SBA Ledger

States › Kentucky

State0.7% of US approvals153 lenders active

SBA loans in Kentucky

7(a) and 504 approvals by fiscal year, the lenders behind them, and where in the state they went. Pick a fiscal year for that year's lenders and counties.

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 Kentucky received 2,558 SBA loan approvals worth $1.26bn in FY2021 to FY2025, 2,411 of them 7(a) loans and 147 504 loans.

That is 27.1 approvals for every 1,000 business establishments in the state, against 41.0 nationally, and 0.7% of all approvals in the country (32nd of 54 states and territories).

In FY2025 there were 615 approvals totalling $310M, up 12% on FY2024. The median 7(a) approval over the five years was $150K and the median 504 approval $495K.

153 lenders had at least one approval in the state; by number of 7(a) approvals the most active were The Huntington National Bank (331), Community Trust Bank, Inc. (295) and U.S. Bank, National Association (261).

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, SBA records 6.7% as charged off, against 6.6% nationally.

615approvals, FY20252,558 in FY2021–FY2025
$310Mapproved, FY2025$1.26bn in FY2021–FY2025
27.1approvals per 1,000 establishments, FY2021–FY2025US: 41.0
$150Kmedian 7(a) approvalUS: $190K
6.7%7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2021 charged offUS: 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.

Most active 7(a) lenders in Kentucky

Ranked by number of approvals to businesses in the state, FY2021–FY2025. The column of bars shows each lender's approvals here in every fiscal year; the charged-off column is the lender's nationwide figure.

#LenderApprovals in KY, FY2021–25DollarsShareMedian approval, all statesFY2016–26Charged off, FY2010–21 loans
1The Huntington National BankColumbus, OH331$98.2M13.7%$92K5.7%
2Community Trust Bank, Inc.Pikeville, KY295$64.2M12.2%$120K9.8%
3U.S. Bank, National AssociationCincinnati, OH261$41.9M10.8%$45K6.2%
4Stock Yards Bank & Trust CompanyLouisville, KY178$113M7.4%$337K6.2%
5Republic Bank & Trust CompanyLouisville, KY163$67.2M6.8%$250K1.9%
6Northeast BankLewiston, ME109$15.6M4.5%$106K12.8%
7Newtek Bank, National AssociationMiami, FL66$21.5M2.7%$225K—
8Live Oak Banking CompanyWilmington, NC60$91.6M2.5%$850K2.2%
9Readycap Lending, LLCBerkeley Heights, NJ55$11.1M2.3%$138K4.3%
10BayFirst National BankSaint Petersburg, FL55$7.2M2.3%$150K19.2%
11PNC Bank, National AssociationWilmington, DE53$9.9M2.2%$50K8.1%
12Old National BankEvansville, IN41$32.0M1.7%$500K4.7%
13United Midwest Savings Bank National AssociationDe Graff, OH38$25.7M1.6%$150K15.9%
14Fifth Third BankCincinnati, OH35$12.4M1.5%$200K5.5%
15JPMorgan Chase Bank, National AssociationColumbus, OH31$9.1M1.3%$200K7.4%
16South Central Bank, Inc.Glasgow, KY30$17.3M1.2%$250K4.3%
17Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc.Lake Success, NY27$17.9M1.1%$300K6.8%
18WesBanco Bank, Inc.Wheeling, WV23$3.7M1.0%$278K4.6%
19Celtic Bank CorporationSalt Lake City, UT22$19.3M0.9%$150K17.0%
20Heritage Bank IncBurlington, KY22$17.4M0.9%$150K—
21German American BankJasper, IN20$11.4M0.8%$200K1.0%
22Wilson & Muir Bank & Trust CompanyBardstown, KY19$7.7M0.8%$179K0.0%
23Peoples BankMarietta, OH19$6.9M0.8%$250K3.8%
24First Commonwealth BankIndiana, PA18$13.0M0.7%$420K3.9%
25First Financial BankCincinnati, OH18$8.1M0.7%$300K3.4%
26GBankLas Vegas, NV17$29.7M0.7%$2.2M1.7%
27First Financial Bank, National AssociationTerre Haute, IN17$3.5M0.7%$241K5.1%
28American Bank & Trust Company, Inc.Bowling Green, KY15$3.7M0.6%$260K—
29Byline BankChicago, IL13$14.3M0.5%$806K9.5%
30First Merchants BankIndianapolis, IN12$13.0M0.5%$350K5.0%
31TowneBankPortsmouth, VA12$11.1M0.5%$638K3.3%
32KeyBank National AssociationCleveland, OH12$4.3M0.5%$75K4.3%
33FNB Bank, Inc.Mayfield, KY12$3.8M0.5%$176K0.0%
34Lendistry SBLC, LLCLos Angeles, CA12$1.9M0.5%$150K22.7%
35First Bank of the LakeOsage Beach, MO11$12.3M0.5%$350K2.7%
36SouthState Bank, National AssociationWinter Haven, FL11$5.8M0.5%$350K2.8%
37Peoples BankMendenhall, MS9$25.1M0.4%$322K8.3%
38Beacon Bank and TrustBrookline, MA9$13.1M0.4%$630K4.6%
39Forcht Bank, National AssociationLexington, KY9$1.6M0.4%$200K0.0%
40First Financial BankEl Dorado, AR8$8.7M0.3%$925K4.3%

