Buying a Business in North Carolina
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
236
$319M approved
Median Loan
$839k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
1,172
$1.55B in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
3.3%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
North Carolina ranks 12th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 1,172 loans since FY2020, 3% of the national total.
The typical deal runs large: its $839k 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 236 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~195 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is hotels (except casino hotels) and motels (109 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 43% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in North Carolina
- 1. Live Oak Banking Company281 loans
- 2. GBank75 loans
- 3. Pinnacle Bank (TN)54 loans
- 4. First Bank (NC)48 loans
- 5. TowneBank46 loans
A lender being active in North Carolina does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in North Carolina
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels109 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants39 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants37 loans
- All Other Specialty Trade Contractors32 loans
- Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors29 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. Where the buyable targets sit in North Carolina, by county, is in the North Carolina buying guide.
Method & Source
Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a North Carolina project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.