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Buying a Business in Missouri

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

174

$203M approved

Median Loan

$578k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

824

$774M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

2.3%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

Missouri ranks 17th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 824 loans since FY2020, 2% of the national total.

The typical deal runs small: its $578k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.

Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 174 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~137 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is full-service restaurants (51 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 28% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Missouri

  1. 1. OakStar Bank78 loans
  2. 2. Live Oak Banking Company45 loans
  3. 3. Midwest Regional Bank38 loans
  4. 4. Regent Bank36 loans
  5. 5. The Bank of Houston35 loans

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

What Gets Bought in Missouri

  • Full-Service Restaurants51 loans
  • Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels35 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants26 loans
  • General Automotive Repair25 loans
  • Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors21 loans

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

By Metro Area in Missouri

  • St. Louis, MO-IL

    357 purchase loans, median $595k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Midwest Regional Bank (39).

  • Kansas City, MO-KS

    300 purchase loans, median $649k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: OakStar Bank (27).

  • Springfield, MO

    135 purchase loans, median $458k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Regent Bank (31).

  • Joplin, MO-KS

    34 purchase loans, median $616k. Bought most: General Automotive Repair. Most active lender: OakStar Bank (12).

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