Buying a Business in Iowa
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
62
$42.4M approved
Median Loan
$338k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
337
$247M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
0.9%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Iowa ranks 30th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 337 loans since FY2020, 0.9% of the national total.
The typical deal runs small: its $338k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.
Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 62 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~56 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is full-service restaurants (24 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 26% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Iowa
- 1. Lincoln Savings Bank26 loans
- 2. Northwest Bank (IA)24 loans
- 3. Nicolet National Bank16 loans
- 4. Live Oak Banking Company12 loans
- 5. Farmers State Bank (IA)10 loans
A lender being active in Iowa does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Iowa
- Full-Service Restaurants24 loans
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels18 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants16 loans
- Offices of Chiropractors14 loans
- General Automotive Repair7 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Iowa 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 Iowa project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.