SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ILLINOIS
FCI franchise in Illinois: what the public record shows
Franchisees of FCI in Illinois have taken 8 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $184,100). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. FCI's national ratio is 2.5×. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 12 franchised outlets in Illinois (fiscal 2025) — about 0.09 per 100k residents.
Loans in IL
8
Charged off (all years)
2 of 5
Loss ratio in IL
—
Loss ratio nationally
2.5×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IL. 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
6,185
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
48.7
national 39.6
Versus the country
+23%
denser
Every business in FCI's industry operating in Illinois — 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
$1,187
Illinois, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,252
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-5%
cheaper to staff
What FCI's industry actually pays workers in Illinois, 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 | 12 | 0 |
| 2024 | 13 | 0 |
| 2025 | 12 | 0 |
| System | Loans in IL | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in IL | Units in IL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget Blinds | 14 | 1 of 10 | — | — |
| CERTA PROPAINTERS | 13 | 2 of 11 | — | 14 |
| The Grounds Guys | 11 | 3 of 5 | — | — |
| Two Men and a Truck | 11 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| College Hunks Hauling Junk | 7 | 0 of 1 | — | 7 |
| MR. APPLIANCE | 7 | 3 of 5 | — | 10 |
| Closets By Design | 6 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
| SPRING-GREEN | 6 | 0 of 5 | — | 12 |
Other systems in FCI's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Illinois. 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 FCI’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.