SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · MASSACHUSETTS
Mail Boxes Etc. Usa franchise in Massachusetts: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc. Usa in Massachusetts have taken 37 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $117,077). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted less often than franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 1 charge-offs among 32 resolved loans, where about 5.4 would be expected (0.2×). Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's national ratio is 0.7×.
Loans in MA
37
Charged off (all years)
1 of 32
Loss ratio in MA
0.2×
Loss ratio nationally
0.7×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = MA. 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
608
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
8.5
national 8.1
Versus the country
+5%
denser
Every business in Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's industry operating in Massachusetts — 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
$1,811
Massachusetts, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,212
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+49%
costlier to staff
What Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's industry actually pays workers in Massachusetts, 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 MA | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in MA | Units in MA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UPS STORE (TRADITIONAL) | 64 | 0 of 36 | 0× | 93 |
| Minuteman Press | 24 | 1 of 20 | — | — |
| Signarama | 18 | 2 of 11 | — | — |
| Ameriprise Financial Services | 11 | 0 of 9 | — | — |
| Sir Speedy Printing | 9 | 1 of 8 | — | 3 |
| Fastsigns | 8 | 0 of 2 | — | — |
| Smash My Trash | 8 | 1 of 5 | — | — |
| ALPHAGRAPHICS | 7 | 2 of 6 | — | 9 |
| Fedex Ground | 6 | 1 of 4 | — | — |
| JACKSON HEWITT TAX SERVICE | 6 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| Patrice & Associates | 6 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| Signs By Tomorrow | 6 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
Other systems in Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Massachusetts. 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.