SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
Mail Boxes Etc. Usa franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc. Usa in California have taken 164 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $121,959). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted less often than franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 15 charge-offs among 147 resolved loans, where about 25 would be expected (0.6×). Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's national ratio is 0.7×.
Loans in CA
164
Charged off (all years)
15 of 147
Loss ratio in CA
0.6×
Loss ratio nationally
0.7×
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
3,947
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
10
national 8.1
Versus the country
+23%
denser
Every business in Mail Boxes Etc. Usa'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
$1,323
California, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,212
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+9%
costlier to staff
What Mail Boxes Etc. Usa'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.
| System | Loans in CA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in CA | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UPS STORE (TRADITIONAL) | 283 | 14 of 136 | 0.6× | 859 |
| Minuteman Press | 75 | 6 of 55 | 0.6×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Postal Annex Plus | 65 | 10 of 53 | 1.0×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Ameriprise Financial Services | 63 | 1 of 49 | 0.2× | — |
| Fastsigns | 50 | 5 of 31 | — | — |
| ALPHAGRAPHICS | 48 | 11 of 41 | 1.8× | 15 |
| Sir Speedy Printing | 30 | 7 of 22 | — | 15 |
| Farmers Insurance agency | 29 | 1 of 8 | — | — |
| Aim Mail Center | 22 | 4 of 19 | — | — |
| Signarama | 22 | 6 of 14 | — | — |
| Liberty Tax Service | 20 | 2 of 16 | — | — |
| POSTNET | 20 | 3 of 20 | — | 16 |
Other systems in Mail Boxes Etc. Usa'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 Mail Boxes Etc. Usa’s numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.