California Small Business Sales Statistics

Updated October 13, 2026

Small businesses sold in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area for a median of $300,000 in 2025, at an average of 2.51 times cash flow, after a median of 170 days on the market. The figures cover 445 sales reported to the BizBuySell marketplace.

$300,000Median sale price, Los Angeles area, 2025
2.51xAverage cash flow multiple, 2025
170Median days on market, 2025
445Reported closed sales, Los Angeles area, 2025

California metro areas: closed sales in full-year 2025

Each row is a metro area from the same BizBuySell table and period, so rows can be compared directly. Metro areas can cross state lines.

Metro areaReported salesMedian sale priceMedian cash flowCash flow multipleMedian days on market
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana445$300,000$130,0002.51170
Orange County176$297,500$131,0002.37170
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont131$240,000$127,0002.43182
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario127$194,500$109,2182.14173
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos111$277,500$135,4742.20159
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville83$250,000$125,0002.67162
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara76$267,500$135,0002.27194
Contra Costa-Alameda-Solano69$179,000$115,7732.11180
Fresno24$592,500$142,6113.22207

Source: BizBuySell Insight Report data tables. Smaller metro areas have few reported sales, so treat their figures as indicative.

Median sale price, full-year 2025

Median sale price, full-year 2025Fresno $592,500; Los Angeles $300,000; Orange County $297,500; San Diego $277,500; San Jose $267,500; Sacramento $250,000; San Francisco $240,000; Riverside $194,500; Contra Costa $179,000Fresno$592,500Los Angeles$300,000Orange County$297,500San Diego$277,500San Jose$267,500Sacramento$250,000San Francisco$240,000Riverside$194,500Contra Costa$179,000
Source: BizBuySell, FY 2025.

Median days on market, full-year 2025

Median days on market, full-year 2025Fresno 207 days; San Jose 194 days; San Francisco 182 days; Contra Costa 180 days; Riverside 173 days; Los Angeles 170 days; Orange County 170 days; Sacramento 162 days; San Diego 159 daysFresno207 daysSan Jose194 daysSan Francisco182 daysContra Costa180 daysRiverside173 daysLos Angeles170 daysOrange County170 daysSacramento162 daysSan Diego159 days
Source: BizBuySell, FY 2025.

Average cash flow multiple, full-year 2025

Average cash flow multiple, full-year 2025Fresno 3.22x; Sacramento 2.67x; Los Angeles 2.51x; San Francisco 2.43x; Orange County 2.37x; San Jose 2.27x; San Diego 2.20x; Riverside 2.14x; Contra Costa 2.11xFresno3.22xSacramento2.67xLos Angeles2.51xSan Francisco2.43xOrange County2.37xSan Jose2.27xSan Diego2.20xRiverside2.14xContra Costa2.11x
Source: BizBuySell, FY 2025. Multiple of cash flow, averaged across reported sales.

Businesses for sale, Q2 2026

These are asking figures for businesses currently listed, not sale results. Do not mix them with the closed-sale table above.

Metro areaListingsMedian asking priceMedian cash flowAsking price to cash flow
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana1,724$350,000$154,5192.92
Orange County539$338,888$143,2682.92
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont449$425,000$175,0003.11
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario507$375,000$150,2392.85
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos398$395,000$150,0002.92
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville315$400,000$150,0003.29
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara204$421,500$176,4772.86
Contra Costa-Alameda-Solano251$399,000$158,0003.31
Fresno55$499,989$188,0003.07

Source: BizBuySell Insight Report data tables.

United States, Q2 2026

National figures for a different period from the tables above. Do not set a figure from the tables above against a US Q2 2026 figure as if they covered the same period.

MetricUnited States, Q2 2026Change noted by the source
Closed sales2,117Down 10% from the prior quarter and from a year earlier
Median sale price$349,250Down 1% year over year
Median revenue$692,087Down 3% year over year
Median cash flow$155,921Down 3% year over year
Average cash flow multiple2.7Up 2% year over year
Median days on marketNot published nationallyService businesses: 155 days

Source: BizBuySell Insight Report, Q2 2026.

California small business context

California had 4,340,784 small businesses in 2022, which is 99.8% of all businesses in the state.

MeasureFigureData year
Small businesses4,340,784 (99.8% of all businesses)2022
Small businesses without employees3,502,9502022
Employers with 1 to 19 employees754,9872022
Employers with 20 to 499 employees82,8472022
Small business employees7,595,688 (47.4% of state employees)2022
Establishments opened, all businesses245,382March 2023 to March 2024
Establishments closed, all businesses183,211March 2023 to March 2024
Openings by small businesses132,020March 2023 to March 2024
Closings by small businesses104,071March 2023 to March 2024
Net job change, all businesses+87,185March 2023 to March 2024
Net job change, small businesses+86,885 (99.7% of the net change)March 2023 to March 2024
Female-owned businesses1,651,842 (43.8%)2022
Veteran-owned businesses131,220 (3.5%)2022

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, California 2025 Small Business Profile. Business counts and owner demographics are Census data. Opening, closing, and job figures are Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Small businesses are firms with fewer than 500 employees.

About this data and its limits

  • All sale price, multiple, and days-on-market figures come from one provider, the BizBuySell marketplace. Sales made by brokers who do not report there, and private sales, are not included.
  • BizBuySell publishes metro-area figures, not statewide totals: for California it lists Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana, Orange County, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, Contra Costa-Alameda-Solano, Fresno.
  • The tables use different periods: sales are full-year 2025, listings are Q2 2026, SBA business counts are 2022, and SBA job and openings figures run March 2023 to March 2024. Each period is labeled where it appears.
  • Reported sales are a subset of all business sales in the state. Do not divide business counts by the number of reported sales.

To see what drives these numbers for your own business, read our valuation guides or browse industries.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median sale price of a small business in the Los Angeles area?

In full-year 2025, the median sale price of a small business reported in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana area was $300,000, based on 445 reported sales, according to the BizBuySell Insight Report data tables.

How long does it take to sell a small business in the Los Angeles area?

The median days on market for reported Los Angeles-area sales in full-year 2025 was 170.

How does the sale price of a small business in the Los Angeles area compare with its cash flow?

Reported Los Angeles-area sales in full-year 2025 averaged 2.51 times cash flow. Active listings in Q2 2026 were asking an average of 2.92 times cash flow. What any one business is worth depends on its own financials.

How many small businesses are there in California?

The SBA Office of Advocacy counted 4,340,784 small businesses in California in 2022, which is 99.8% of all businesses in the state. Of these, 837,834 had employees.

Sources

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This page is informational. It is not an appraisal, an offer, or a prediction of what any business will sell for. Figures come from the sources listed and may change when those sources are updated.

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