TWO MARKET SIGNALS · 25 BUSINESS TYPES
Which businesses sell faster—and at higher multiples?
Explore sale speed and valuation multiples together. Every dot is a supported US business category; its position shows two separate public closed-sale benchmarks.
INTERACTIVE MARKET MAP
Find where each business type lands.
Filter the four positions, select a dot, or sort the evidence table. Larger dots represent more reported 2025 sales—not larger companies.
| Business type | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Websites & ecommerce businesses | 85 days2025 category median | 3.37×reported average | 339closed sales | $950,0002025 category median |
| Pest control businesses | 108 days2025 category median | 2.46×reported average | 28closed sales | $237,5002025 category median |
| Nail salons | 118 days2025 category median | 1.74×reported average | 73closed sales | $152,5002025 category median |
| Staffing agencies | 127 days2025 category median | 2.66×reported average | 20closed sales | $650,0002025 category median |
| Property management businesses | 129 days2025 category median | 2.66×reported average | 59closed sales | $452,0002025 category median |
| Laundromats & coin laundries | 138 days2025 category median | 3.70×reported average | 169closed sales | $287,0002025 category median |
| Cleaning businesses | 153 days2025 category median | 2.25×reported average | 154closed sales | $325,0002025 category median |
| Coffee shops & cafes | 154 days2025 category median | 2.27×reported average | 253closed sales | $176,5002025 category median |
| Home health care businesses | 160 days2025 category median | 3.00×reported average | 92closed sales | $667,0002025 category median |
| Gyms & fitness centers | 166 days2025 category median | 2.54×reported average | 79closed sales | $175,0002025 category median |
| Hair salons & barbershops | 167 days2025 category median | 2.10×reported average | 181closed sales | $165,0002025 category median |
| IT & software service businesses | 168 days2025 category median | 3.22×reported average | 44closed sales | $775,0002025 category median |
| Accounting & tax practices | 169 days2025 category median | 2.27×reported average | 194closed sales | $500,0002025 category median |
| Landscaping & yard services | 173 days2025 category median | 2.49×reported average | 211closed sales | $480,0002025 category median |
| Car washes | 174 days2025 category median | 4.87×reported average | 32closed sales | $700,0002025 category median |
| Daycare & child care centers | 178 days2025 category median | 3.28×reported average | 78closed sales | $390,0002025 category median |
| HVAC businesses | 181 days2025 category median | 2.83×reported average | 123closed sales | $800,0002025 category median |
| Insurance agencies | 184 days2025 category median | 2.87×reported average | 50closed sales | $650,0002025 category median |
| Moving & shipping businesses | 189 days2025 category median | 2.52×reported average | 62closed sales | $372,5002025 category median |
| Restaurants | 189 days2025 category median | 2.18×reported average | 1.8Kclosed sales | $225,0002025 category median |
| Dental practices | 199 days2025 category median | 2.75×reported average | 22closed sales | $500,0002025 category median |
| Auto repair shops | 207 days2025 category median | 2.85×reported average | 247closed sales | $399,0002025 category median |
| Plumbing businesses | 209 days2025 category median | 2.61×reported average | 61closed sales | $837,5002025 category median |
| Trucking companies | 231 days2025 category median | 3.00×reported average | 34closed sales | $1,300,0002025 category median |
| Electrical & mechanical contractors | 250 days2025 category median | 2.77×reported average | 57closed sales | $845,0002025 category median |
Swipe table to compare →
Sale speed is the source's category median days on market for Full year 2025. SDE multiple is the source's average cash-flow multiple for reported completed sales during Q3 2021–Q2 2026. The rows are matched by business type, but the underlying transactions and periods are not assumed to be identical.
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Across 25 supported US small-business categories, the median of category median days on market was 169 days in Full year 2025, while the median of category average SDE multiples was 2.66× for Q3 2021–Q2 2026. The unweighted category-level Pearson correlation between the two measures was r=0.05. Websites & ecommerce businesses had the fastest supported category median at 85 days; Car washes had the highest average SDE multiple at 4.87×. Source: businessvaluation.fyi, “Which Businesses Sell Fastest and at the Highest Multiples? (2026),” https://businessvaluation.fyi/research/business-sale-speed-vs-valuation-multiple. Underlying data: BizBuySell Insight Report Data Tables (Full year 2025) and Industry Valuation Multiples (Q3 2021–Q2 2026).
THE FOUR POSITIONS
A higher multiple does not guarantee a faster sale.
The dividing lines are transparent category medians, not a quality grade. Select any category in the map for its actual figures.
Speed and a stronger multiple
At or faster than the 169-day category median, with an average SDE multiple at or above 2.66×.
More liquid, lower-priced earnings
Faster category timelines paired with average SDE multiples below the comparison median.
Premium earnings, longer process
Above-median average SDE multiples did not automatically translate into a faster reported sale timeline.
More time, without a multiple premium
These category aggregates landed below the multiple median and above the timeline median.
WHAT STANDS OUT
Three useful anchors—not three predictions.
Websites & ecommerce businesses
3.37× average SDE · 339 reported 2025 sales
Car washes
174 median days · 32 reported 2025 sales
Almost none
Unweighted Pearson correlation between category median days on market and average SDE multiple. Each category counts once; the source periods differ, so this is descriptive—not causal.
YOUR BUSINESS · PRIVATE
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COMMON QUESTIONS
Reading the market map
Which type of small business sold the fastest in 2025?
Websites & ecommerce businesses had the shortest supported category median in this comparison at 85 days, based on 339 reported 2025 sales. That is a category benchmark, not a guaranteed timeline for an individual listing.
Which business type had the highest valuation multiple?
Car washes had the highest reported average SDE multiple in the comparison at 4.87 times SDE. Its median 2025 time on market was 174 days.
Do businesses with higher valuation multiples sell faster?
Not in these category aggregates. The unweighted Pearson correlation between median days on market and average SDE multiple is 0.05, indicating almost no linear relationship across the 25 supported business types. Each category counts once, the measures cover separate reporting periods, and the result is descriptive rather than causal.
Why do the sale-speed and valuation-multiple periods differ?
The public source reports median days on market for Full year 2025 and average SDE multiples for Q3 2021–Q2 2026. We display the measures together for category comparison but keep their periods, definitions, and sources separate rather than blending them into a score.
Why are only 25 business types included?
A category needs at least 10 reported 2025 sales and a matching valuation-multiple benchmark. The food-truck category has only five reported sales, so it is excluded from the map and headline findings.
Can this market map value my business?
No. It is a category-level market reference. A company-specific valuation also needs normalized earnings, size, growth, recurring revenue, concentration, owner dependence, assets, working capital, and deal terms.
Can I download, cite, or embed this data?
Yes. The reuse kit provides a source-branded chart PNG, a 25-row CSV, a period-specific sourced citation, a tracked share link, and an embeddable chart. These resources contain public category aggregates only—not a contributed profile or individual transaction.