In fiscal year 2025, lenders approved 597 SBA 7(a) loans worth $288.0 million to businesses in Kentucky. Here is where that money went, which institutions approved it, and how big a loan a business like yours actually gets — straight from the SBA's own published records.
The median approval was $163,900, $2,950 below the national median of $166,850. That number matters more than the headline total: it is the size of deal lenders in this state are comfortable writing, and asking for something far outside it is the quiet reason many files stall.
| Loan size | 7(a) loans | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under $50K | 89 | 14.9% |
| $50K-$150K | 154 | 25.8% |
| $150K-$350K | 162 | 27.1% |
| $350K-$1M | 126 | 21.1% |
| $1M+ | 66 | 11.1% |
27.5% of Kentucky approvals went to new businesses (startups or under two years old), against 29.8% nationally.
Ranked by number of FY2025 approvals to Kentucky businesses. The single most active 7(a) lender in the state was Northeast Bank with 82 approvals at a median of $150,000 — which tells you exactly the size of deal it wants.
| Lender | Loans in Kentucky | Median size | Total approved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northeast Bank | 82 | $150,000 | $13.9 million |
| U.S. Bank, National Association | 64 | $40,000 | $10.8 million |
| Community Trust Bank, Inc. | 60 | $106,400 | $12.6 million |
| The Huntington National Bank | 55 | $128,300 | $18.6 million |
| Stock Yards Bank & Trust Company | 45 | $266,800 | $35.0 million |
| Newtek Bank, National Association | 36 | $250,000 | $13.4 million |
| Republic Bank & Trust Company | 32 | $315,000 | $11.9 million |
| Readycap Lending, LLC | 18 | $76,750 | $2.9 million |
| Live Oak Banking Company | 18 | $510,000 | $28.9 million |
| Celtic Bank Corporation | 12 | $150,000 | $6.6 million |
| Fifth Third Bank | 10 | $99,000 | $3.9 million |
| United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 10 | $150,000 | $7.3 million |
Lenders are listed because the SBA publishes them. Inclusion is not a recommendation, an endorsement, or a statement that any of them will approve your file — and Goldspur Capital is not affiliated with any lender named.
The median initial rate recorded at approval was 9.75%, with most loans between 7.5% and 12.25%, and 76.0% written on a variable rate. Historic rates at approval across the year — not a quote, and not what you would be offered today.
| Industry | Loans | Median loan |
|---|---|---|
| Full-Service Restaurants | 25 | $250,000 |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 21 | $313,000 |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 21 | $350,000 |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 14 | $140,000 |
| Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | 12 | $2,598,500 |
| Offices of Dentists | 12 | $267,500 |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 12 | $229,950 |
| General Freight Trucking, Local | 10 | $181,400 |
| Landscaping Services | 10 | $125,000 |
| Residential Remodelers | 10 | $69,200 |
| County | Loans | Median loan |
|---|---|---|
| Jefferson | 168 | $205,000 |
| Fayette | 58 | $254,600 |
| Kenton | 41 | $150,000 |
| Oldham | 25 | $315,000 |
| Warren | 24 | $120,050 |
| Boone | 22 | $175,000 |
| Mccracken | 19 | $280,000 |
| Pike | 19 | $35,000 |
504 money buys property and heavy equipment, at a long fixed rate, through a Certified Development Company partnered with a bank. Kentucky saw 18 504 approvals worth $22.1 million in FY2025, median $844,000. The most active CDCs:
| CDC | 504 loans | Median size | Total approved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alloy Development Co., Inc. | 5 | $2,884,000 | $11.3 million |
| Purchase Area Development District | 4 | $293,000 | $1.5 million |
| Community Ventures Corporation | 3 | $1,669,000 | $4.7 million |
| Premier Capital Corporation | 3 | $575,000 | $2.8 million |
| Fiscal year | 7(a) loans approved | Total approved | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 442 | $196.8 million | $150,000 |
| FY2024 | 520 | $217.2 million | $150,000 |
| FY2025 | 597 | $288.0 million | $163,900 |
| FY2026 (partial) | 331 | $177.0 million | $185,000 |
Three practical readings. First, size your ask to the state's median band — a request that sits where lenders are already active is a materially easier file than one that does not. Second, a decline is a matching problem far more often than a credit problem: the tables above show institutions with completely different appetites operating in the same state in the same year. Third, if your industry is not in the list above, it does not mean no, it means fewer lenders — and that is exactly the situation where going through a partner who knows which desk to call is worth more than another application.
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan data (data.sba.gov), files as of 30 June 2026, read on 1 September 2026. Figures cover loan APPROVALS, not disbursements, and the files contain no declined applications — so no approval rate can be calculated from them. Fiscal year 2026 is partial (1 October 2025 to 30 June 2026). Aggregated by Goldspur Capital; borrower-level records are not published. State figures are aggregated on the project state of each loan. Program guidelines shown are our lending partners' published minimums as of September 2026 and can change. They are qualification floors, not an offer.
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