FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

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

Curves for Women franchise in North Dakota: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Curves for Women in North Dakota have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $119,750). 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×).

SBA loan outcomes · North Dakotavs same-year franchise loans

Loans in ND

6

Charged off (all years)

1 of 4

Loss ratio in ND

—

Loss ratio nationally (not clear)

0.8×

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

Businesses in this industry

93

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

11.7

national 11.9

Versus the country

-2%

thinner

Every business in Curves for Women's industry operating in North Dakota — 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 · North Dakota vs nationalBelow-average wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$354

North Dakota, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$438

same industry, all states

Versus the country

-19%

cheaper to staff

What Curves for Women's industry actually pays workers in North Dakota, 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 North Dakota1 systems
SystemLoans in NDCharged off (all years)Loss ratio in NDUnits in ND
ANYTIME FITNESS60 of 5——

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

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