Buying a Business in Georgia
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
261
$354M approved
Median Loan
$920k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
1,310
$1.90B in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
3.7%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Georgia ranks 8th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 1,310 loans since FY2020, 4% of the national total.
The typical deal runs large: its $920k 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 261 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~218 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is hotels (except casino hotels) and motels (110 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 34% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Georgia
- 1. Live Oak Banking Company143 loans
- 2. Metro City Bank138 loans
- 3. Renasant Bank61 loans
- 4. The Huntington National Bank54 loans
- 5. United Community Bank (SC)45 loans
A lender being active in Georgia does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Georgia
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels110 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants101 loans
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers101 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants76 loans
- Child Care Services41 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. Where the buyable targets sit in Georgia, by county, is in the Georgia buying guide.
By Metro Area in Georgia
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
834 purchase loans, median $809k. Bought most: Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (100).
Savannah, GA
56 purchase loans, median $1.15M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Renasant Bank (6).
Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
49 purchase loans, median $1.26M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: GBank (8).
Chattanooga, TN-GA
45 purchase loans, median $975k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (6).
Gainesville, GA
35 purchase loans, median $1.07M. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Metro City Bank (8).
Columbus, GA-AL
29 purchase loans, median $1.00M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: GBank (3).
Macon-Bibb County, GA
27 purchase loans, median $1.19M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: GBank (3).
Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
20 purchase loans, median $1.20M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Pinnacle Bank (TN) (2).
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 Georgia project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.