SBA 7(a) Acquisition Loan Statistics
Where Rates and Sizes Are Now
Typical Rate Today
~9%
Prime (6.75% since Dec 11, 2025) + ~2.25%
Well-Qualified Borrowers
8.5–9.25%
Average Rate, Q4 2025
8.86%
Across 1,148 change-of-control loans
Median Acquisition Loan
$775,350
Q4 2025 change-of-control
FY2025 Acquisition Loans
7,533
Change-of-ownership approvals
Single-Loan 7(a) Cap
$5,000,000
Lenders commonly pair to ~$9,000,000
The Prime Rate Behind Every Quote
| Dec 11, 2025 | 6.75% | ~9.00% |
| Oct 30, 2025 | 7% | ~9.25% |
| Sep 18, 2025 | 7.25% | ~9.50% |
| Dec 19, 2024 | 7.5% | ~9.75% |
| Nov 8, 2024 | 7.75% | ~10.00% |
| Sep 19, 2024 | 8% | ~10.25% |
| Jul 27, 2023 | 8.5% | ~10.75% |
How Big the Market Is
FY2025 7(a) Approvals
78,078
Loans totaling ~$37.3B, up from $31.1B in FY2024
Program Growth
+19.9%
7(a) dollars, FY2024 to FY2025
2025 Acquisition Dollars
~$8.3B
Classified acquisition lending, up ~35% year over year
Average Acquisition Loan
~$1.18M
Versus $477,642 across the whole program
What Changed in 2025
Mid-2025 SBA rule changes are reported to require seller notes counting toward the equity injection to sit on full standby for the life of the loan, alongside tighter collateral requirements; guides written before mid-2025 can mislead on structure.
Acquisition-Lending Leaders
Slice the Loans Yourself
Volume, median size, and total approved come from FY2020 through FY2025: what buyers are financing now. The charge-off rate comes from FY2018-19 change-of-ownership approvals (7-8 years seasoned), and only from there, because a loan approved last year has not had time to fail. Blending the two would make every industry look safe. A dash in that column means the sample is too small to publish a rate worth standing behind, not that nothing ever failed, and every rate is a floor because it counts loans already written off.
| Full-Service Restaurants | 1,971 | $428k | $1.34B | 6.72% (49/729) |
| Hotels (except Casino Hotels) and Motels | 1,657 | $2.68M | $4.72B | 1.44% (8/556) |
| Limited-Service Restaurants | 1,568 | $370k | $992M | 5.58% (35/627) |
| Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers | 1,301 | $743k | $1.33B | 1.98% (8/405) |
| Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores | 1,063 | $1.41M | $1.93B | 0.37% (1/268) |
| General Automotive Repair | 798 | $593k | $648M | 5.00% (10/200) |
| All Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 717 | $657k | $831M | 7.22% (7/97) |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | 707 | $735k | $805M | 5.11% (7/137) |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 648 | $761k | $691M | 3.47% (5/144) |
| Landscaping Services | 588 | $500k | $498M | 4.51% (6/133) |
| Home Health Care Services | 492 | $706k | $488M | 2.50% (3/120) |
| Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 458 | $500k | $347M | 4.21% (4/95) |
| Offices of Chiropractors | 421 | $293k | $168M | 5.69% (7/123) |
| Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers | 408 | $304k | $220M | 12.18% (24/197) |
| Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars | 387 | $350k | $217M | 7.81% (10/128) |
| Child Care Services | 381 | $801k | $476M | – |
| Convenience Retailers | 370 | $477k | $257M | 3.45% (4/116) |
| Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) | 359 | $713k | $374M | 4.17% (4/96) |
| Pharmacies and Drug Retailers | 352 | $1.10M | $518M | 3.68% (5/136) |
| Offices of Dentists | 345 | $741k | $340M | 0.00% (0/128) |
| Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly | 340 | $1.06M | $518M | 0.00% (0/99) |
| Janitorial Services | 312 | $400k | $192M | 2.44% (2/82) |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors | 300 | $801k | $397M | 2.74% (2/73) |
| Beauty Salons | 297 | $270k | $148M | 2.70% (4/148) |
| All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 288 | $650k | $324M | 1.82% (1/55) |
Method & Source
Figures are drawn from the SBA's public loan-level data and analyses that recompute against it, cross-checked before publishing; each figure above carries the caveats of its source period. Q4 2025 reflects a shortened processing window (the late-2025 government shutdown paused SBA approvals for several weeks). The SBA's loan-level records carry no discrete change-of-ownership flag, so acquisition-segment figures are classified from use-of-proceeds and related indicators, and totals vary modestly between analyses.