SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · OKLAHOMA
Ace Hardware franchise in Oklahoma: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Ace Hardware in Oklahoma have taken 15 SBA loans since 1991 (average $449,800), and of the 11 loans whose story has ended, 27.3% were charged off — versus 12.2% for Ace Hardware nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in OK
15
Resolved
11
Local charge-off
27.3%
National charge-off
12.2%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = OK. 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.
Businesses in this industry
664
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
16.2
national 39.6
Versus the country
-59%
thinner
Every business in Ace Hardware's industry operating in Oklahoma — 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.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$1,095
Oklahoma, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,252
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-13%
cheaper to staff
What Ace Hardware's industry actually pays workers in Oklahoma, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This is a real cost signal independent of the FDD — a market can look demand-rich above and still carry a margin headwind here if local wages run hot for the sector.
| System | Loans in OK | Local charge-off | Units in OK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snap-On | 9 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Ace Hardware compares to the systems a buyer in Oklahoma would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Ace Hardware's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.