Franchise Failure Rates

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

U.S. Lawns Franchise Failure Rate: 22.7% SBA Loan Defaults (2010–2019 Federal Data)

22.7%
charge-off rate on 22 SBA 7(a) loans to U.S. Lawns franchisees, FY2010–2019
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019 — U.S. Lawns against its industry and all franchises
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: U.S. Lawns 22.7%; Landscaping Services 7.0%; All franchises 10.2%U.S. Lawns 22.7%; Landscaping Services 7.0%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%15%20%U.S. Lawns22.7%Landscaping Services7.0%All franchises10.2%
Charge-off rate, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019: U.S. Lawns 22.7%; Landscaping Services 7.0%; All franchises 10.2%U.S. Lawns 22.7%; Landscaping Services 7.0%; All franchises 10.2%0%5%10%15%20%U.S. Lawns22.7%Landscaping Services7.0%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 4 U.S. Lawns SBA borrowers failed to repay — more than double the Landscaping Services average of 7.0%.

Between 2010 and 2019, 22 U.S. Lawns franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 5 defaulted — a 22.7% charge-off rate, 3.2x the Landscaping Services average of 7.0%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

What is the U.S. Lawns franchise failure rate on SBA loans?

U.S. Lawns is a Landscaping Services franchise. This page reports the outcome of every SBA 7(a) loan the U.S. Small Business Administration's public FOIA file attributes to U.S. Lawns franchisees: 22 loans approved between fiscal 2010 and 2019, of which 5 were 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 U.S. Lawns compare with other Landscaping Services franchises?

The table sets U.S. Lawns's charge-off rate beside its Landscaping Services 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. A cell in red is more than twice the industry benchmark.

U.S. Lawns versus benchmarks, SBA 7(a) loans approved FY2010–FY2019, statuses as of June 30, 2026. Source: U.S. SBA FOIA dataset.
MeasureU.S. LawnsLandscaping ServicesAll franchisesAll SBA borrowers
Default (charge-off) rate22.7%7.0%10.2%8.0%
Loans in sample22———
Defaults5———
Average loan size$215,064———

What has U.S. Lawns SBA lending looked like since 2020?

Since 2020, U.S. Lawns franchisees have taken 27 new SBA 7(a) loans. 1 has already charged off. Early defaults on loans under six years old are notable — most SBA failures take longer to develop.

Charge-off rate by approval year — share of each fiscal year's U.S. Lawns 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: FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2014 0% of 1 loans; FY2015 20% of 5 loans; FY2016 17% of 6 loans; FY2017 50% of 2 loans; FY2018 40% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 1 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2014 0% of 1 loans; FY2015 20% of 5 loans; FY2016 17% of 6 loans; FY2017 50% of 2 loans; FY2018 40% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 1 loans0%5%10%0%2012n=20%2014n=120%2015n=517%2016n=650%2017n=240%2018n=50%2019n=1
Charge-off rate by approval year: FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2014 0% of 1 loans; FY2015 20% of 5 loans; FY2016 17% of 6 loans; FY2017 50% of 2 loans; FY2018 40% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 1 loansCharge-off rate by approval year: FY2012 0% of 2 loans; FY2014 0% of 1 loans; FY2015 20% of 5 loans; FY2016 17% of 6 loans; FY2017 50% of 2 loans; FY2018 40% of 5 loans; FY2019 0% of 1 loans0%5%10%0%’12n=20%’14n=120%’15n=517%’16n=650%’17n=240%’18n=50%’19n=1

Loans approved since 2020, by fiscal year — counts only: 1 has charged off to date and most are still outstanding, so no rate is drawn.

Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 1; FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 10; FY2026 3Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 1; FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 10; FY2026 3120204202112022320235202410202532026
Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 1; FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 10; FY2026 3Loans approved since 2020: FY2020 1; FY2021 4; FY2022 1; FY2023 3; FY2024 5; FY2025 10; FY2026 31’204’211’223’235’2410’253’26

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

Show the numbers behind this chart
Fiscal yearLoansCharged offRate
FY2012200.0%
FY2014100.0%
FY20155120.0%
FY20166116.7%
FY20172150.0%
FY20185240.0%
FY2019100.0%
FY20201—outstanding
FY20214—outstanding
FY20221—outstanding
FY20233—outstanding
FY20245—outstanding
FY202510—outstanding
FY20263—outstanding

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?

U.S. Lawns's figure rests on 22 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 22 resolved loans, one default moves the rate by about 4.5 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 U.S. Lawns figure is recomputed from the public SBA FOIA file on each rebuild.

Based on 22 resolved loans — directional, not precise.

Frequently asked

What is U.S. Lawns's franchise failure rate on SBA loans?
Between 2010 and 2019, 22 U.S. Lawns franchisees financed with SBA 7(a) loans. 5 defaulted — a 22.7% charge-off rate, 3.2x the Landscaping Services average of 7.0%. Source: U.S. Small Business Administration FOIA dataset, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.
Is U.S. Lawns a safe franchise investment?
Between 2010–2019, U.S. Lawns franchisees defaulted on SBA loans at 22.7% versus a 7.0% industry average. This data is one input for due diligence; it is not investment advice.

Cite this page

Franchise Default Rates (2026). U.S. Lawns franchise SBA 7(a) default rate, FY2010–FY2019 cohort: 22.7% (5 of 22 loans charged off). Derived from U.S. SBA FOIA data, loan statuses as of June 30, 2026.

https://franchisefailurerates.com/franchise/u-s-lawns/ · Data & methodology · Download the dataset (CSV)