EBITDA & SDE multiples by industry

Multiples by industry and size band

No rows meet the minimum observation threshold yet. Check back once the dataset is published.

Sources

Pending #719266: this page is currently backed by a small, clearly-marked placeholder dataset built to the final data contract's shape, not real market data.

The verified dataset (sibling objective #719266) will combine closed-sale records and active asking-price listings from small-business M&A marketplaces, aggregated and de-identified before publication here.

Cleaning and aggregation

Once #719266 lands, each record will be assigned to an industry (matching this site's industry taxonomy), a size band by trailing revenue, a metric (SDE or EBITDA), and a basis (asking or sold) before the median and interquartile range are computed for each combination.

Cells with fewer than 10 underlying observations are suppressed from the rendered table (shown as a count, not a number) so no figure on this page implies more confidence than the sample supports.

Definitions

• SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings): pre-tax earnings plus owner compensation, benefits, and non-recurring or non-operating items — the standard earnings measure for smaller, owner-operated businesses.
• EBITDA: earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization — the standard earnings measure once a business is large enough to run without a single owner-operator at the center of it.
• Multiple: the ratio of a business's price (asking or sold) to its SDE or EBITDA for the trailing period reported.
• IQR (interquartile range): the middle 50% of observed multiples for a cell — a measure of spread shown alongside the median rather than a single point estimate.

Limits

This page never states a value range as a valuation — multiples are a reference point, not an appraisal.

Every figure shown traces to the dataset's `n` (observation count) and date range displayed next to it; where `n` is below 10, the cell is suppressed rather than shown with a misleadingly solid number.

Author and reviewer bylines for this page follow sibling objective #719267's structured people config once it lands; until then, roles are pulled from the existing flat author map (src/lib/cms/authors.ts).

How to cite

Axia Growth. "EBITDA & SDE Multiples by Industry." Accessed 2026-10-28. https://axiagrowth.com/resources/multiples.

Changelog

• v1 (2026-10-28): Initial fixture-backed release, pending verified dataset from #719266.