SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · OHIO
Sport Clips franchise in Ohio: what the public record shows
Franchisees of Sport Clips in Ohio have taken 63 SBA loans in the FY1991–present FOIA files (average $170,257). Those approved through FY2020 defaulted less often than franchise loans made in the same years nationally: 2 charge-offs among 51 resolved loans, where about 7.3 would be expected (0.3×). Sport Clips's national ratio is 0.4×. Its latest FDD Item 20 state table reports 53 franchised outlets in Ohio (fiscal 2016) — about 0.45 per 100k residents.
Loans in OH
63
Charged off (all years)
2 of 53
Loss ratio in OH
0.3×
Loss ratio nationally
0.4×
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = OH. 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
2,830
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
23.8
national 26.6
Versus the country
-11%
thinner
Every business in Sport Clips's industry operating in Ohio — 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
$619
Ohio, BLS QCEW 2025
National average
$698
same industry, all states
Versus the country
-11%
cheaper to staff
What Sport Clips's industry actually pays workers in Ohio, 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.
| Fiscal year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 41 | — |
| 2015 | 50 | — |
| 2016 | 53 | — |
| System | Loans in OH | Charged off (all years) | Loss ratio in OH | Units in OH |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREAT CLIPS | 64 | 0 of 58 | 0× | — |
| Hammer & Nails | 18 | 0 of 3 | — | — |
| European Wax Center | 10 | 0 of 7 | — | — |
| SMARTSTYLE | 10 | 1 of 5 | — | 35 |
| SUPERCUTS | 9 | 1 of 9 | — | 14 |
| The Woodhouse Day Spa | 9 | 0 of 7 | — | — |
| Fantastic Sams | 7 | 2 of 5 | — | — |
| Frenchies | 6 | 0 of 2 | — | 2 |
| Planet Beach | 6 | 0 of 4 | — | — |
| Deka Lash | 5 | — | — | — |
| MERLE NORMAN COSMETICS | 5 | 2 of 4 | — | 26 |
Other systems in Sport Clips's sector whose franchisees borrowed in Ohio. 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 Sport Clips’ numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.