Feasibility Study Data for the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Metro Area
What SBA's own loan files show about lending in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Metro Area, every asset class together, and what a feasibility study for a project there has to test.
One county and withheld rates
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles is San Luis Obispo County alone: all 702 placed loans sit there. SBA approved them for FY2017 to FY2026 at $471.5 million gross, rank 135 of 928, with 592 under 7(a) and 110 under 504. Median loan in San Luis Obispo: $350,000. San Luis Obispo reads 1.68x against the national figure. Within San Luis Obispo, half of loans are $129,650 to $789,750. Franchises account for 5.3% of loans. The cohort behind San Luis Obispo's charge-off rate is too small for Loan Analytics to print one, so no number is quoted.
San Luis Obispo's named classes run full-service restaurant first at 44 loans, then beverage manufacturing at 23, hotel and motel at 21, medical office at 17 and dental office at 15, with 456 loans outside them. Beverage manufacturing is the second class listed, and studies of breweries, wineries and distilleries must test production capacity, distribution reach and equipment value. Count was 73 loans and $57.0 million in FY2017, fell to 55 loans and $47.7 million in FY2021, peaked at 85 loans and $49.1 million in FY2025 and finished at 84 loans and $48.7 million.
Who holds the loans
U.S. Bank, National Association holds 51 loans and $13.9 million under 7(a), American Riviera Bank 46 loans and $14.5 million, and Columbia Bank (OR) 44 loans and $25.9 million. Cen Cal Business Finance Group leads 504 here with 50 loans and $36.5 million, with California Statewide Certified Development Corporation at 15 loans and $6.8 million behind it. San Luis Obispo lists come from SBA's holder records. San Luis Obispo names hold or held the loans shown. San Luis Obispo volume is no lender's verdict. San Luis Obispo counts state no requirement.
San Luis Obispo floors, then the winery study
San Luis Obispo: cancelled after approval at least 10.9% of San Luis Obispo's approvals. The San Luis Obispo window is FY2017 to FY2024. San Luis Obispo omits its ceiling; too few San Luis Obispo loans back it. San Luis Obispo charge-offs are withheld. The San Luis Obispo cohort is too thin; San Luis Obispo is not a zero. Open San Luis Obispo loans may raise every San Luis Obispo floor. The July 2023 delineation shapes San Luis Obispo. San Luis Obispo reads each project's county by name. San Luis Obispo loses a loan with no placeable county. San Luis Obispo counts every approval, named or not. A study of a winery or brewery in San Luis Obispo needs a different spine from a restaurant: tasting-room traffic, grape or ingredient supply, capacity against sales, and a value opinion that separates real estate from equipment. Daniel Smith, MAI, signs every San Luis Obispo study. Loan Analytics prepares each San Luis Obispo study.
SBA loans in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Metro Area
| Loans approved, FY2017 to FY2026 | 702 |
|---|---|
| Gross dollars approved | $471.5 million |
| Median loan | $350,000 |
| Middle half of loans, from | $129,650 |
| Middle half of loans, to | $789,750 |
| SBA 7(a) loans | 592 |
| SBA 504 loans | 110 |
| Franchise share of loans | 5.3% |
| Rank among metro and micro areas by loans | 135 of 928 |
| Median loan against the national median | 1.68x |
Cancellation and charge-off
| Cancelled after approval, FY2017 to FY2024 approvals (a floor) | 10.9% |
|---|---|
| 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 San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Metro Area, by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| FY2017 | 73 | $57.0 million |
| FY2018 | 72 | $34.3 million |
| FY2019 | 73 | $52.3 million |
| FY2020 | 63 | $37.7 million |
| FY2021 | 55 | $47.7 million |
| FY2022 | 61 | $66.6 million |
| FY2023 | 62 | $37.9 million |
| FY2024 | 74 | $40.2 million |
| FY2025 | 85 | $49.1 million |
| FY2026 | 84 | $48.7 million |
Loans by asset class
| Asset class | Loans |
|---|---|
| Not in any of the 39 asset classes | 456 |
| Full-service restaurant | 44 |
| Beverage manufacturing (breweries, wineries, distilleries) | 23 |
| Hotel and motel | 21 |
| Medical office (physicians) | 17 |
| Dental office | 15 |
| Gas station and truck stop | 14 |
| Automotive mechanical repair (car and truck) | 14 |
| Limited-service restaurant | 14 |
| Liquor store | 9 |
| Assisted living (without nursing care) | 8 |
| Grocery store | 8 |
| Child care center | 7 |
| Coffee shop and snack bar | 7 |
| Fitness center | 6 |
| Self storage | 5 |
| Beauty salon | 5 |
Classes with 5 or more loans; smaller ones are withheld, and more where a small one could be derived.
Most active SBA lenders
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| Cen Cal Business Finance Group | 50 | $36.5 million |
| California Statewide Certified Development Corporation | 15 | $6.8 million |
| The Mortgage Capital Development Corporation | 13 | $24.0 million |
| Bay Area Employment Development Company | 9 | $5.4 million |
| CDC Small Business Finance Corp. | 6 | $6.7 million |
| Lender | Loans | Dollars |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Bank, National Association | 51 | $13.9 million |
| American Riviera Bank | 46 | $14.5 million |
| Columbia Bank (OR) | 44 | $25.9 million |
| Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 31 | $12.8 million |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 27 | $35.0 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 |
|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo County, CA | 702 |
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-42020.
Related feasibility study pages
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Feasibility study data by asset class in the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA Metro Area
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