SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · IOWA
Curves for Women franchise in Iowa: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Curves for Women in Iowa have taken 20 SBA loans since 1991 (average $66,900), and of the 20 loans whose story has ended, 15.0% were charged off — versus 19.0% for Curves for Women nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in IA
20
Resolved
20
Local charge-off
15.0%
National charge-off
19.0%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IA. 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
335
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
10.3
national 11.9
Versus the country
-13%
thinner
Every business in Curves for Women's industry operating in Iowa — 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
$294
Iowa, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$438
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-33%
cheaper to staff
What Curves for Women's industry actually pays workers in Iowa, 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 IA | Local charge-off | Units in IA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS | 25 | 0.0% | — |
| Snap Fitness | 10 | thin | 6 |
| FARRELL'S EXTREME BODYSHAPING | 7 | thin | — |
| F45 Training | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Curves for Women compares to the systems a buyer in Iowa 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 Curves for Women's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.