Updated October 13, 2026
Small businesses sold in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area for a median of $265,590 in 2025, at an average of 2.49 times cash flow, after a median of 179 days on the market. The figures cover 194 sales reported to the BizBuySell marketplace.
Every column uses the same period and the same source, so the columns can be compared directly.
| Metric | Chicago | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| Closed sales reported | 194 | 68 |
| Median sale price | $265,590 | $475,000 |
| Median asking price | $302,500 | $480,000 |
| Sale price as share of asking (average) | 0.89 | 0.92 |
| Median revenue | $554,857 | $899,251 |
| Revenue multiple (average) | 0.65 | 0.66 |
| Median cash flow | $128,618 | $173,556 |
| Cash flow multiple (average) | 2.49 | 2.93 |
| Median days on market | 179 | 244 |
Source: BizBuySell Insight Report data tables.
These are asking figures for businesses currently listed, not sale results. Do not mix them with the closed-sale table above.
| Metric | Chicago | St. Louis |
|---|---|---|
| Listings | 750 | 360 |
| Median asking price | $454,450 | $387,000 |
| Median revenue | $732,750 | $732,014 |
| Median cash flow | $173,090 | $165,000 |
| Average asking price to cash flow | 3.40 | 3.17 |
Source: BizBuySell Insight Report data tables.
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.
| Metric | United States, Q2 2026 | Change noted by the source |
|---|---|---|
| Closed sales | 2,117 | Down 10% from the prior quarter and from a year earlier |
| Median sale price | $349,250 | Down 1% year over year |
| Median revenue | $692,087 | Down 3% year over year |
| Median cash flow | $155,921 | Down 3% year over year |
| Average cash flow multiple | 2.7 | Up 2% year over year |
| Median days on market | Not published nationally | Service businesses: 155 days |
Source: BizBuySell Insight Report, Q2 2026.
Illinois had 1,353,957 small businesses in 2022, which is 99.6% of all businesses in the state.
| Measure | Figure | Data year |
|---|---|---|
| Small businesses | 1,353,957 (99.6% of all businesses) | 2022 |
| Small businesses without employees | 1,100,655 | 2022 |
| Employers with 1 to 19 employees | 224,490 | 2022 |
| Employers with 20 to 499 employees | 28,812 | 2022 |
| Small business employees | 2,420,971 (43.7% of state employees) | 2022 |
| Establishments opened, all businesses | 35,143 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Establishments closed, all businesses | 34,914 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Openings by small businesses | 33,940 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Closings by small businesses | 33,376 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Net job change, all businesses | −9,535 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Net job change, small businesses | +14,131 | March 2023 to March 2024 |
| Female-owned businesses | 517,121 (43.3%) | 2022 |
| Veteran-owned businesses | 42,711 (3.7%) | 2022 |
Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, Illinois 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.
To see what drives these numbers for your own business, read our valuation guides or browse industries.
In full-year 2025, the median sale price of a small business reported in the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet area was $265,590, based on 194 reported sales, according to the BizBuySell Insight Report data tables.
The median days on market for reported Chicago-area sales in full-year 2025 was 179.
Reported Chicago-area sales in full-year 2025 averaged 2.49 times cash flow. Active listings in Q2 2026 were asking an average of 3.40 times cash flow. What any one business is worth depends on its own financials.
The SBA Office of Advocacy counted 1,353,957 small businesses in Illinois in 2022, which is 99.6% of all businesses in the state. Of these, 253,302 had employees.
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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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