A feasibility study in Little Rock is read by a lender or a Certified Development Company before anyone else. In fiscal year 2025 this metro recorded 110 SBA 7(a) approvals for $66,703,600. One rule a lender meets here: Local sales tax rates differ by city around Little Rock.
The Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro is home to about 769,258 residents per the U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates, led by Pulaski County at 401,209; Faulkner County at 131,611; Saline County at 131,252; Lonoke County at 76,389.
Why a Little Rock feasibility study sits outside a national template
A national template prices this metro on its 769,258 residents and stops there. The rule below comes from the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, and it changes a line of the model before a lender reads it.
Local sales tax rates differ by city around Little Rock. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration publishes a quarterly table of city and county sales and use tax rates, and the October to December 2026 edition lists a city rate, a county rate and a total rate for each city. Little Rock is listed at 1.125% city and 1.000% Pulaski County, for a total of 2.125%. North Little Rock is listed at 2.000% city and 1.000% Pulaski County, for a total of 3.000%. Conway is listed at 2.125% city and 0.500% Faulkner County, for a total of 2.625%. Bryant is listed at 3.000% city and 0.000% Saline County, for a total of 3.000%. The department separately lists the State Sales and Use Tax at 6.500%. For a restaurant or hotel in the Little Rock metro, a feasibility model should add the local total for the exact city of the site to the state rate, not assume one local rate.
SBA 504 feasibility study Little Rock and SBA 7(a) studies
Nationally, the U.S. Small Business Administration closed fiscal year 2025 having guaranteed 84,400 7(a) and 504 loans for $44.8 billion. This page computes the Little Rock share from the SBA's own 7(a) and 504 FOIA release, as of June 30, 2026, by member county rather than by district office: in fiscal year 2025 the metro's six counties recorded 110 SBA 7(a) approvals for $66,703,600 and 2 SBA 504 approvals for $254,000.
| Fiscal year | 7(a) approvals | 7(a) gross | 504 approvals | 504 gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2023 | 89 | $41,401,000 | 3 | $1,348,000 |
| FY2024 | 80 | $36,734,600 | 5 | $2,390,000 |
| FY2025 | 110 | $66,703,600 | 2 | $254,000 |
| FY2026 (to June 30, 2026) | 68 | $51,920,000 | 4 | $7,647,000 |
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 FOIA release, as of June 30, 2026, summed over member counties
In fiscal year 2025 the 7(a) approvals here came from U.S. Bank, National Association (14 loans, $787,700), Northeast Bank (10 loans, $1,424,300), and Southern Bancorp Bank (9 loans, $5,496,800), listed by approval count with the names as the SBA released them. The 504 approvals that year went through Rural Missouri, Inc. (2 loans). The SBA's district office field reads Arkansas District Office on 108 of the 110 fiscal year 2025 7(a) rows, 98.2%, and Arizona District Office on 1 and South Florida District Office on 1.
Across fiscal years 2010 to 2026 disbursed, the ten asset classes tracked here account for 149 7(a) loans for $129,456,100 and 11 504 loans for $11,644,000 in this metro. In fiscal year 2025 alone those classes took 14 7(a) and 504 approvals for $14,406,000. The table sets out each class; a cell under five loans is not shown, and a charge-off rate is printed where 30 or more loans have resolved and left blank below that.
| Asset class | 7(a) loans | 7(a) gross | 7(a) charge-off | 504 loans | 504 gross | 504 charge-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hotels and motels | 28 | $67,981,200 | cohort under 30 | under 5 | ||
| Car washes | under 5 | under 5 | ||||
| Self-storage | 6 | $3,192,200 | cohort under 30 | under 5 | ||
| RV parks and campgrounds | under 5 | under 5 | ||||
| Assisted living and continuing care | under 5 | under 5 | ||||
| Gas stations and convenience stores | 7 | $7,831,300 | cohort under 30 | under 5 | ||
| Restaurants, full and limited service | 69 | $27,707,500 | 16.7% | 5 | $2,305,000 | cohort under 30 |
| Fitness and recreational sports centers | 18 | $10,139,800 | cohort under 30 | under 5 | ||
| Marinas | under 5 | under 5 | ||||
| Child day care services | 18 | $10,785,900 | cohort under 30 | under 5 | ||
| All ten classes | 149 | $129,456,100 | 11.5% | 11 | $11,644,000 | cohort under 30 |
Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, 7(a) and 504 FOIA release, as of June 30, 2026; MMCG cut by member county
USDA feasibility study Little Rock
USDA Business and Industry and USDA Community Facilities credit runs on a statutory geography rather than on a county line. Under 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A) the terms rural and rural area mean any area other than a city or town that has a population of greater than 50,000 inhabitants and any urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town. The test turns on the subject address and the urbanized-area boundary around it, not on the name of a county or a metro. For a project in Little Rock the address decides it. The metro spans six counties, from Pulaski County at 401,209 residents to Perry County at 10,251, and an urbanized-area boundary follows the census map rather than any county line. MMCG checks the subject address against the USDA Rural Development eligibility map at intake, before work on the study begins, and this page names no town as eligible.
