The Ultimate List of Statistics for Selling a Business


Looking for the latest conversion stats and trends on selling your business? We’ve got you covered.


Market Pulse Report First Quarter 2021View Link
6 to 9 months is how long it takes on average to sell a businessView Link
90% – the number of all of the people who begin a search to Buy a Business and never complete a transactionView Link
50% – of all buy-sell transactions which fall apart during the Due Diligence processView Link
12% of Business Sale transactions were cancelled due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemicView Link
4% of Businesses listed for sale in the United States had a beneficial impact as a result of Covid-19View Link
2x – the Median Multiple Paid on annual Adjusted Cash Flow less than $500,000 in Q1 2020View Link
41 % of U.S. Small Business are owned by Baby BoomersView Link
Only 30% of family-owned businesses survive the second generation of ownershipView Link
28.8 million small businesses operate in the United StatesView Link
15.26% – the Prime Rate in 1980. 3.25% – the Prime Rate in May 2020 (The cost of Buying a Business has never been better than today)View Link
50% of all businesses founded today will fail within 5 yearsView Link
82% of business cited cash flow problems as a factor in their failureView Link
2,225 Businesses sold in Q1 of 2020 – an 11% decline over the same period in 2019View Link
8% to 12% is the typical commission rate for businesses priced under a million dollarsView Link
34% of States in the U.S. require a Business Broker to be licensedView Link
Only 20% of businesses with a listing price of under $1,000,000 ever sellView Link
90% of Business owners’ net worth id tied up in their businessView Link
11% is the increase in median sales prices for small businesses over 2019View Link
39% of small business sales in Q1 of 2020 were Service businessesView Link
2.28 is the average cash flow multiple for businesses sold thus far in 2020View Link
30% – the number of Industry professionals who have been designated as Certified Business Intermediaries (CBI)View Link
32% – the number of 7(A) loans to Minority Business Owners guaranteed by the SBAView Link
.5% – the interest rate for loans associated with the PPP (Payroll Protection Program) as a part of the CARES ActView Link
2.3% – the growth percentage of the number of Business Brokers active in the U.S. from 2015 to 2020. It’s a difficult business to succeed and thrive in – only the strong surviveView Link
Less than 1 in 3 Businesses listed with a selling price over $2,500,000 ever sellView Link
45,000 Active Businesses for Sale Globally – that’s a lot of competition for the sale of your businessView Link