SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ARKANSAS
Culligan franchise in Arkansas: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Culligan in Arkansas have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $97,666). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Culligan's national ratio is 0×. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 3 franchised outlets in Arkansas (fiscal 2025) — about 0.1 per 100k residents.
Loans in AR
6
Charged off (all years)
0 of 6
Loss ratio in AR
—
Loss ratio nationally
0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = AR. 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
594
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
19.2
national 39.6
Versus the country
-52%
thinner
Every business in Culligan's industry operating in Arkansas — 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
$1,037
Arkansas, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,252
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-17%
cheaper to staff
What Culligan's industry actually pays workers in Arkansas, 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 | — |
| 2024 | 3 | — |
| 2025 | 3 | — |
| System | Loans in AR | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in AR | Units in AR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lawn Doctor | 5 | 1 of 4 | — | — |
Other systems in Culligan's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Arkansas. 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 Culligan’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.