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Buying a Business in Wisconsin

What SBA acquisition lending actually looks like in Wisconsin, from loan-level government data.

FY2025 Acquisition Loans

173

$178.7M approved

Median Loan

$578,350

FY2020 through FY2025

Loans Since FY2020

1,110

$1.08B in total approvals

Share of U.S. Activity

3.1%

Of change-of-ownership loans

Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Wisconsin

  1. 1. Old National Bank97 loans
  2. 2. Nicolet National Bank90 loans
  3. 3. Live Oak Banking Company66 loans
  4. 4. Byline Bank59 loans
  5. 5. Citizens Community Federal National Association47 loans

A lender being active in Wisconsin does not require a local branch; several top SBA lenders work nationally. Build a shortlist with Lender Match.

What Gets Bought in Wisconsin

  • Full-Service Restaurants67 loans
  • Limited-Service Restaurants48 loans
  • General Automotive Repair33 loans
  • Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels33 loans
  • Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors31 loans

Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Industry Buy Guides.

Method & Source

Computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA loan-level dataset (FY2020 through FY2025), filtered to approvals flagged change of ownership with a Wisconsin project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing. Free to cite with attribution.

Everything here is educational information, not financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Figures are estimates or cited third-party data; verify anything that matters against primary sources and your own advisors before acting on it.