SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MARYLAND
Curves for Women franchise in Maryland: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Curves for Women in Maryland have taken 17 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $119,382). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Curves for Women's national ratio is 0.8× (not clearly different from 1.0×).
Loans in MD
17
Charged off (all years)
5 of 16
Loss ratio in MD
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
0.8×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MD. 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
696
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
11.1
national 11.9
Versus the country
-7%
thinner
Every business in Curves for Women's industry operating in Maryland — 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
$392
Maryland, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$438
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-11%
cheaper to staff
What Curves for Women's industry actually pays workers in Maryland, 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 MD | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MD | Units in MD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS | 11 | 2 of 6 | — | — |
| Club Pilates | 7 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| I LOVE KICKBOXING | 6 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| Pure Barre | 6 | 0 of 4 | — | — |
| GOLD'S GYM | 5 | 0 of 5 | — | 12 |
Other systems in Curves for Women's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Maryland. 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 Curves for Women’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.