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Buying a Business in New Jersey

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

191

$239M approved

Median Loan

$724k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

840

$993M in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

2.3%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

New Jersey ranks 16th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 840 loans since FY2020, 2% of the national total.

The typical deal runs large: its $724k 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 191 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~140 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is beer, wine, and liquor retailers (76 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 34% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in New Jersey

  1. 1. Live Oak Banking Company109 loans
  2. 2. Peapack Private Bank and Trust61 loans
  3. 3. Beacon Bank and Trust45 loans
  4. 4. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB35 loans
  5. 5. The Huntington National Bank32 loans

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

Buying near New York City? The Metro Target Scans rank this region's strongest industries.

What Gets Bought in New Jersey

  • Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers76 loans
  • Full-Service Restaurants58 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants39 loans
  • Child Care Services33 loans
  • Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers19 loans

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

By Metro Area in New Jersey

  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

    1,062 purchase loans, median $725k. Bought most: Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (162).

  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD

    598 purchase loans, median $628k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB (53).

  • Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

    76 purchase loans, median $555k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Beacon Bank and Trust (13).

  • Trenton-Princeton, NJ

    44 purchase loans, median $848k. Bought most: Limited-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (8).

  • Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ

    41 purchase loans, median $1.00M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB (5).

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