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Buying a Business in Nebraska

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

50

$44.2M approved

Median Loan

$375k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

243

$193M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

0.7%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

Nebraska ranks 36th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 243 loans since FY2020, 0.7% of the national total.

The typical deal runs small: its $375k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.

Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 50 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~41 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is full-service restaurants (15 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 50% of the state's acquisitions, a concentrated lender field.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Nebraska

  1. 1. Union Bank and Trust Company51 loans
  2. 2. First National Bank of Omaha24 loans
  3. 3. Live Oak Banking Company18 loans
  4. 4. Emprise Bank15 loans
  5. 5. Associated Bank National Association14 loans

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

What Gets Bought in Nebraska

  • Full-Service Restaurants15 loans
  • All Other Specialty Trade Contractors10 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants8 loans
  • Home Health Care Services7 loans
  • Landscaping Services7 loans

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

By Metro Area in Nebraska

  • Omaha, NE-IA

    124 purchase loans, median $549k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: First National Bank of Omaha (15).

  • Lincoln, NE

    44 purchase loans, median $308k. Bought most: Other Activities Related to Real Estate. Most active lender: Union Bank and Trust Company (27).

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