SBA 7(a) Gas Station Feasibility Study in New Hampshire

Very small loans for a fuel business

Smallness defines New Hampshire's gas station and truck stop loans. The median of $90,000 is only 0.08x the nationwide benchmark, with the middle half running from $47,500 to $161,700. SBA approved 35 loans from FY2017 to FY2026 with $6.8 million in gross dollars, so these are not station acquisitions of the size seen in other states. They fit equipment, a convenience-store fit-out or working capital. The class holds 8 of 39 places among New Hampshire's classes, though on loan count the state is 34 among states. Franchise flags mark 8.6% of loans.

Geography and holdings

Hillsborough County has 11 loans and Rockingham 7, Grafton has 5, Carroll and Strafford 3 each, and Cheshire, Merrimack and Sullivan 2 each. TD Bank, National Association: 9 loans, $390,000. Eastern Bank: 7 loans, $664,600. Those are present holders per SBA, and the averages are tiny. Volume peaked in FY2020 with 6 loans and in FY2024 with 7 loans, though FY2024 was only $335,000. FY2021 and FY2026 show 0 loans and $0, and FY2022 and FY2023 are the dollar high points at $2.0 million and $1.8 million.

Cancellations and coding limits

Cancellation is notable here. A floor of 15.2% applies to approvals up to FY2024, and 15.2% is the ceiling as well. Fuel-loan losses cannot be quoted, since this cell's early funded loans are too thin for a rate; that silence is not a zero. Under the industry coding, travel centers and truck stops blur into gas stations without a store, and an electric vehicle charging project has no entry of its own, so it cannot be seen in this record.

What a New Hampshire fuel study must examine

A study for a station or small convenience operation should measure fuel gallons, store sales and the mix between them, because fuel margins are slim and the store carries the profit. Traffic counts, the competing stations along the road and the visibility of the site decide volume. Environmental condition of the site matters a great deal: tanks, past releases and the cost of any cleanup, which a lender will require to be addressed. Regulation of fuel storage, permits and compliance costs must be priced. Because loans in the record are tiny, the study should show exactly what the money buys. The payment should be covered when fuel prices squeeze margin, and any EV charging plan should be treated separately.