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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. 1. Live Oak Banking Company143 loans
  2. 2. Metro City Bank138 loans
  3. 3. Renasant Bank61 loans
  4. 4. The Huntington National Bank54 loans
  5. 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

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

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.