Buying a Business in South Carolina
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
111
$135M approved
Median Loan
$750k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
508
$622M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
1.4%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
South Carolina ranks 22nd of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 508 loans since FY2020, 1% of the national total.
The typical deal runs large: its $750k 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 111 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~85 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is hotels (except casino hotels) and motels (64 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 43% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in South Carolina
- 1. Live Oak Banking Company90 loans
- 2. GBank38 loans
- 3. The Huntington National Bank31 loans
- 4. Countybank31 loans
- 5. Pinnacle Bank (TN)30 loans
A lender being active in South Carolina does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in South Carolina
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels64 loans
- General Automotive Repair19 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants18 loans
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages18 loans
- Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors14 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses South Carolina 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 South Carolina project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.