SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA · FY1991–PRESENT · CALIFORNIA
THE LITTLE GYM franchise in California: what the public record shows
Franchisees of THE LITTLE GYM in California have taken 18 SBA loans since 1991 (average $263,738), and of the 10 loans whose story has ended, 30.0% were charged off — versus 15.1% for THE LITTLE GYM nationally and 14.8% across all rateable franchise brands.
Loans in CA
18
Resolved
10
Local charge-off
30.0%
National charge-off
15.1%
Source: SBA 7(a)/504 FOIA files (data.sba.gov), borrower state = CA. 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
5,357
statewide, all operators
Per 100k residents
13.6
national 11.9
Versus the country
+14%
denser
Every business in THE LITTLE GYM's industry operating in California — 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 CA | Local charge-off | Units in CA |
|---|---|---|---|
| ANYTIME FITNESS; ANYTIME FITNESS EXPRESS | 74 | 11.9% | — |
| Club Pilates | 57 | 0.0% | — |
| Orangetheory | 52 | 0.0% | — |
| Curves for Women | 34 | 14.3% | — |
| GOLD'S GYM | 34 | 20.8% | 8 |
| Yoga Six | 32 | thin | — |
| F45 Training | 30 | 7.1% | — |
| Stretch Lab | 21 | thin | — |
| CycleBar | 19 | 18.2% | — |
| BAR METHOD | 17 | 20.0% | — |
| Pure Barre | 15 | thin | — |
| Planet Fitness | 14 | 0.0% | 225 |
Same sector, same state, same public records — how THE LITTLE GYM compares to the systems a buyer in California 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 THE LITTLE GYM's numbers, including talking you out of a bad deal.
Talk to an independent CPA before you buy →