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. Live Oak Banking Company103 loans
- 2. St. Louis Bank77 loans
- 3. Celtic Bank Corporation49 loans
- 4. Midwest Regional Bank42 loans
- 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. How many buyable businesses Arizona holds in each trade is in Where the Businesses Are.
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.