A hotel and a thin table

Johnson City's asset table is thin: hotel and motel with 8 loans and automotive mechanical repair with 5, against 86 loans outside the classes. SBA approved 130 loans across FY2017 to FY2026, $91.1 million gross, rank 407 of 928; 124 are 7(a) and 6 are 504. Johnson City has a median loan of $327,000. Johnson City stands at 1.57x the national figure; in Johnson City, half of loans run $112,125 to $765,650. Brands hold 22.3% of the count, a high share, so hotel flags and franchised restaurants shape many projects.

Washington County has 107 loans, Carter County 17 and Unicoi County 6. FY2017 had 11 loans and $5.7 million; FY2019 fell to 7 loans and $7.1 million; FY2022 peaked at 20 loans and $13.9 million; FY2026 ended at 19 loans and $15.8 million, the largest dollar year. A Johnson City hotel study must test seasonal occupancy and rate, brand improvement plans and income-based value.

Who holds the Johnson City loans

The First Bank and Trust Company holds 11 loans and $1.9 million under 7(a), Citizens Bank (TN) 10 loans and $8.0 million and Centennial Bank (AR) 8 loans and $817,200. No 504 name is listed. Johnson City holders are in SBA's records. Johnson City: each name holds or held loans. Johnson City counts describe volume, not lender practice, and Johnson City counts state no requirement.

Johnson City floors and the study

In Johnson City, cancellations ran at least 8.2%. That covers Johnson City approvals FY2017 to FY2024. Johnson City's ceiling is withheld, as Johnson City lacks loans to support one. Johnson City charge-offs are withheld. The Johnson City cohort is too thin; Johnson City is not a zero. Johnson City floors rise if open Johnson City loans go bad. Counties build Johnson City. By name, Johnson City matches each project's county; Johnson City follows the July 2023 delineation. Johnson City drops loans with unplaceable counties, and Johnson City counts approvals outside named classes. Johnson City work should set the site's county first, confirm demand and cost, run debt service on lean revenue and compare value against local sales. Daniel Smith, MAI, names each Johnson City study. Johnson City studies are prepared by Loan Analytics.

SBA loans in the Johnson City, TN Metro Area

Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026	130
Gross dollars approved	$91.1 million
Median loan	$327,000
Middle half of loans, from	$112,125
Middle half of loans, to	$765,650
SBA 7(a) loans	124
SBA 504 loans	6
Franchise share of loans	22.3%
Rank among metro and micro areas by loans	407 of 928
Median loan against the national median	1.57x

Cancellation and charge-off

Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor)	8.2%
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 loans approved in the Johnson City, TN Metro Area, by fiscal year

Fiscal year	Loans	Dollars
FY2017	11	$5.7 million
FY2018	10	$8.8 million
FY2019	7	$7.1 million
FY2020	15	$7.4 million
FY2021	13	$13.7 million
FY2022	20	$13.9 million
FY2023	14	$3.2 million
FY2024	7	$1.1 million
FY2025	14	$14.5 million
FY2026	19	$15.8 million

Loans by asset class

Asset class	Loans
Not in any of the 39 asset classes	86
Hotel and motel	8
Automotive mechanical repair (car and truck)	5

Classes with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are withheld, and more where a small one could be derived.

Most active SBA lenders

SBA 7(a): lenders by loans approved (the current holder of each loan, as SBA reports it)
Lender	Loans	Dollars
The First Bank and Trust Company	11	$1.9 million
Citizens Bank (TN)	10	$8.0 million
Centennial Bank (AR)	8	$817,200
BayFirst National Bank	6	$1.4 million
Celtic Bank Corporation	5	$2.1 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
Washington County, TN	107
Carter County, TN	17
Unicoi County, TN	6

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-27740.

Related feasibility study pages

Worked examples

Worked Example: SBA 7(a) Gas Station Feasibility Study in Tennessee

A worked example of the feasibility study a lender would read for a gas station project in Tennessee, financed with an SBA 7(a) loan.

State: Tennessee · Asset: Gas station · Program: SBA 7(a)

Loan Analytics prepares the feasibility study a lender reads before it commits: for a commercial project in the Johnson City, TN 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.

Daniel Smith, MAI

Feasibility Study Data for the Johnson City, TN Metro Area