SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
HOTWORX franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of HOTWORX in California have taken 28 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $382,850). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. HOTWORX's national ratio is 0×. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 40 franchised outlets in California (fiscal 2025) — about 0.1 per 100k residents.
Loans in CA
28
Charged off (all years)
0 of 4
Loss ratio in CA
—
Loss ratio nationally
0×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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
5,357
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
13.6
national 11.9
Versus the country
+14%
denser
Every business in HOTWORX's industry operating in California — 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
$494
California, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$438
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+13%
costlier to staff
What HOTWORX's industry actually pays workers in California, 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 | 22 | — |
| 2024 | 37 | — |
| 2025 | 40 | — |
| System | Loans in CA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in CA | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS | 74 | 5 of 42 | 1.2×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Club Pilates | 57 | 0 of 37 | 0× | — |
| Orangetheory | 52 | 0 of 35 | 0× | — |
| Curves for Women | 34 | 4 of 28 | — | — |
| GOLD'S GYM | 34 | 5 of 24 | — | 8 |
| Yoga Six | 32 | 1 of 9 | — | — |
| F45 Training | 30 | 1 of 14 | — | — |
| Stretch Lab | 21 | 2 of 6 | — | — |
| CycleBar | 19 | 2 of 11 | — | — |
| BAR METHOD | 17 | 2 of 10 | — | — |
| 9ROUND | 16 | 2 of 9 | — | 32 |
| Pure Barre | 15 | 1 of 9 | — | — |
Other systems in HOTWORX's sector whose franchisees borrowed in California. 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 HOTWORX’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.