals per 1,000 establishments; across all industries the figure is 41.0.

In FY2025 there were 486 approvals, up 8% on FY2024. The median 7(a) approval was $200K, against $190K for all industries, and 2.8% of approvals went to franchise businesses.

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 9.3% as charged off, above the 6.6% for all industries.

1,733approvals, FY2021–FY2025FY2025: 486
$845Mdollars approved, FY2021–FY2025FY2025: $222M
$200Kmedian 7(a) approvalall industries: $190K
44.6approvals per 1,000 establishmentsall industries: 41.0
9.3%7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2021 charged offall industries: 6.6%

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.

Volume by fiscal year

Fiscal year7(a) approvals7(a) dollarsMedian 7(a)504 approvals504 dollarsAll approvalsJobs supported, as reported
FY2026*242$117M$200K16$15.6M2581,620
FY2025460$196M$200K26$25.4M4864,230
FY2024440$178M$150K10$8.7M4503,832
FY2023267$119M$150K16$7.7M2832,372
FY2022193$96.6M$150K53$50.5M2462,408
FY2021216$128M$350K52$33.9M2683,363
FY2020163$71.4M$175K26$22.5M1891,589
FY2019239$89.2M$150K24$26.6M2632,213
FY2018298$121M$125K26$19.9M3242,278
FY2017313$135M$150K26$18.0M3392,934
FY2016340$80.6M$100K28$23.2M3682,276

SBA records the NAICS code in force when a loan was approved. The 2022 NAICS revision renumbered parts of retail trade and information, so some lines of business appear under one code before FY2023 and another after. FY2016–FY2020 approvals under this code: 1,483.

Lenders most active in this industry

By number of approvals, FY2021–FY2025; 326 lenders had at least one.

#LenderApprovalsDollarsShare
1The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH162$60.5M9.3%
2Newtek Bank, National AssociationMiami, FL103$54.6M5.9%
3Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ96$22.7M5.5%
4Northeast BankLewiston, ME77$13.4M4.4%
5JPMorgan Chase Bank, National AssociationColumbus, OH74$18.1M4.3%
6TD Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE74$12.0M4.3%
7U.S. Bank, National AssociationCincinnati, OH58$13.5M3.3%
8Wells Fargo Bank National AssociationSioux Falls, SD57$11.7M3.3%
9BayFirst National BankSaint Petersburg, FL56$8.3M3.2%
10Live Oak Banking CompanyWilmington, NC45$54.0M2.6%
11Manufacturers and Traders Trust CompanyBuffalo, NY38$4.4M2.2%
12Bank of America, National AssociationCharlotte, NC37$15.3M2.1%
13Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.Lake Success, NY34$18.7M2.0%
14Lendistry SBLC, LLCLos Angeles, CA19$3.3M1.1%
15Mortgage Capital Development CorporationOakland, CA · CDC18$17.3M1.0%
16Fifth Third BankCincinnati, OH17$15.4M1.0%
17TowneBankPortsmouth, VA17$13.0M1.0%
18Five Star BankRancho Cordova, CA16$3.9M0.9%
19Byline BankChicago, IL15$16.0M0.9%
20First Internet Bank of IndianaFishers, IN14$27.5M0.8%

States

#State of the businessApprovalsDollarsShare
1California249$152M14.4%
2Florida173$97.8M10.0%
3New York156$56.7M9.0%
4Texas113$71.4M6.5%
5Ohio80$38.5M4.6%
6Illinois59$30.7M3.4%
7Michigan57$19.5M3.3%
8New Jersey56$22.6M3.2%
9Minnesota52$27.1M3.0%
10Colorado48$26.1M2.8%
11North Carolina46$31.3M2.7%
12Pennsylvania44$25.0M2.5%
13Arizona44$23.2M2.5%
14Massachusetts43$19.8M2.5%
15Oregon37$24.1M2.1%

Franchise brands

2.8% of approvals carried a franchise code.

#BrandApprovalsShare
1Fastsigns80.5%
2Fully Promoted a70.4%
3Running Boards Marketing60.3%
4Rsvp40.2%
5SpeedPro Imaging30.2%
6Signarama30.2%
7Image36030.2%
8SIGNworld30.2%
9Ntv 36030.2%
10Coffee News30.2%

Approval sizes

Age of the businesses

Charge-offs against all industries

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services, 7(a)9.3%
All industries, 7(a)6.6%
Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services, 5040.8%
All industries, 5041.2%
Share of disbursed loans approved FY2010–FY2021 that SBA records as charged off.
Loans approved FY2010–FY2021This industry, 7(a)All 7(a)This industry, 504All 504
Approvals in these years3,223639,90539185,591
Cancelled or never disbursed37079,3133612,514
Disbursed loans2,853560,59235573,077
Paid in full2,171435,81318835,491
Charged off26536,8913905
Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure)41787,88816436,681
Charged off, share of disbursed loans9.3%6.6%0.8%1.2%
Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars4.5%2.5%0.3%0.9%
Dollars charged off$41.7M$5.70bn$824K$499M

Against all industries

FY2021–FY2025NAICS 5418All industries
Median 7(a) approval$200K$190K
Median 504 approval$508K$657K
Average approval$487K$573K
Approvals per 1,000 establishments44.641.0
Approvals to franchise businesses2.8%11.2%
Jobs supported per approval, as reported9.410.5

Questions and answers

Which lenders make the most SBA loans for advertising, public relations, and related services?

By approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: The Huntington National Bank (162), Newtek Bank, National Association (103), Readycap Lending, LLC (96), Northeast Bank (77), JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association (74). 326 lenders had at least one.

How large are typical SBA loans for advertising, public relations, and related services?

The median 7(a) approval was $200K and the median 504 approval $508K; the average across both programs was $487K.

What share of SBA loans for advertising, public relations, and related services are charged off?

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, 9.3% are recorded as charged off, against 6.6% for all industries; for 504 loans, 0.8% against 1.2%.

Which states have the most SBA loans for advertising, public relations, and related services?

California (249), Florida (173), New York (156), Texas (113), Ohio (80).

Is SBA lending for advertising, public relations, and related services rising?

Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 1,219, against 703 in the three before: rising (+73%).

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