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Buying a business: Illinois vs Iowa

Two markets side by side — inventory, pricing, and what you actually pay per dollar of cash flow, from live Waterfall data.

Illinois

1,106 active listings
Active listings1,106 Edge
Median asking$450,000
Median cash flow$180,547 Edge
Typical multiple2.5×
Owner-earnings yield~40%
Median revenue$804,805
VS

Iowa

201 active listings
Active listings201
Median asking$440,000 Edge
Median cash flow$156,138
Typical multiple2.8×
Owner-earnings yield~35%
Median revenue$737,172

Who wins?

Illinois has 450% more businesses on the market than Iowa (1,106 vs 201). Iowa is cheaper at the median asking price. Illinois trades at a lower multiple (2.5× vs 2.8×), meaning you pay less per dollar of cash flow there.

MetricIllinoisIowa
Active listings1,106201
Median asking$450,000$440,000
Median cash flow$180,547$156,138
Typical multiple2.5×2.8×
Owner-earnings yield~40%~35%
Median revenue$804,805$737,172
Related comparisons

See the full Illinois market or the Iowa market, or set a Buy Box across both and let the matches come to you.

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