FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · IOWA

Snap-On Tools franchise in Iowa: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Snap-On Tools in Iowa have taken 12 SBA loans since 1991 (average $136,250), and of the 11 loans whose story has ended, 18.2% were charged off — versus 11.8% for Snap-On Tools nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.

SBA loan outcomes · Iowavs national

Loans in IA

12

Resolved

11

Local charge-off

18.2%

National charge-off

11.8%

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.

Market density · Iowa vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

1,128

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

34.8

national 39.6

Versus the country

-12%

thinner

Every business in Snap-On Tools's industry operating in Iowa — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Iowa5 systems
SystemLoans in IALocal charge-offUnits in IA
Coast-to-Coast Store1916.7%
Ace Hardware1510.0%
Hardware Hank140.0%
True Value Hardware1241.7%
Roto Rooter7thin

Same sector, same state, same public records — how Snap-On Tools compares to the systems a buyer in Iowa would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.

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