FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Comfort Keepers franchise in Virginia: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Comfort Keepers in Virginia have taken 7 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $606,828). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Comfort Keepers's national ratio is 0.3×.

SBA loan outcomes · Virginiavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in VA

7

Charged off (all years)

0 of 4

Loss ratio in VA

—

Loss ratio nationally

0.3×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = VA. 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 · Virginia vs nationalTypical density

Businesses in this industry

1,727

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

19.6

national 17.4

Versus the country

+13%

denser

Every business in Comfort Keepers's industry operating in Virginia — 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 · Virginia vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$781

Virginia, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$799

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-2%

cheaper to staff

What Comfort Keepers's industry actually pays workers in Virginia, 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 Virginia5 systems
SystemLoans in VACharged off (all years)Loss ratio in VAUnits in VA
Home Instead110 of 5—15
SENIOR HELPERS80 of 3—12
Visiting Angels60 of 3——
Firstlight Homecare50 of 4——
Right at Home50 of 1—6

Other systems in Comfort Keepers's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Virginia. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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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 Comfort Keepers’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.

Don Drummond, CPA — Virginia #43775 · what I charge

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