Hotel feasibility study Little Rock
A hotel feasibility study in Little Rock starts from the metro's own SBA record. Across fiscal years 2010 to 2026 disbursed, hotels and motels account for 28 7(a) loans for $67,981,200 and fewer than five 504 loans here, $68,633,200 in all. Full and limited service restaurants come to $30,012,500 over the same years.
Underwriting realities behind a defensible Little Rock study
These are the points an underwriter in Little Rock reads before the rest of the file. Each traces to a government publisher or to the SBA's own file.
- Local sales tax rates differ by city around Little Rock. The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration table for October to December 2026 lists Little Rock at a 1.125% city rate and a 1.000% Pulaski County rate for a 2.125% total, North Little Rock at a 3.000% total and Conway at a 2.625% total, so the local sales tax layer on a project depends on the city of the site.
- The SBA record. Fiscal year 2025: 110 7(a) approvals for $66,703,600 and 2 504 approvals for $254,000 across the metro's six counties.
- The ten classes tracked here. 14 approvals for $14,406,000 in fiscal year 2025, and $34,652,100 over fiscal years 2023 to 2025.
- USDA geography. The 50,000-inhabitant test of 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A) is read at the address, not by county, for a metro of 769,258 residents.
How a Little Rock feasibility study engagement runs
MMCG starts from the project address, the asset class and the lender or Certified Development Company contact. The address settles the county and the rules set out above; the asset class sets which part of the SBA record applies.
The report names its sources the way this page does: the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, the SBA FOIA release, and the Census Bureau's population estimates. The method is set out in full in MMCG's feasibility study methodology.
Cities and counties served in the Little Rock region
- Principal cities in the metro's OMB title: Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway
- Pulaski County: 401,209 residents
- Faulkner County: 131,611 residents
- Saline County: 131,252 residents
- Lonoke County: 76,389 residents
- Grant County: 18,546 residents
- Perry County: 10,251 residents
Related Little Rock and program resources
- The Arkansas feasibility study statewide page.
- The feasibility study locations index of every state and metro page.
- Nearby metro pages: Jackson, MS feasibility study, Oklahoma City feasibility study, and St. Louis feasibility study.
- The SBA feasibility study and USDA feasibility study program pages.
- The feasibility study index.
About MMCG
MMCG Invest, LLC is a feasibility study consultancy that specializes in SBA and USDA feasibility studies for lenders, Certified Development Companies, USDA Rural Development guaranteed lenders and the borrowers they serve, with Little Rock among the markets it covers. The practice is led by Michal Mohelsky, J.D., FMVA, Practicing Affiliate of the Appraisal Institute. Reports are prepared under SBA SOP 50 10 8.1 for 7(a) and 504 files and under 7 CFR Part 5001 for USDA files, and each one states which schedule, rate and boundary it relied on so a credit officer can check the work. Pricing starts at $4,900, standard delivery runs 9 to 16 business days, a rush track delivers in 5 business days, and every inquiry receives a response within 12 business hours.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a feasibility study cost in Little Rock?
Pricing starts at $4,900. The fee is confirmed at intake once the project address, the asset class and the lender or CDC requirements are known, and a Little Rock study is scoped for the local rules set out on this page before work begins.
How long does a Little Rock feasibility study take?
Standard delivery runs 9 to 16 business days. A rush track delivers in 5 business days, and every inquiry receives a response within 12 business hours. The clock starts once the address, the asset class and the lender or CDC contact are in hand.
How many SBA loans did the Little Rock metro record in fiscal year 2025?
110 7(a) approvals for $66,703,600 and 2 504 approvals for $254,000, summed over the metro's member counties from the SBA FOIA release as of June 30, 2026. In the ten asset classes tracked here the figure is 14 approvals for $14,406,000.
Which counties make up the Little Rock metro?
The Census Bureau's delineation places 6 counties in the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR metro: Pulaski County, Faulkner County, Saline County, Lonoke County, Grant County, and Perry County.
Which lenders made SBA 7(a) loans in the Little Rock metro in fiscal year 2025?
By approval count, U.S. Bank, National Association with 14, Northeast Bank with 10, and Southern Bancorp Bank with 9. On the 504 side, Rural Missouri, Inc. recorded 2. The names are as the SBA released them.
Can a Little Rock-area project use USDA Business and Industry financing?
It depends on the address. Under 7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A) a rural area is one outside a city or town of more than 50,000 inhabitants and outside the urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a place. In a metro of 769,258 residents that test is still read address by address, so MMCG checks the subject address against the USDA Rural Development eligibility map at intake and names no town as eligible in advance.
Local sales tax rates differ by city around Little Rock: what does that mean for a Little Rock study?
The Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration table for October to December 2026 lists Little Rock at a 1.125% city rate and a 1.000% Pulaski County rate for a 2.125% total, North Little Rock at a 3.000% total and Conway at a 2.625% total, so the local sales tax layer on a project depends on the city of the site.
Asset classes we study in Little Rock
Where we work
The same study, prepared to the lender requirements of the state the project sits in.
