SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · PENNSYLVANIA
Medicine Shoppe franchise in Pennsylvania: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Medicine Shoppe in Pennsylvania have taken 31 SBA loans since 1991 (average $320,848), and of the 26 loans whose story has ended, 3.8% were charged off — versus 7.0% for Medicine Shoppe nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in PA
31
Resolved
26
Local charge-off
3.8%
National charge-off
7.0%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = PA. Charge-off rate = charged-off ÷ (charged-off + paid-in-full); open loans excluded. A local rate is published only when the resolved cohort clears our floor.
Businesses in this industry
1,494
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
11.4
national 11.6
Versus the country
-2%
thinner
Every business in Medicine Shoppe'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 198 brand-state cells in our loan data, the densest quartile charges off at 5.6% versus 18.1% in the thinnest. A crowded market is usually proven demand; an empty one is often empty for a reason.
| System | Loans in PA | Local charge-off | Units in PA |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFC/AMERICAN FAMILY CARE | 17 | thin | 25 |
| Pearle Vision Center | 11 | thin | — |
| Medicap Pharmacy | 10 | thin | — |
| ELLIE MENTAL HEALTH | 7 | thin | — |
| General Nutrition Center | 5 | thin | — |
| Max Muscle | 5 | thin | — |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how Medicine Shoppe compares to the systems a buyer in Pennsylvania would actually be choosing between. Local rates under 10 resolved loans are marked thin, not hidden.
A broker is paid by the franchisor to place you. An independent CPA is paid by you — and the job is pressure-testing Medicine Shoppe's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →