Buying a Business in Texas
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
666
$888M approved
Median Loan
$890k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
2,815
$3.80B in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
7.9%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Texas ranks 2nd of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 2,815 loans since FY2020, 8% of the national total.
The typical deal runs large: its $890k 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 666 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~469 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is gasoline stations with convenience stores (194 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 27% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Texas
- 1. Live Oak Banking Company378 loans
- 2. The Huntington National Bank174 loans
- 3. Metro City Bank83 loans
- 4. Celtic Bank Corporation71 loans
- 5. Bank of Hope61 loans
A lender being active in Texas does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Texas
- Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores194 loans
- Full-Service Restaurants176 loans
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels168 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants93 loans
- Insurance Agencies and Brokerages85 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. Where the buyable targets sit in Texas, by county, is in the Texas buying guide.
By Metro Area in Texas
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
1,107 purchase loans, median $827k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (136).
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
603 purchase loans, median $1.01M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (80).
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
259 purchase loans, median $760k. Bought most: Insurance Agencies and Brokerages. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (50).
San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
183 purchase loans, median $795k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (31).
Longview, TX
40 purchase loans, median $949k. Bought most: Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (6).
Lubbock, TX
35 purchase loans, median $658k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Cornerstone Capital Bank SSB (4).
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX
33 purchase loans, median $1.05M. Bought most: Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (7).
Waco, TX
33 purchase loans, median $1.04M. Bought most: Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (3).
Corpus Christi, TX
26 purchase loans, median $865k. Bought most: Full-Service Restaurants. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (6).
Killeen-Temple, TX
24 purchase loans, median $774k. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (3).
Odessa, TX
21 purchase loans, median $1.24M. Bought most: Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels. Most active lender: The Huntington National Bank (7).
College Station-Bryan, TX
20 purchase loans, median $684k. Bought most: Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units. Most active lender: Live Oak Banking Company (5).
Sherman-Denison, TX
20 purchase loans, median $1.74M. Bought most: Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores. Most active lender: Metro City Bank (8).
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 Texas project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.