Franchise Failure Rates

SBA 7(a) loan outcomes · FY2010–FY2019 cohort · Statuses as of June 30, 2026 · Last updated August 17, 2026

Mail Boxes Etc. USA Franchise Failure Rate: 4.0% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

4.0%
charge-off rate on 25 SBA 7(a) loans to Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — Mail Boxes Etc. USA against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Mail Boxes Etc. USA 4.0%; Private Mail Centers 4.9%; All franchises 10.2%Mail Boxes Etc. USA 4.0%; Private Mail Centers 4.9%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Mail Boxes Etc. USA4.0%Private Mail Centers4.9%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: Mail Boxes Etc. USA 4.0%; Private Mail Centers 4.9%; All franchises 10.2%Mail Boxes Etc. USA 4.0%; Private Mail Centers 4.9%; All franchises 10.2%0%2%4%6%8%10%Mail Boxes Etc. USA4.0%Private Mail Centers4.9%All franchises10.2%

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Figures also in the comparison table below.

About 1 in 25 Mail Boxes Etc. USA SBA borrowers failed to repay — below the Private Mail Centers average of 4.9%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 25 Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 4.0% charge-off rate, 0.8x the Private Mail Centers average of 4.9%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

Mail Boxes Etc. USA is a Private Mail Centers franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees: 25 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 1 was charged off. Loan statuses are as of June 30, 2026, and the cohort has matured, so these are settled outcomes rather than projections.

How does Mail Boxes Etc. USA compare with other Private Mail Centers franchises?

The table sets Mail Boxes Etc. USA's charge-off rate beside its Private Mail Centers peers and the two economy-wide benchmarks. All figures use the same cohort — SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026 — and the same denominator of resolved loans, so they are directly comparable.

Mail Boxes Etc. USA versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureMail Boxes Etc. USAPrivate Mail CentersAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate4.0%4.9%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample25———
Defaults1———
Average loan size$164,484———
Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's Mail Boxes Etc. USA SBA 7(a) loans that later defaulted (FY2010–FY2019); years with fewer than 10 loans are outlined, not filled
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 11 loans; FY2011 0% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 8 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 11 loans; FY2011 0% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 8 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans0%5%10%0%2010n=110%2011n=40%2012n=850%2013n=2
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 11 loans; FY2011 0% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 8 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2010 0% of 11 loans; FY2011 0% of 4 loans; FY2012 0% of 8 loans; FY2013 50% of 2 loans0%5%10%0%’10n=110%’11n=40%’12n=850%’13n=2

Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset, statuses as of June 30, 2026.

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY20101100.0%
FY2011400.0%
FY2012800.0%
FY20132150.0%

How to read this

A charge-off means a franchisee borrowed, operated, and failed severely enough that the SBA wrote off the government-guaranteed loan. Unlike franchisor marketing or Item 19 disclosures, this is an observed outcome recorded by a federal agency. One caveat cuts the other way: SBA borrowers are typically less capitalized than all-cash buyers, so these rates can overstate risk for well-funded operators.

How reliable is this number?

Mail Boxes Etc. USA's figure rests on 25 resolved SBA 7(a) loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019 — a matured cohort, so the rate is a settled outcome, not a projection. With 25 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 4.0 percentage points. Loans approved since 2020 are excluded from the rate because most are still outstanding; they appear on this page as counts only. Every Mail Boxes Etc. USA figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 25 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is Mail Boxes Etc. USA's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 25 Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 1 defaulted — a 4.0% charge-off rate, 0.8x the Private Mail Centers average of 4.9%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is Mail Boxes Etc. USA a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 4.0% versus a 4.9% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). Mail Boxes Etc. USA franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 4.0% (1 of 25 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/mail-boxes-etc-usa/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)