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Buying a Business in Pennsylvania

What SBA acquisition lending actually looks like in Pennsylvania, from loan-level government data.

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

277

$302.3M approved

Median Loan

$519,300

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

1,268

$1.21B in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

3.5%

Of change-of-ownership loans

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Pennsylvania

  1. 1. Live Oak Banking Company111 loans
  2. 2. Northwest Bank88 loans
  3. 3. The Huntington National Bank78 loans
  4. 4. Beacon Bank and Trust72 loans
  5. 5. First Commonwealth Bank68 loans

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

What Gets Bought in Pennsylvania

  • Full-Service Restaurants76 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants67 loans
  • Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors41 loans
  • Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels38 loans
  • Beer, Wine, and Liquor Stores32 loans

Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Industry Buy Guides.

Method & Source

Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Pennsylvania project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing. Free to cite with attribution.

Everything here is educational information, not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Figures are estimates or cited third-party data; verify anything that matters against primary sources and your own advisors before acting on it.