What SBA's own loan files show about lending in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area, every asset class together, and what a feasibility study for a project there has to test.
Harrisburg-Carlisle holds 834 SBA approvals for FY2017 to FY2026, $466.4 million gross, 112 of 928; 790 are 7(a) and 44 are 504. Franchises account for 19.4% of loans, a share high enough that brand terms and royalties are part of many local projects. Harrisburg puts its median at $155,000. Harrisburg is 0.75x the national figure. For Harrisburg, half of loans run $50,000 to $500,000.
Harrisburg names full-service restaurant first at 40 loans, then limited-service restaurant at 37, hotel and motel at 30, child care center at 29 and automotive mechanical repair at 24. The hotel and child care counts are notable for an area this size: a study for a hotel should rest on seasonal occupancy and rate and on any brand improvement plan, while one for a child care center should test licensed capacity, staffing ratios and enrollment ramp-up. Another 575 loans sit outside the named classes. Dauphin County has 411 loans and Cumberland County 393, nearly even, while Perry County has 30. Count was 105 loans and $46.2 million in FY2017, the peak, fell to 53 loans in FY2020, and closed at 100 loans and $68.4 million in FY2026.
Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company holds 172 loans and $18.1 million under 7(a), Mid Penn Bank 93 loans and $32.3 million, and First Commonwealth Bank 76 loans and $27.9 million. For 504, South Eastern Economic Development Company of Pennsylvania holds 21 loans and $24.7 million and SEDA-COG Local Development Corporation 8 loans and $5.8 million. Harrisburg lists name holders from SBA's records. Harrisburg holders hold or held those loans. Harrisburg volume is no verdict on lender practice. Harrisburg counts promise no requirement.
Harrisburg: cancelled after approval at least 12.6% of Harrisburg's approvals. The Harrisburg window is FY2017 to FY2024. Harrisburg counts undisbursed loans for 14.4%. Harrisburg charge-offs reached at least 5.1% across 335 funded loans. Harrisburg saw 2.7% of that within five years. Open Harrisburg loans may raise every Harrisburg floor. Harrisburg is a county roll-up. Harrisburg applies the July 2023 delineation. Harrisburg matches each county by name. Harrisburg omits loans whose counties fail to place. Harrisburg still counts approvals outside named classes. A study here should test demand, cost, coverage on a soft year and comparable-based value, and should model franchise royalty cost wherever a brand is involved. Harrisburg studies come from Loan Analytics. Harrisburg studies are signed by Daniel Smith, MAI.
| Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026 | 834 |
|---|---|
| Gross dollars approved | $466.4 million |
| Median loan | $155,000 |
| Middle half of loans, from | $50,000 |
| Middle half of loans, to | $500,000 |
| SBA 7(a) loans | 790 |
| SBA 504 loans | 44 |
| Franchise share of loans | 19.4% |
| Rank among metro and micro areas by loans | 112 of 928 |
| Median loan against the national median | 0.75x |
| Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor) | 12.6% |
|---|---|
| The same, counting loans still undisbursed as cancelled (a ceiling) | 14.4% |
| Charged off to date, FY2017 to FY2021 disbursed loans (a floor) | 5.1% |
| Charged off within five years of approval | 2.7% |
| Loans in that cohort | 335 |
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 loans approved in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area, by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 105 | $46.2 million |
| FY2018 | 78 | $30.2 million |
| FY2019 | 78 | $29.2 million |
| FY2020 | 53 | $34.7 million |
| FY2021 | 79 | $48.8 million |
| FY2022 | 79 | $54.0 million |
| FY2023 | 69 | $47.3 million |
| FY2024 | 92 | $46.3 million |
| FY2025 | 101 | $61.3 million |
| FY2026 | 100 | $68.4 million |
| Asset class | Loans |
|---|---|
| Not in any of the 39 asset classes | 575 |
| Full-service restaurant | 40 |
| Limited-service restaurant | 37 |
| Hotel and motel | 30 |
| Child care center | 29 |
| Automotive mechanical repair (car and truck) | 24 |
| Fitness center | 20 |
| Beauty salon | 18 |
| Beverage manufacturing (breweries, wineries, distilleries) | 10 |
| Rehabilitation and therapy clinic | 8 |
| Gas station and truck stop | 6 |
| Dental office | 6 |
| Medical office (physicians) | 6 |
| Liquor store | 6 |
| Coffee shop and snack bar | 5 |
Classes with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are withheld, and more where a small one could be derived.
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| South Eastern Economic Development Company of Pennsylvania | 21 | $24.7 million |
| SEDA-COG Local Development Corporation | 8 | $5.8 million |
| Empire State Certified Development Corporation | 7 | $7.8 million |
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 172 | $18.1 million |
| Mid Penn Bank | 93 | $32.3 million |
| First Commonwealth Bank | 76 | $27.9 million |
| Beacon Bank and Trust | 50 | $34.6 million |
| The Huntington National Bank | 35 | $15.9 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.
| County | Loans |
|---|---|
| Dauphin County, PA | 411 |
| Cumberland County, PA | 393 |
| Perry County, PA | 30 |
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.
All assets: every 7(a) and 504 approval in the metro, including those outside the 39 asset classes.
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 MT-25420.
A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a gas station project in Pennsylvania, financed with a USDA Business and Industry guaranteed loan.
Loan Analytics prepares the feasibility study a lender reads before it commits: for a commercial project in the Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA Metro Area, financed under SBA 7(a), SBA 504, USDA Business and Industry or a conventional bank loan. Tell us the project and the lender's deadline, and we reply with scope, timeline and fee.
Start with the data.
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