Buying a Business in Rhode Island
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
29
$25.7M approved
Median Loan
$500k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
106
$93.9M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
0.3%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Rhode Island ranks 43rd of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 106 loans since FY2020, 0.3% of the national total.
The typical deal runs small: its $500k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.
Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 29 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~18 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is beer, wine, and liquor retailers (11 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 48% of the state's acquisitions, a broad 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 Rhode Island
- 1. Beacon Bank and Trust15 loans
- 2. Eastern Bank11 loans
- 3. Live Oak Banking Company10 loans
- 4. Navigant CU9 loans
- 5. Citizens Bank, National Association6 loans
A lender being active in Rhode Island does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Rhode Island
- Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers11 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants8 loans
- Other Miscellaneous Durable Goods Merchant Wholesalers4 loans
- Offices of Certified Public Accountants3 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.