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.
By Metro Area in North Carolina
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
331 purchase loans, median $836k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (94).
Raleigh-Cary, NC
190 purchase loans, median $657k. Bought most: Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (37).
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
102 purchase loans, median $791k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (11).
Wilmington, NC
75 purchase loans, median $569k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (18).
Greensboro-High Point, NC
67 purchase loans, median $850k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (14).
Winston-Salem, NC
67 purchase loans, median $1.18M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (19).
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC
61 purchase loans, median $951k. Bought most: Limited-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (9).
Asheville, NC
52 purchase loans, median $500k. Bought most: All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (16).
Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC
38 purchase loans, median $793k. Bought most: Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (16).
Fayetteville, NC
26 purchase loans, median $1.13M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: GBank (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 North Carolina project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.