SBA 7(a) Gas Station Feasibility Study in Arkansas

Large tickets and a high cancellation floor

Arkansas gas stations and truck stops borrow big and cancel often. The 47 loans on file come to $62.8 million with a midpoint of $929,000, 0.85x the 7(a) gas-station midpoint nationally; the central half of the loans spans $375,000 to $2.0 million. Arkansas approvals dated through FY2024 lost at least 19.4% to cancellation, the ceiling matching, so about one in five never funded. Arkansas is rank 28 by count nationally; at home, gas and truck stop is 6 of 39. Franchised loans are 17.0%.

The holders and the map

Citizens Bank holds 6 loans with $13.5 million. T Bank, National Association holds 5 loans, but with $16.1 million, so its tickets are very large, and FNBC Bank holds 5 with $1.6 million. Those are holders per SBA today. Sebastian County leads with 9 loans, Benton has 8 and Pulaski 6, putting the western corridor and Little Rock at the center. The year 2019 produced 9 loans worth $10.6 million and FY2025 matched that count with $20.1 million, the largest dollar year in the table.

The coding limits

SBA's code follows the borrower's line of business, so a big travel center cannot be teased apart from a bare pump island in Arkansas, and the 2022 index offers no slot for charging sites. Nothing here identifies an electric charging project. On losses the page prints nothing; the funded cohort did not meet SBA's minimum, and we make no claim.

Testing an Arkansas fuel project

Fuel is a traffic business with a store attached, and the study should start with count data: vehicles per day on the abutting roads, the share that turn in, and the nearest competing pumps. Separate the fuel margin, which is thin and set by the market, from the inside sales and the food service that carry profit. Environmental condition is central: tank age, any past releases and the cost of closure or replacement can decide a deal, so cite a site assessment. Loans at the top quartile reach $2.0 million, which means real estate carries much of the weight; the appraisal must value site and improvements apart from the fuel contract. Coverage should be tested at lower gallons and with a nearby competitor opening. Say whether the project is a branded station.