SBA acquisition approvals fell by 348 in FY2026, yet the total amount approved rose by about $75 million. The typical approval was larger, too. The median rose from $700,000 to $765,000. Looking only at approved dollars would miss the decline in the number of loans.
Three fiscal years, three different measures
| Fiscal year | Approvals | Total approved | Median loan |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2024 | 6,053 | $6.73B | $655,000 |
| FY2025 | 7,532 | $8.82B | $700,000 |
| FY2026 | 7,184 | $8.89B | $765,000 |
From FY2025 to FY2026, approvals fell 4.6%, total dollars rose 0.9% and the median rose 9.3%. Dividing each year’s total by its approval count gives another way to reconcile the numbers. The mean was about $1.17 million in FY2025 and $1.24 million in FY2026, a gain of about 5.7%. That was enough to offset the decline in the count.
Why use the median alongside the total?
A few large approvals can move dollar volume while leaving the midpoint of the distribution largely intact. Here, both the mean and median rose, so the increase shows up in two measures of loan size. The file cannot tell us whether the same kinds of businesses borrowed more. The mix of industries, locations or lenders may have changed between years.
The direction also depends on the comparison year. FY2026 had fewer approvals than FY2025, but it still recorded 1,131 more approvals than FY2024, an increase of 18.7%. A headline about the latest decline describes a year-over-year change within a period of higher activity than the first year.
What this means when researching a deal
Use approval counts to gauge how often a type of deal appears in the public record, and use median approval amounts to find a rough size benchmark. If you are researching a Texas deal, start with the Texas profile and compare the relevant industry rather than applying the national median to your target. The industry analysis illustrates how wide those differences can be.
Counts are by SBA approval fiscal year. Dollar figures are nominal and rounded for display. The release ends September 30, the close of FY2026. Later releases can revise earlier records.