FRANCHISE·WATCH·DESK

SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · RHODE ISLAND

Midas Muffler Shop franchise in Rhode Island: what the public record shows

Franchisees of Midas Muffler Shop in Rhode Island have taken 5 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $398,260). Fewer than 30 of them were approved through FY2020 and have resolved, so no local loss ratio is published. Midas Muffler Shop's national ratio is 0.8× (not clearly different from 1.0×).

SBA loan outcomes · Rhode Islandvs same-year franchise loans

Loans in RI

5

Charged off (all years)

0 of 3

Loss ratio in RI

—

Loss ratio nationally (not clear)

0.8×

Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = RI. 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.

Market density · Rhode Island vs nationalDense market

Businesses in this industry

406

statewide, all operators

Per 100k residents

36.5

national 30.2

Versus the country

+21%

denser

Every business in Midas Muffler Shop's industry operating in Rhode Island — 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.

Labor cost · Rhode Island vs nationalTypical wages

Avg weekly wage, this industry

$1,070

Rhode Island, BLS QCEW 2025

National average

$1,002

same industry, all states

Versus the country

+7%

costlier to staff

What Midas Muffler Shop's industry actually pays workers in Rhode Island, 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.

Same-sector systems with SBA loan history in Rhode Island2 systems
SystemLoans in RICharged off (all years)Loss ratio in RIUnits in RI
Aamco Transmissions60 of 3——
Sunoco Service Station61 of 3——

Other systems in Midas Muffler Shop's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Rhode Island. A loss ratio appears only where at least 30 loans approved through FY2020 have resolved; “—” means too few.

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