504 certified development companies

#LenderApprovals in KY, FY2021–25DollarsShareMedian approval, all statesFY2016–26Charged off, FY2010–21 loans
1Capital Access Corporation - KentuckyLouisville, KY · 504 CDC40$38.0M27.2%$516K2.1%
2Alloy Development Co., Inc.Cincinnati, OH · 504 CDC38$38.2M25.9%$672K1.1%
3Community Ventures CorporationLexington, KY · 504 CDC33$27.0M22.4%$615K3.3%
4Premier Capital CorporationIndianapolis, IN · 504 CDC17$8.7M11.6%$529K0.8%
5Purchase Area Development DistrictMayfield, KY · 504 CDC10$3.0M6.8%$217K—
6Indiana Statewide Certified Development CorporationIndianapolis, IN · 504 CDC2—1.4%$599K1.7%
7Brightbridge, Inc.Chattanooga, TN · 504 CDC2—1.4%$856K0.4%
8Oakland County Business Finance CorporationWaterford, MI · 504 CDC1—0.7%$507K0.9%
9West Central Partnership, Inc.Perrysburg, OH · 504 CDC1—0.7%$709K1.1%
10Small Business Growth CorporationSpringfield, IL · 504 CDC1—0.7%$609K1.4%
11Ohio Statewide Development CorporationColumbus, OH · 504 CDC1—0.7%$453K0.3%
12SomerCor 504, Inc.Chicago, IL · 504 CDC1—0.7%$587K1.4%

Fiscal-year ledger

Fiscal year7(a) approvals7(a) dollarsMedian 7(a)504 approvals504 dollarsAll approvalsJobs supported, as reported
FY2026*331$177M$185K11$11.3M3423,312
FY2025597$288M$164K18$22.1M6156,680
FY2024520$217M$150K29$23.6M5494,760
FY2023442$197M$150K20$18.9M4625,795
FY2022393$177M$175K36$22.7M4294,576
FY2021459$258M$196K44$39.7M5036,438
FY2020364$157M$100K27$17.8M3913,526
FY2019442$151M$100K25$20.5M4674,186
FY2018482$156M$116K27$12.6M5094,518
FY2017480$160M$110K37$24.6M5175,451
FY2016530$186M$112K39$37.2M5695,490

7(a) approvals504 approvals

919293949596979899000102030405060708091011121314151617181920212223242526
SBA approvals in Kentucky by fiscal year, FY1991 to FY2026.

Counties

Approvals in FY2021–FY2025 set against the Census Bureau's count of business establishments. Counties with at least 30 approvals have their own page.

