SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · TEXAS
Mail Boxes Etc. Usa franchise in Texas: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Mail Boxes Etc. Usa in Texas have taken 135 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $131,679). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted at a rate not clearly different from franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 24 charge-offs among 119 resolved loans, where about 21 would be expected (1.1×). Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's national ratio is 0.7×.
Loans in TX
135
Charged off (all years)
24 of 119
Loss ratio in TX (not clear)
1.1×
Loss ratio nationally
0.7×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = TX. 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
2,460
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
7.9
national 8.1
Versus the country
-2%
thinner
Every business in Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's industry operating in Texas — 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
$1,443
Texas, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$1,212
same industry, all states
Versus the country
+19%
costlier to staff
What Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's industry actually pays workers in Texas, 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 TX | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in TX | Units in TX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE UPS STORE (TRADITIONAL) | 179 | 10 of 108 | 0.5× | 440 |
| Minuteman Press | 76 | 21 of 64 | 1.9× | — |
| ALPHAGRAPHICS | 69 | 17 of 47 | 2.6× | 48 |
| POSTNET | 53 | 14 of 42 | 1.7× | 38 |
| Fastsigns | 50 | 3 of 34 | 0.6×NOT CLEAR | — |
| Ameriprise Financial Services | 40 | 0 of 31 | — | — |
| Liberty Tax Service | 32 | 2 of 27 | — | — |
| Farmers Insurance agency | 24 | 1 of 10 | — | — |
| Allstate Insurance | 23 | 0 of 21 | — | — |
| Fedex Ground | 21 | 3 of 19 | — | — |
| Kwik-Kopy | 21 | 5 of 18 | — | — |
| Signarama | 21 | 8 of 15 | — | — |
Other systems in Mail Boxes Etc. Usa's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Texas. 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.