Original data
What Businesses Sell For: Price & Multiple Index by Sector
Median asking price, cash flow, and asking multiple across 971 real business-for-sale listings, broken down by sector. Updated June 2026.
| Sector | Listings | Median asking price | Median cash flow | Median multiple |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food and Restaurants | 293 | $300,000 | $150,000 | 2.1x |
| Service Businesses | 179 | $515,000 | $137,844 | 3.7x |
| Retail | 107 | $500,000 | $190,000 | 2.7x |
| Automotive and Boat | 102 | $1,497,500 | $310,000 | 4.4x |
| Building and Construction | 77 | $900,000 | $285,000 | 3.2x |
| Health Care and Fitness | 56 | $775,000 | $240,000 | 3.1x |
| Beauty and Personal Care | 47 | $229,000 | $130,000 | 1.9x |
| Entertainment and Recreation | 24 | $1,049,999 | $386,500 | 2.9x |
| Transportation and Storage | 18 | $675,000 | $212,500 | 3.1x |
| Wholesale and Distributors | 14 | $975,000 | $275,000 | 3.0x |
| Online and Technology | 14 | $399,500 | $191,550 | 2.9x |
| Financial Services | 12 | $1,550,000 | $307,500 | 4.2x |
| Travel and Lodging | 10 | $1,949,500 | $347,500 | 6.6x |
| Education and Children | 9 | $1,000,000 | $353,212 | 2.8x |
| Manufacturing | 9 | $1,500,000 | $300,000 | 4.4x |
How to read this
The multiple is the asking price divided by annual cash flow (SDE) — the most common way small businesses are priced. A 3.0x multiple means the business is listed at three times its yearly cash flow. Sectors with heavier assets or more durable, transferable earnings (automotive, manufacturing, financial services) tend to carry higher multiples; owner-dependent service and personal-care businesses tend to carry lower ones.
Methodology
- Figures are asking prices and listed cash flow, not closed-sale prices. Final sale prices typically land modestly below asking.
- Medians (not averages), so a few outsized listings don't skew the numbers.
- Sectors with fewer than 8 listings are suppressed; obvious data-entry outliers are excluded.
- Source: the live Frankly Advisors / Hedgestone listing pool. The index refreshes automatically.
Want a number for your business?
A sector median is a starting point, not a valuation. To estimate your own business, try our business valuation calculator or read how EBITDA multiples vary by industry and how to value a business.