GuidesMainStreetWorth
Same Earnings, Different Industry: What $150,000 of SDE Is Priced At
Apply each industry’s average SDE multiple to the same $150,000 of earnings: results run $261,000 to $555,000, and median sale prices tell a different story.
Take one business that earns $150,000 in Seller's Discretionary Earnings (SDE) and price it at the published average SDE multiple of 27 Main Street industries. The answers run from $261,000 to $555,000 — a $294,000 spread with the earnings held constant. The only thing that changed is the industry label. This guide builds that table, shows where the multiple and the sale price move together, and shows where they don't.
The multiples come from the SDE Multiples by Industry report, which reproduces BizBuySell's published Business Valuation Multiples by Industry: averages of reported sold-business transactions over a trailing five-year window (businesses sold Q3 2021 – Q2 2026). About 80% of the businesses behind those figures sold for between $50,000 and $2,000,000.
The arithmetic
A multiple prices earnings, so the estimate is one multiplication:
SDE × industry average SDE multiple = a price implied by that average
The $150,000 SDE figure is a round number chosen for the example, not a typical or median business. Each result below is an average multiple applied to it, which is a reference point and not an appraisal.
The same $150,000 across the dataset
Here is the whole range, with the highest and lowest of the 27 named industries and a few in between.
| Industry | Average SDE multiple | $150,000 SDE × multiple |
|---|---|---|
| Laundromat or coin laundry | 3.70× | $555,000 |
| Liquor store | 3.39× | $508,500 |
| Day care or child care center | 3.28× | $492,000 |
| HVAC business | 2.83× | $424,500 |
| Plumbing business | 2.61× | $391,500 |
| Gym or fitness center | 2.54× | $381,000 |
| Restaurant | 2.18× | $327,000 |
| Hair salon or barber shop | 2.10× | $315,000 |
| Food truck | 2.03× | $304,500 |
| Nail salon | 1.74× | $261,000 |
Laundromats carry the highest average multiple among the named industries and nail salons the lowest. Multiplying out gives $555,000 against $261,000 for identical earnings: 3.70 − 1.74 = 1.96 turns of SDE, and 1.96 × $150,000 = $294,000.
A bigger industry price does not mean a bigger multiple
The same dataset also lists a median sale price for each industry. Sorting by median sale price tells a different story from sorting by multiple.
| Industry | Average SDE multiple | Median sale price |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical or mechanical contractor | 2.77× | $1,009,000 |
| Heavy construction business | 2.78× | $1,000,000 |
| Concrete business | 2.54× | $780,000 |
| HVAC business | 2.83× | $750,000 |
| Laundromat or coin laundry | 3.70× | $250,000 |
| Food truck | 2.03× | $78,000 |
The two industries with the highest median sale prices, electrical or mechanical contracting and heavy construction, sit at 2.77× and 2.78×. The laundromat has the highest multiple in the table and a median sale price of $250,000. In this dataset, the industries where the typical sale is largest are not the ones where a dollar of earnings is priced highest.
The dataset does not say why, and this guide will not guess. Two cautions apply. A median is the middle sale in an industry, while the multiple is an average, so dividing one by the other does not recover any business's earnings. And a high multiple on a small business can still be a small price. Use the multiple to price earnings and the median to see the typical size of deal in that industry.
Working it with your own numbers
- Work out your own SDE with the SDE Calculator, using the IBBA add-back method: one owner's compensation, interest, depreciation and amortization, one-time expenses and personal expenses paid by the business, less non-recurring income.
- Look up your industry in the SDE Multiples by Industry report and multiply. If your business is not listed, the report carries sector averages as a fallback, which are broader and less specific.
- Treat the result as a reference point. Each published multiple is an average over many sales, and any one sale can land well above or below it.
What this table does not show
- It is an average, not a range for your business. The report gives one average multiple per industry. It does not show the spread of individual sales around it.
- Window and scope. The figures cover businesses sold Q3 2021 – Q2 2026, as reported in BizBuySell's data. They are not a forecast.
- It is not an appraisal. This is a starting estimate, not a broker's opinion of value or a formal appraisal, and nothing here is a recommendation to buy or sell.
Informational only, not professional advice.
Frequently asked questions
Why do two businesses with the same SDE get different prices?
Because the published average SDE multiple differs by industry. At $150,000 of SDE, the average multiple for a nail salon (1.74×) implies $261,000 and the average for a laundromat (3.70×) implies $555,000. The dataset reports the multiples but not the reasons for the gap.
Which industry has the highest SDE multiple in this dataset?
Among the 27 named industries, laundromats and coin laundries, at 3.70× average SDE, with liquor stores next at 3.39×. The sector averages sit in the same table, and the highest sector average is Online and technology at 3.28×.
Does the median sale price tell me what my business is worth?
No. The median is the middle reported sale price in an industry, taken across businesses of very different sizes. Your own price depends on your own earnings, so start from your SDE and an industry multiple, and treat the median as context only.
Are these multiples current?
They cover businesses sold Q3 2021 – Q2 2026, per the dataset this site reproduces. BizBuySell updates its figures twice a year, and this site's figures were last verified in July 2026.
Last reviewed: October 2026. By Eric, MainStreetWorth founder.
Sources
- BizBuySell, Business Valuation Multiples by Industry (aggregated reported transactions, updated biannually)
- International Business Brokers Association, Glossary of Business Brokerage Terms (SDE add-back components)
This guide is for informational purposes only. It is not financial, legal, or business-brokerage advice, and it is not a formal valuation or appraisal. What a business actually sells for is set by a specific buyer, a specific lender, and a specific deal — no article or calculator can know that in advance, and we say so instead of pretending otherwise.
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Against primary sources cited in the body.