Buying a Business in Puerto Rico
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
7
$2.42M approved
Median Loan
$193k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
42
$14.7M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
0.1%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Puerto Rico ranks 52nd of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 42 loans since FY2020, 0.1% of the national total.
The typical deal runs small: its $193k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.
Activity is steady, near the state's ~7 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is pharmacies and drug retailers (7 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 100% of the state's acquisitions, a concentrated lender field.
This is a thin market by national standards, so expect fewer local comparables and mostly out-of-state lenders; build the shortlist deliberately rather than relying on a nearby branch.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Puerto Rico
- 1. Oriental Bank24 loans
- 2. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico11 loans
- 3. FirstBank Puerto Rico4 loans
- 4. Economic Development Bank for Puerto Rico2 loans
- 5. First Business Bank1 loans
A lender being active in Puerto Rico does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Puerto Rico
- Pharmacies and Drug Retailers7 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants4 loans
- Automotive Body, Paint, and Interior Repair and Maintenance3 loans
- Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers2 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Puerto Rico holds in each trade is in Where the Businesses Are.
Method & Source
Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Puerto Rico project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.