#CountyApprovalsDollarsEstablishmentsPer 1,000 establishmentsBy fiscal year
1Jefferson County652$339M20,16432.3
2Fayette County252$112M9,29527.1
3Kenton County195$91.8M3,29759.1
4Boone County156$65.4M3,16349.3
5Campbell County81$33.4M1,74346.5
6Warren County80$31.1M3,07626.0
7Daviess County69$39.8M2,38528.9
8Shelby County65$36.2M1,12957.6
9Oldham County63$42.8M1,40444.9
10Pike County52$8.2M1,10946.9
11Madison County51$23.0M1,80828.2
12Hardin County43$34.8M2,25319.1
13Scott County42$19.7M1,05839.7
14Jessamine County41$21.6M1,35330.3
15Woodford County40$9.1M61864.7
16Bullitt County38$31.6M1,30829.1
17McCracken County36$23.8M2,06117.5
18Boyd County31$11.5M1,16926.5
19Clark County24$11.1M78430.6
20Montgomery County20$10.5M56035.7
21Graves County20$9.8M66829.9
22Laurel County20$13.9M1,27215.7
23Christian County19$7.9M1,29014.7
24Anderson County18$9.2M35251.1
25Pulaski County17$6.0M1,45411.7
26Barren County16$6.5M85318.8
27Nelson County16$15.8M1,02315.6
28Calloway County16$11.0M90617.7
29Henderson County16$6.1M96616.6
30Floyd County16$2.6M70022.9
31Marshall County15$11.2M73420.4
32Franklin County15$5.5M1,27811.7
33Grant County14$3.0M38636.3
34Bourbon County13$3.9M38234.0
35Mason County12$6.2M40429.7
36Mercer County12$4.9M35933.4
37Simpson County11$10.4M42226.1
38Spencer County10$4.8M25539.2
39Knox County10$3.3M44922.3
40Henry County9$5.3M21242.5
41Whitley County9$10.7M62914.3
42Greenup County9$4.7M46619.3
43Marion County8$2.2M35322.7
44Boyle County8$2.7M78010.3
45Meade County8$3.1M36222.1
46Lawrence County7$1.7M20733.8
47Allen County7$1.2M25627.3
48Garrard County7$1.3M25127.9
49Muhlenberg County7$10.3M53713.0
50Harrison County7$4.2M29723.6
51Grayson County6$2.2M43113.9
52Taylor County6$7.8M6319.5
53Bell County6$3.2M43613.8
54Hopkins County6$3.6M8826.8
55Bracken County6$887K9861.2
56Lincoln County5$1.8M30416.4
57Pendleton County5$5.3M17229.1
58Johnson County5$2.7M35114.2
59Fleming County5$598K25519.6
60Leslie County5$694K8856.8
61Letcher County4$217K27714.4
62Carroll County4$3.0M23317.2
63Rowan County4$1.6M5327.5
64Logan County4$844K4868.2
65Adair County4$2.7M33112.1
66Bath County4$2.8M14926.8
67Caldwell County4$1.1M26615.0
68Owen County4$5.2M13330.1
69Trimble County4$1.3M8646.5
70Carter County3$468K3897.7
71Wayne County3$4.6M28410.6
72Edmonson County3$470K13023.1
73Trigg County3$324K23113.0
74Breathitt County3$109K14920.1
75Gallatin County3$2.8M8435.7
76Monroe County2—2099.6
77Carlisle County2—8025.0
78Butler County2—19010.5
79Lyon County2—17111.7
80Powell County2—2129.4
81Magoffin County2—15612.8
82Breckinridge County2—2837.1
83Rockcastle County2—2099.6
84Todd County2—2089.6
85McLean County2—16112.4
86Union County2—2498.0
87Clay County2—2298.7
88Martin County2—13714.6
89Ohio County2—3715.4
90Hart County1—2763.6
91Perry County1—5561.8
92Metcalfe County1—1188.5
93Green County1—1795.6
94Morgan County1—1606.3
95Russell County1—3532.8
96Fulton County1—1059.5
97Clinton County1—1755.7
98Washington County1—2514.0
99Menifee County1—6016.7
100Livingston County1—1367.4
101Owsley County1—4223.8
102Hickman County1—6814.7
103Lewis County1—1148.8
104Crittenden County1—1437.0
105Knott County1—1556.5
106Robertson County1—2441.7
107Lee County1—9011.1

