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Buying a Business in Arizona

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

147

$177M approved

Median Loan

$822k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

824

$989M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

2.3%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

Arizona ranks 17th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 824 loans since FY2020, 2% of the national total.

The typical deal runs large: its $822k median loan sits above the $650k midpoint across states, so expect bigger checks and the larger injection and cash flow they need.

Activity is steady, near the state's ~137 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is full-service restaurants (42 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 36% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Arizona

  1. 1. Live Oak Banking Company103 loans
  2. 2. St. Louis Bank77 loans
  3. 3. Celtic Bank Corporation49 loans
  4. 4. Midwest Regional Bank42 loans
  5. 5. Zions Bank, A Division of26 loans

A lender being active in Arizona does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.

What Gets Bought in Arizona

  • Full-Service Restaurants42 loans
  • General Automotive Repair34 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants24 loans
  • Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly24 loans
  • Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors23 loans

Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. Where the buyable targets sit in Arizona, by county, is in the Arizona buying guide.

By Metro Area in Arizona

  • Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

    599 purchase loans, median $824k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (81).

  • Tucson, AZ

    78 purchase loans, median $661k. Bought most: Offices of Certified Public Accountants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (10).

  • Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ

    60 purchase loans, median $826k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: St. Louis Bank (22).

  • Flagstaff, AZ

    30 purchase loans, median $645k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: St. Louis Bank (10).

Every metro area that drew 20 purchase loans, with three lenders each, is in the metro table.

Method & Source

Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Arizona project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.