SERVICE BUSINESSES · AUGUST 2026 MARKET DATA
How much is your cleaning business worth?
Apply the reported 2.25× SDE and 0.72× revenue averages to your numbers, then inspect what makes one cleaning business differ from another.
Cash flow multiple
2.25×Price ÷ seller’s discretionary earningsRevenue multiple
0.72×Price ÷ annual gross revenueVersus Service businesses
-14%Cash-flow multiple versus the 2.61× broad-sector averageVersus all businesses
-13%Cash-flow multiple versus 2.58× overallASKING VS. CLOSED SALE · FULL YEAR 2025
Reported cleaning business deals averaged 91% of asking.
Based on 154 reported sales. Use the ratio to understand category-level negotiation—not as a forecast for one transaction.
Do not subtract the two medians. Median asking and sale prices may describe different transactions. The source's average sale-to-ask ratio is the supported negotiation measure.
COMPANY-SPECIFIC DILIGENCE
What buyers examine beyond the average.
These factors help explain why two businesses in the same category can sell at different multiples. They are diligence questions—not automatic percentage adjustments.
ORIGINAL INDEX SIGNAL
Private transaction evidence for service businesses, from Main Street to $1B+.
Independently indexed as of August 14, 2026. The index classifies this evidence at the broader sector level, not as this exact business type. Counts reveal evidence depth—not a universal multiple. Percentiles and individual rows stay protected. Explore the full evidence map.
WORKED MARKET REFERENCE
How the two common methods compare
For an example cleaning business with $1,000,000 in annual revenue and $250,000 in SDE:
The indications can differ because margins vary. A personalized market reference should use the company’s actual revenue and normalized SDE, then consider transferability and deal terms separately.
Calculate my private referenceREUSE THIS BENCHMARK
Give readers a calculator.
Embed an interactive SDE-and-revenue calculator with a visible source link, or reuse the period-specific citation and share card. The kit contains public category aggregates—never a contributed profile or transaction row.
Cleaning business valuation benchmark: 2.25× SDE, 0.72× revenue, and $281,500 median reported sale price. Reported US closed-business aggregates from BizBuySell, Q3 2021–Q2 2026. Analysis and source notes: https://businessvaluation.fyi/business-valuation/cleaning-business?utm_source=shared_benchmark&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=industry_benchmark
COMMON QUESTIONS
Reading this cleaning business benchmark
How much is my cleaning business worth?
A company-specific answer requires normalized earnings, revenue, and its operating risks. As a public starting point, reported sales in this category average 2.25× seller’s discretionary earnings and 0.72× annual revenue. The reported median sale price is $281,500.
What percentage of asking do reported cleaning business sales achieve?
Across 154 reported 2025 sales, the source reports an average sale-to-ask ratio of 91%. That is an average of transaction-level ratios, not a promise that every seller discounted by the same amount.
How long do reported cleaning business sales take?
The reported median was 153 days on market during 2025. Preparation, pricing, buyer financing, diligence, lease transfer, and deal terms can make an individual sale faster or slower.
How should I use the 2.25× multiple?
Apply it first to normalized SDE, not tax-return profit without review. Then cross-check the revenue method and examine the business-specific risks a buyer would inherit.
Does this tell me exactly what my cleaning business is worth?
No. It is a reported-sale average, not an appraisal or offer. Company size, margins, growth, transferability, assets, liabilities, geography, and deal terms can produce a different outcome.
Public aggregates reported by BizBuySell for closed US sales of cleaning businesses. The headline multiples cover Q3 2021–Q2 2026; asking-price, sale-price, and time-on-market metrics cover the full 2025 calendar year. The separate businessvaluation.fyi index adds privacy-protected transaction counts for the broader service businesses sector as of 2026-08-14; it does not expose individual deals or valuation multiples. These are useful relative indicators, not a formal appraisal, offer, or complete census.