In the past three months, the Small Business Administration has approved 410 loans in Georgia, roughly double the number from the same period a year ago, according to spokesman James Hightower.

Georgia companies received $218.7 million in SBA-backed loans during the past three months, compared to just $92 million a year earlier.

Of course, that is not enough to turn the tide in the state’s $390 billion-a-year, 3.8 million-employee economy. But every job created is a paycheck that hadn’t been there before.

If the SBA loans in Georgia were spread through the economy, where the average pay is $43,000 a year, the money would cover 5,000 more jobs.

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A man makes a phone call in front of a train during Tracks of Hope, an event hosted by Norfolk Southern in support of Hope Atlanta, in Forest Park, Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025. Norfolk Southern opened its executive vintage business train, typically reserved for company leadership and dignitaries, to the public in support of Hope Atlanta. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

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