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Buying a Business in Arkansas

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

54

$79.6M approved

Median Loan

$786k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

243

$291M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

0.7%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

Arkansas ranks 36th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 243 loans since FY2020, 0.7% of the national total.

The typical deal runs large: its $786k median loan sits above the $650k midpoint across states, so expect bigger checks and the larger injection and cash flow they need.

Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 54 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~41 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is broilers and other meat type chicken production (28 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 41% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Arkansas

  1. 1. First Financial Bank (AR)35 loans
  2. 2. Arvest Bank24 loans
  3. 3. Live Oak Banking Company16 loans
  4. 4. Southern Bancorp Bank12 loans
  5. 5. ACC Capital12 loans

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

What Gets Bought in Arkansas

  • Broilers and Other Meat Type Chicken Production28 loans
  • Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels17 loans
  • Full-Service Restaurants10 loans
  • Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores7 loans
  • General Automotive Repair6 loans

Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Arkansas 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 Arkansas project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.