Grocery Store Feasibility Study in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area
What SBA's own loan files show about grocery store lending in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area, and what a feasibility study for a project there has to test.
Detroit: grocery store
Detroit approved grocery store loans: 95 in FY2017 to FY2026, worth $95.4 million. Detroit ranks 7 of 412 for the class on 95 loans among metro areas; in Detroit, the class ranks 11 of 39. Detroit's location quotient reads 1.32x on 95 loans: a far heavier concentration. In Detroit, ranks and the 1.32x quotient, from 95 loans, distinguish the class; Detroit size is 1.13x the national median.
$397,000 marks the median of 95 loans, a little above the national figure (1.13x), and $150,000 to $1.4 million bounds Detroit's middle half. Of 95 loans in Detroit, 89 used 7(a) and 6 used 504. Detroit withholds its franchise figure, not zero.
Detroit's 7(a) table, 27 loans at The Huntington National Bank, $10.9 million; 13 at Fifth Third Bank, $24.3 million. Detroit: holders under 5 loans go unnamed. Detroit county counts, 95 loans: Wayne County, MI 49; Macomb County, MI 23.
The Detroit loans' fate
15.7% at minimum: Detroit's cancelled share through FY2024. Detroit's ceiling for undisbursed loans: withheld. Detroit charge-offs: too few, not zero. Detroit floors may rise with open loans. Detroit approvals ran from 7 loans and $1.8 million in FY2018 to 7 loans and $9.1 million in FY2026, peaking at 19 in FY2023 and dipping to 5 in FY2025. Detroit loans per year: FY2018 7, FY2020 13, FY2021 13, FY2022 8, FY2023 19, FY2024 13, FY2025 5, FY2026 7. Yearly dollars: FY2018 $1.8 million, FY2020 $6.5 million, FY2021 $10.4 million, FY2022 $11.4 million, FY2023 $18.0 million, FY2024 $16.4 million, FY2025 $13.1 million, FY2026 $9.1 million. Withheld Detroit years are not zero.
Detroit: the study's tests
Detroit approvals ran from 5 in FY2025 to 19 in FY2023; for Detroit, plan for supplier shocks. Detroit's quotient, 1.32x: count rivals by distance. Across 95 loans, weekly sales in Detroit carries $397,000. Detroit: facing thin margins, debt service holds with $95.4 million approved. For 95 loans in Detroit, refrigeration costs outside $150,000 to $1.4 million need cases. For 95 approvals in Detroit, appraisers split building from business.
Detroit's 95 loans are placed by project county. Detroit follows the July 2023 delineation. Detroit drops unplaceable counties from $95.4 million. Treat 95 loans as a guide to Detroit, not a census.
SBA grocery store loans in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area
| Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026 | 95 |
|---|---|
| Gross dollars approved | $95.4 million |
| Median loan | $397,000 |
| Middle half of loans, from | $150,000 |
| Middle half of loans, to | $1.4 million |
| SBA 7(a) loans | 89 |
| SBA 504 loans | 6 |
| Franchise share of loans | withheld |
| Rank among metro and micro areas for grocery store loans | 7 of 412 |
| Rank of grocery store among the classes in this area | 11 of 39 |
| Location quotient (share of loans against the national share) | 1.32x |
| Median loan against the national median for the class | 1.13x |
Cancellation and charge-off
| Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor) | 15.7% |
|---|---|
| The same, counting loans still undisbursed as cancelled (a ceiling) | withheld |
| Charged off to date, FY2017 to FY2021 disbursed loans (a floor) | withheld |
Both rates are floors. SBA withholds the status of open loans, so a loan counts as charged off only once SBA reports it; a rate needs at least 30 loans in its cohort and is otherwise not reported.
SBA grocery store loans approved in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI Metro Area, by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | withheld | withheld |
| FY2018 | 7 | $1.8 million |
| FY2019 | withheld | withheld |
| FY2020 | 13 | $6.5 million |
| FY2021 | 13 | $10.4 million |
| FY2022 | 8 | $11.4 million |
| FY2023 | 19 | $18.0 million |
| FY2024 | 13 | $16.4 million |
| FY2025 | 5 | $13.1 million |
| FY2026 | 7 | $9.1 million |
Most active SBA lenders
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| The Huntington National Bank | 27 | $10.9 million |
| Fifth Third Bank | 13 | $24.3 million |
Lenders with 5 or more loans here; a lender with fewer is not listed, and loans SBA or a receiver holds are counted but never listed as a lender.
Where the loans are, by county
| County | Loans |
|---|---|
| Wayne County, MI | 49 |
| Macomb County, MI | 23 |
Counties with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are not listed.
Metro is the CBSA (metropolitan or micropolitan statistical area) of the loan's project county, July 2023 delineation (OMB Bulletin 23-01). The county is matched by name (manifests/ld2/county-cbsa-map.csv); a loan whose county cannot be placed in a 2023 CBSA is left out of every metro.
A value marked withheld rests on fewer than 5 loans, or is withheld so that such a figure cannot be derived from other published figures.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 loan-level FOIA files (data.sba.gov), as of 2026-09-30; areas from the U.S. Census Bureau CBSA delineation, July 2023 (OMB Bulletin 23-01); Loan Analytics metro cell MA-19820-C40.
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