Buying a Business in Massachusetts
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
151
$146M approved
Median Loan
$431k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
708
$588M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
2%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Massachusetts ranks 19th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 708 loans since FY2020, 2% of the national total.
The typical deal runs small: its $431k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.
Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 151 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~118 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is full-service restaurants (55 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 43% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Massachusetts
- 1. Rockland Trust Company112 loans
- 2. Live Oak Banking Company87 loans
- 3. Eastern Bank51 loans
- 4. Salem Five Cents Savings Bank29 loans
- 5. Leader Bank, National Association27 loans
A lender being active in Massachusetts does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Massachusetts
- Full-Service Restaurants55 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants33 loans
- General Automotive Repair25 loans
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers23 loans
- Home Health Care Services18 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.