Buying a Business in Wisconsin
The Numbers
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
176
$180M approved
Median Loan
$572k
FY2020 through FY2025
Loans Since FY2020
1,113
$1.09B in total approvals
Share of U.S. Activity
3.1%
Of change-of-ownership loans
What the Data Says
Wisconsin ranks 13th of 53 states and territories for change-of-ownership SBA 7(a) lending: 1,113 loans since FY2020, 3% of the national total.
The typical deal runs small: its $572k median loan sits below the $650k midpoint across states, within reach on less equity.
Activity is steady, near the state's ~186 a year pace since FY2020.
The most-financed target is full-service restaurants (68 loans), and the 5 most active lenders wrote about 33% of the state's acquisitions, a broad lender field.
Most Active Acquisition Lenders in Wisconsin
- 1. Old National Bank97 loans
- 2. Nicolet National Bank94 loans
- 3. Live Oak Banking Company66 loans
- 4. Byline Bank60 loans
- 5. CCFBank 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 Lenders.
Within two hours of Chicago? The Metro Target Scans rank this region's strongest industries.
What Gets Bought in Wisconsin
- Full-Service Restaurants68 loans
- Limited-Service Restaurants49 loans
- Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores49 loans
- General Automotive Repair33 loans
- Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels33 loans
Industry-specific pricing and diligence live in the Guides. How many buyable businesses Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin project address. Approvals, not closings; excludes conventional and 504 financing.