FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Chevron (Gas Station) franchise in Alabama: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Chevron (Gas Station) in Alabama have taken 8 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $383,625). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Chevron (Gas Station)'s national ratio is 0.4×.

SBA loan outcomes · Alabamavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in AL

8

Charged off (all years)

0 of 5

Loss ratio in AL

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.4×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AL. 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.

Market density · Alabama vs nationalThin market

Businesses in this industry

1,175

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

22.8

national 30.2

Versus the country

-25%

thinner

Every business in Chevron (Gas Station)'s industry operating in Alabama — 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.

Labor cost · Alabama vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$881

Alabama, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$1,002

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-12%

cheaper to staff

What Chevron (Gas Station)'s industry actually pays workers in Alabama, 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Alabama5 systems
SystemLoans in ALCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in ALUnits in AL
Matco Tools136 of 12——
Milex/ Mr. Transmission91 of 4——
Aamco Transmissions72 of 5——
Meineke71 of 6——
Shell Service Station61 of 5——

Other systems in Chevron (Gas Station)'s sector whose franchisees borrowed in Alabama. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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