SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA
Gymboree franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Gymboree in Pennsylvania have taken 6 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $81,500). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Gymboree's national ratio is 1.0× (not clearly different from 1.0×).
Loans in PA
6
Charged off (all years)
1 of 4
Loss ratio in PA
—
Loss ratio nationally (not clear)
1.0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. 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
4,035
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
30.9
national 26.5
Versus the country
+17%
denser
Every business in Gymboree's industry operating in Pennsylvania — 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
$630
Pennsylvania, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$645
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-2%
cheaper to staff
What Gymboree's industry actually pays workers in Pennsylvania, 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 PA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in PA | Units in PA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Goddard School | 62 | 0 of 39 | 0× | — |
| Kiddie Academy | 34 | 0 of 14 | — | — |
| The Learning Experience | 20 | 0 of 7 | — | — |
| THE LITTLE GYM | 15 | 0 of 12 | — | — |
| PRIMROSE SCHOOLS | 13 | 0 of 2 | — | 9 |
| Huntington Learning Center | 12 | 5 of 9 | — | — |
| SYLVAN LEARNING | 11 | 1 of 9 | — | 8 |
| CELEBREE SCHOOLS | 8 | 0 of 2 | — | 8 |
| CODE NINJAS | 8 | 2 of 4 | — | 7 |
| Goldfish Swim School | 8 | 0 of 5 | — | — |
| New Horizon Computer Learning Center | 7 | 0 of 7 | — | — |
| Ivybrook Academy | 5 | — | — | 2 |
Other systems in Gymboree's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Pennsylvania. 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 Gymboree’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.