SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · ILLINOIS
Fedex Ground franchise in Illinois: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Fedex Ground in Illinois have taken 7 SBA loans since 1991 (average $170,742)— too few resolved loans in-state to publish a local failure rate (we require a resolved cohort, never extrapolate), so the brand's national rate of 7.7% is the better guide.
Loans in IL
7
Resolved
6
Local charge-off
thin
National charge-off
7.7%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = IL. 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 of 30 loans.
Businesses in this industry
923
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
7.3
national 8.1
Versus the country
-10%
thinner
Every business in Fedex Ground'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 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
$1,664
Illinois, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,212
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+37%
costlier to staff
What Fedex Ground'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 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 IL | Local charge-off | Units in IL |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mail Boxes Etc. Usa | 35 | 14.3% | — |
| AMERIPRISE FINANCIAL SERVICES LLC | 20 | 0.0% | — |
| Allstate Insurance | 16 | thin | — |
| JACKSON HEWITT TAX SERVICE | 14 | thin | — |
| Express Employment Professionals/Express Pers | 9 | thin | — |
| CMIT Solutions | 7 | thin | — |
| Farmers Insurance Agent Appointment Agreement | 6 | thin | — |
| Liberty Tax Service | 5 | thin | — |
| Padgett Business Service | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Fedex Ground compares to the systems a buyer in Illinois 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 Fedex Ground's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.