SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
Chem-Dry franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Chem-Dry in California have taken 12 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $100,192). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Chem-Dry's national ratio is 1.6×.
Loans in CA
12
Charged off (all years)
5 of 12
Loss ratio in CA
—
Loss ratio nationally
1.6×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. Loss ratio = charge-offs among loans approved through FY2020 ÷ the charge-offs expected if each had defaulted at the national rate for franchise loans approved the same year; 1.0× is the same. Only charged-off and paid-in-full loans count. A ratio is shown at 30+ such loans; “not clear” marks a ratio chance alone could produce. The all-years count mixes every era and is evidence, not a rate to compare. Borrowers are matched to the brand by name and SBA franchise code; some matches may be wrong or missing.
Businesses in this industry
10,164
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
25.8
national 26.7
Versus the country
-3%
thinner
Every business in Chem-Dry's industry operating in California — franchised and independent — from the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns (2023), against 2024 population estimates. Counter-intuitively, density is not a warning: across the brand-state cells in the loan data, denser markets have historically charged off less often than the thinnest (see the research page). A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
Avg weekly wage, this industry
$762
California, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$659
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+16%
costlier to staff
What Chem-Dry's industry actually pays workers in California, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2025), employment-weighted across counties. This cost signal is 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 CA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in CA | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVPRO | 77 | 2 of 47 | 0.3× | 279 |
| SERVICEMASTER RESTORE | 48 | 0 of 27 | — | 221 |
| Rainbow Restoration | 30 | 3 of 11 | — | — |
| MOLLY MAID | 26 | 0 of 21 | — | 72 |
| PUROCLEAN | 20 | 1 of 6 | — | 59 |
| Bio-One | 16 | 1 of 4 | — | — |
| MERRY MAIDS | 15 | 0 of 8 | — | 79 |
| Paul Davis Restoration | 15 | 2 of 4 | — | 21 |
| THE MAIDS | 15 | 0 of 11 | — | 45 |
| Fish Window Cleaning | 12 | 2 of 6 | — | — |
| RESTORATION 1 | 10 | 2 of 5 | — | 11 |
| All Dry | 9 | 0 of 1 | — | 8 |
Other systems in Chem-Dry's sector whose franchisees borrowed in California. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.
A broker is usually paid by the franchisor to place you. I'm paid only by you, never by a franchisor you're considering — and the job is pressure-testing Chem-Dry’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.