Buying a Business in Vermont
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
16
$10.7M approved
Median Loan
$269k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
70
$52.5M in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
0.2%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Vermont ranks 48th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 70 loans since FY2020, 0.2% of the national total.
The typical deal runs small: its $269k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.
Activity is accelerating: FY2025's 16 loans ran ahead of the state's own ~12 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is limited-service restaurants (6 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 36% 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 Vermont
- 1. Heritage Family FCU6 loans
- 2. Vermont 504 Corporation5 loans
- 3. Beacon Bank and Trust5 loans
- 4. Live Oak Banking Company5 loans
- 5. United Midwest Savings Bank National Association4 loans
A lender being active in Vermont does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lenders.
What Gets Bought in Vermont
- Limited-Service Restaurants6 loans
- Offices of Chiropractors5 loans
- Funeral Homes and Funeral Services5 loans
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels4 loans
- Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists3 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Vermont 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 Vermont project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.