| Industry | Typical SDE multiple | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Car wash | ≈ 4.7× | Express tunnels quoted on EBITDA at 5× and up. |
| Laundromat | ≈ 4.1× | Band 3.2–4.2×; lease and equipment age set it. |
| Insurance agency | 3.18–4.33× | Also 1.57–2.41× revenue, the book yardstick. |
| Childcare | ≈ 3.4× | Single locations typically 2.5–3.5×. |
| Self-storage | 3.36× median | Quartile band 2.61–4.24× on sold deals. |
| E-commerce | ≈ 3.3× | Swings on model; FBA typically lower. |
| Dental practice | 2–4× | Private sale; DSOs pay 3.5–5.5× EBITDA. |
| HVAC | ≈ 2.8× | Most Main Street deals 2.0–3.5×. |
| Auto repair | ≈ 2.7× | Range 2.0–4.5× across sold deals. |
| Plumbing | ≈ 2.6× | Marketplace range 1.7–3.0×. |
| Landscaping | ≈ 2.6× | Owner-operated firms 2–4×. |
| Junk removal | 2–3× | Multi-truck operations reach 2.5–4×. |
| Pharmacy | 2.25–2.97× | Plus inventory; only 0.21–0.34× revenue. |
| Pest control | ≈ 2.4× | Recurring-contract books price far higher. |
| Gym / fitness | ≈ 2.4× | Independents 2–4×. |
| Accounting firm | ≈ 2.3× | Also quoted near 1× annual recurring fees. |
| Cleaning / janitorial | ≈ 2.3× | Owner-operator shops; commercial books higher. |
| Restaurant | ≈ 2.3× | Single units 1.5–3×. |
| Funeral home | 1.99–3.22× | Revenue multiple 0.57–0.99×, high for Main Street. |
| Med spa | 2–4× | Scale and key-person risk set the band. |
| Pool service | 2–5.5× | Routes also priced at 8–12× monthly billing. |
Typical figures and bands from each industry page, where every number is sourced; click through for the ranges, drivers, and citations. Dental private-sale range per Acquisition Ace market experience.
How to read these multiples
A multiple is shorthand for value: value ≈ SDE × multiple. A landscaping business earning $200,000 of SDE at 2.56× is worth roughly $512,000. But the "typical" figure is the middle of a wide range, two businesses in the same industry can trade a full turn apart based on quality.
The industry sets the starting multiple. The quality of the business decides where in the range you land.
What pushes a deal to the top of its range: clean books, low owner-dependence, no customer concentration, recurring revenue, and growth. Weakness in any of those pulls it down. Dig into the drivers in our valuation guides and put a number on any deal with the valuation calculator.
Use the multiple to sanity-check, not to price
The multiple tells you if an asking price is roughly in the market. What you actually offer comes from due diligence and what the cash flow can finance, never from the multiple alone.
Frequently asked questions
Small businesses are priced as a multiple of SDE: value is roughly SDE times the multiple. The typical figure is the middle of a wide range that differs by industry, which is what the table on this page shows: a landscaping business earning $200,000 of SDE at 2.56× is worth roughly $512,000. The industry sets the starting multiple, and the quality of the specific business decides where in the range it lands.
The multiples on this page apply to SDE, the standard earnings measure for owner-operated businesses. Larger, manager-run companies trade on EBITDA multiples instead, and the two are not interchangeable: SDE vs EBITDA explains the difference and how to convert between them.
Two businesses in the same industry can trade a full turn apart on quality. Clean books, low owner-dependence, no customer concentration, recurring revenue, and growth push a deal to the top of its range; weakness in any of those pulls it down.
