Indiana Small Business Sales Statistics

Updated October 13, 2026

Small businesses sold in the Indianapolis-Carmel area for a median of $350,000 in 2025, at an average of 2.50 times cash flow, after a median of 114 days on the market. The figures cover 35 sales reported to the BizBuySell marketplace.

$350,000Median sale price, Indianapolis area, 2025
2.50xAverage cash flow multiple, 2025
114Median days on market, 2025
35Reported closed sales, Indianapolis area, 2025

Indiana 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
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet194$265,590$128,6182.49179
Cincinnati-Middletown39$324,000$147,5882.27249
Indianapolis-Carmel35$350,000$168,1672.50114
Louisville-Jefferson County20$579,000$366,0612.32206

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 2025Louisville $579,000; Indianapolis $350,000; Cincinnati $324,000; Chicago $265,590Louisville$579,000Indianapolis$350,000Cincinnati$324,000Chicago$265,590
Source: BizBuySell, FY 2025.

Median days on market, full-year 2025

Median days on market, full-year 2025Cincinnati 249 days; Louisville 206 days; Chicago 179 days; Indianapolis 114 daysCincinnati249 daysLouisville206 daysChicago179 daysIndianapolis114 days
Source: BizBuySell, FY 2025.

Average cash flow multiple, full-year 2025

Average cash flow multiple, full-year 2025Indianapolis 2.50x; Chicago 2.49x; Louisville 2.32x; Cincinnati 2.27xIndianapolis2.50xChicago2.49xLouisville2.32xCincinnati2.27x
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
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet750$454,450$173,0903.40
Cincinnati-Middletown230$355,000$179,3493.13
Indianapolis-Carmel208$425,000$182,0083.14
Louisville-Jefferson County124$525,000$195,8323.49

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.

Indiana small business context

Indiana had 591,671 small businesses in 2022, which is 99.4% of all businesses in the state.

MeasureFigureData year
Small businesses591,671 (99.4% of all businesses)2022
Small businesses without employees480,9212022
Employers with 1 to 19 employees95,3472022
Employers with 20 to 499 employees15,4032022
Small business employees1,241,838 (43.2% of state employees)2022
Establishments opened, all businesses16,993March 2023 to March 2024
Establishments closed, all businesses16,463March 2023 to March 2024
Openings by small businesses15,661March 2023 to March 2024
Closings by small businesses15,161March 2023 to March 2024
Net job change, all businesses+16,876March 2023 to March 2024
Net job change, small businesses+23,008March 2023 to March 2024
Female-owned businesses225,251 (44.1%)2022
Veteran-owned businesses29,838 (5.8%)2022

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, Indiana 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 Indiana it lists Chicago-Naperville-Joliet, Cincinnati-Middletown, Indianapolis-Carmel, Louisville-Jefferson County. Metro areas that cross state lines include figures for parts of other states.
  • 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 Indianapolis area?

In full-year 2025, the median sale price of a small business reported in the Indianapolis-Carmel area was $350,000, based on 35 reported sales, according to the BizBuySell Insight Report data tables.

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

The median days on market for reported Indianapolis-area sales in full-year 2025 was 114.

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

Reported Indianapolis-area sales in full-year 2025 averaged 2.50 times cash flow. Active listings in Q2 2026 were asking an average of 3.14 times cash flow. What any one business is worth depends on its own financials.

How many small businesses are there in Indiana?

The SBA Office of Advocacy counted 591,671 small businesses in Indiana in 2022, which is 99.4% of all businesses in the state. Of these, 110,750 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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