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Buying a Business in Ohio

The Numbers

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

299

$349M approved

Median Loan

$597k

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

1,290

$1.36B in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

3.6%

Of change-of-ownership loans

What the Data Says

Ohio ranks 9th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 1,290 loans since FY2020, 4% of the national total.

The typical deal runs small: its $597k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.

Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 299 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~215 a year pace since FY2020.

The most-financed target is hotels (except casino hotels) and motels (115 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 49% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Ohio

  1. 1. The Huntington National Bank381 loans
  2. 2. Live Oak Banking Company112 loans
  3. 3. First Commonwealth Bank48 loans
  4. 4. United Midwest Savings Bank National Association46 loans
  5. 5. GBank45 loans

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

What Gets Bought in Ohio

  • Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels115 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants62 loans
  • Full-Service Restaurants43 loans
  • Offices of Dentists32 loans
  • Child Care Services24 loans

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

By Metro Area in Ohio

  • Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN

    296 purchase loans, median $599k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (107).

  • Cleveland, OH

    249 purchase loans, median $500k. Bought most: Limited-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (74).

  • Columbus, OH

    237 purchase loans, median $484k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (60).

  • Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH

    108 purchase loans, median $852k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (35).

  • Akron, OH

    87 purchase loans, median $825k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (27).

  • Toledo, OH

    67 purchase loans, median $539k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (17).

  • Youngstown-Warren, OH

    53 purchase loans, median $815k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (13).

  • Canton-Massillon, OH

    27 purchase loans, median $700k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (5).

  • Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH

    25 purchase loans, median $365k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Community Trust Bank, Inc. (7).

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