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Buying a Business in Delaware

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

20

$23.0M approved

Median Loan

$472k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

90

$90.8M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

0.3%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

Delaware ranks 44th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 90 loans since FY2020, 0.3% of the national total.

The typical deal runs small: its $472k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.

Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 20 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~15 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is automotive parts and accessories retailers (4 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 57% of the state's acquisitions, a concentrated lender field.

This is a thin market by national standards, so expect fewer local comparables, and build the lender shortlist deliberately.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Delaware

  1. 1. Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company20 loans
  2. 2. Beacon Bank and Trust9 loans
  3. 3. The Huntington National Bank8 loans
  4. 4. Live Oak Banking Company7 loans
  5. 5. Fulton Bank, National Association7 loans

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

What Gets Bought in Delaware

  • Automotive Parts and Accessories Retailers4 loans
  • Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers4 loans
  • Child Care Services3 loans
  • Home Health Care Services3 loans
  • Full-Service Restaurants3 loans

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

By Metro Area in Delaware

  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

    598 purchase loans, median $628k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB (53).

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 Delaware project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.