Industries

#Industry group (NAICS 4-digit)ApprovalsDollarsShare
1Restaurants and Other Eating PlacesNAICS 7225249$118M9.7%
2General Freight TruckingNAICS 4841103$28.6M4.0%
3Automotive Repair and MaintenanceNAICS 8111100$48.0M3.9%
4Building Equipment ContractorsNAICS 238296$40.0M3.8%
5Offices of Other Health PractitionersNAICS 621394$31.6M3.7%
6Other Amusement and Recreation IndustriesNAICS 713978$32.3M3.0%
7Personal Care ServicesNAICS 812177$19.3M3.0%
8Other Specialty Trade ContractorsNAICS 238974$31.2M2.9%
9Services to Buildings and DwellingsNAICS 561774$20.2M2.9%
10Traveler AccommodationNAICS 721172$174M2.8%
11Residential Building ConstructionNAICS 236157$15.4M2.2%
12Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior ContractorsNAICS 238154$12.6M2.1%
13Other Personal ServicesNAICS 812951$19.1M2.0%
14Building Finishing ContractorsNAICS 238351$9.0M2.0%
15Offices of PhysiciansNAICS 621143$19.0M1.7%

Sectors

#NAICS sectorApprovalsShare
1Construction37614.7%
2Accommodation and Food Services37314.6%
3Retail Trade32512.7%
4Other Services (except Public Administration)28711.2%
5Health Care and Social Assistance2529.9%
6Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services1807.0%
7Manufacturing1536.0%
8Transportation and Warehousing1445.6%
9Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services1275.0%
10Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation933.6%

Franchise brands

#BrandApprovalsShare
1Subway100.4%
2Biggby Coffee80.3%
3The UPS Store80.3%
4Tropical Smoothie Cafe70.3%
5Best Western60.2%
6Quality Inn60.2%
7Crumbl60.2%
8Playa Bowls60.2%
9Days Inn50.2%
10Do it Best50.2%

How earlier loans turned out

Kentucky, 7(a)6.7%
United States, 7(a)6.6%
Kentucky, 5042.8%
United States, 5041.2%
Share of disbursed loans approved FY2010–FY2021 that SBA records as charged off, by program.
Loans approved FY2010–FY2021KY 7(a)US 7(a)KY 504US 504
Approvals in these years5,807639,90546585,591
Cancelled or never disbursed71779,3136612,514
Disbursed loans5,090560,59239973,077
Paid in full4,088435,81320635,491
Charged off34136,89111905
Still outstanding (status exempt from disclosure)66187,88818236,681
Charged off, share of disbursed loans6.7%6.6%2.8%1.2%
Dollars charged off, share of disbursed dollars3.4%2.5%2.7%0.9%
Dollars charged off$55.4M$5.70bn$7.2M$499M

Approval sizes

Age of the businesses

Against the country

FY2021–FY2025KentuckyUnited States
Approvals per 1,000 establishments27.141.0
Median 7(a) approval$150K$190K
Median 504 approval$495K$657K
504 share of approvals5.7%11.0%
Jobs supported per approval, as reported11.010.5
Approvals, change on FY2016–FY20204%10%

Questions and answers

Which lenders make the most SBA loans in Kentucky?

By 7(a) approvals in FY2021 to FY2025: The Huntington National Bank (331), Community Trust Bank, Inc. (295), U.S. Bank, National Association (261), Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company (178), Republic Bank & Trust Company (163). For 504 loans: Capital Access Corporation - Kentucky (40), Alloy Development Co., Inc. (38), Community Ventures Corporation (33). Volume says how active a lender is, nothing about terms or service.

How large are typical SBA loans in Kentucky?

The median 7(a) approval was $150K and the median 504 approval $495K; the average across both programs was $494K.

Which industries get the most SBA loans in Kentucky?

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (249); General Freight Trucking (103); Automotive Repair and Maintenance (100); Building Equipment Contractors (96); Offices of Other Health Practitioners (94).

Which Kentucky counties receive the most SBA loans?

Jefferson County (652), Fayette County (252), Kenton County (195), Boone County (156), Campbell County (81), by approvals in FY2021 to FY2025.

Is SBA lending in Kentucky rising?

Approvals in the three latest complete fiscal years total 1,626, against 1,323 in the three before: rising (+23%).

What share of SBA loans in Kentucky are charged off?

Of 7(a) loans approved in FY2010 to FY2021 and disbursed, 6.7% are recorded as charged off (national: 6.6%); for 504 loans the figure is 2.8% (national: 1.2%). Newer loans are left out because most have not had time to reach either outcome.

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