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Pierce County

Selling a Business in Pierce County

Pierce County has 160 employer businesses, and 92% of them have fewer than 20 employees. This page shows the local mix of industries and how a sale is handled here. The largest industries here are retail and construction.

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LOCAL SNAPSHOT

Pierce County by the numbers

160

EMPLOYER BUSINESSES

92%

SMALL EMPLOYER SHARE

326

BUSINESSES WITH NO EMPLOYEES

1,349

EMPLOYMENT

$60 million

ANNUAL PAYROLL

66

BUSINESSES WITH 5 TO 49 EMPLOYEES

U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and Nonemployer Statistics 2024. Counts are employer establishments, meaning business locations with paid employees.

How Pierce County compares

Pierce County ranks 25th of 53 North Dakota counties and county equivalents for employer businesses.
The number of employer businesses fell 6.4% between 2018 and 2023.
Wholesale makes up 11% of employer businesses in Pierce County, compared with 7% in North Dakota.
66 employer businesses here have 5 to 49 employees.

Pierce County ranks 25th of 53 North Dakota counties and county equivalents for employer businesses.
The number of employer businesses fell 6.4% between 2018 and 2023.
Wholesale makes up 11% of employer businesses in Pierce County, compared with 7% in North Dakota.
66 employer businesses here have 5 to 49 employees.

Industry mix

The largest industries by number of employer businesses:

Retail: 25 employer businesses
Construction: 21 employer businesses
Repair, personal care and other services: 19 employer businesses
Wholesale: 18 employer businesses
Accommodation and food service: 14 employer businesses

The largest industries by number of employer businesses:

Retail: 25 employer businesses
Construction: 21 employer businesses
Repair, personal care and other services: 19 employer businesses
Wholesale: 18 employer businesses
Accommodation and food service: 14 employer businesses

INDUSTRIES

What sells in Pierce County

Retail, construction, repair, personal care and other services, wholesale

Electronics & Repair

Retail Stores

Fashion, Apparel & Jewelry

Retail Stores

Carpentry & Framing

Construction & Engineering

Civil Engineering

Construction & Engineering

Audio Visual (AV)

Home Services

Commercial Cleaning

Home Services

Every kind of business we sell in Pierce County

These are the industries in Pierce County and the number of employer businesses in each. Counts are employer businesses in the closest Census industry codes. Industries without a clean Census match are listed without a count, and a few industries share one Census category, so their counts match. A sale multiple is the price a business typically sells for as a multiple of its earnings. SDE means seller's discretionary earnings, which is the owner's pay plus the profit of the business. EBITDA means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Construction & Engineering

11 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

General Contracting: 6 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 3.0x - 4.5x SDE.
Electrical: 5 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 4.0x - 8.0x EBITDA.

Financial & Professional Services

9 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Insurance Agencies: 6 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 6.0x - 8.0x EBITDA.
Accounting & Tax Practices: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.0x - 3.5x SDE.

Logistics & Transportation

8 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

General Freight Trucking: 8 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.44x - 3.45x SDE.

Restaurants & Food

8 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Full-Service Restaurants: 5 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 1.5x - 2.5x SDE.
Quick-Service & Fast Food: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.5x - 3.5x SDE.

Wholesale & Distribution

4 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Industrial & Construction Supply: 4 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 3.0x - 4.0x SDE.

Automotive & Boat

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Auto Repair: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.5x - 3.2x SDE.

Beauty & Personal Care

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Hair Salons: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 1.25x - 2.34x SDE.

Hospitality & Travel

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Hotels: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.6x - 5.1x EBITDA.
Motels: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 1.1x - 2.5x SDE.

Retail Stores

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Hardware, Garden & Building: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.5x - 3.8x SDE + Inventory.

Construction & Engineering

11 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

General Contracting: 6 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 3.0x - 4.5x SDE.
Electrical: 5 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 4.0x - 8.0x EBITDA.

Financial & Professional Services

9 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Insurance Agencies: 6 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 6.0x - 8.0x EBITDA.
Accounting & Tax Practices: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.0x - 3.5x SDE.

Logistics & Transportation

8 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

General Freight Trucking: 8 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.44x - 3.45x SDE.

Restaurants & Food

8 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Full-Service Restaurants: 5 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 1.5x - 2.5x SDE.
Quick-Service & Fast Food: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.5x - 3.5x SDE.

Wholesale & Distribution

4 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Industrial & Construction Supply: 4 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 3.0x - 4.0x SDE.

Automotive & Boat

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Auto Repair: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.5x - 3.2x SDE.

Beauty & Personal Care

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Hair Salons: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 1.25x - 2.34x SDE.

Hospitality & Travel

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Hotels: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.6x - 5.1x EBITDA.
Motels: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 1.1x - 2.5x SDE.

Retail Stores

3 related employer businesses in Pierce County.

Hardware, Garden & Building: 3 employer businesses here. Typical sale multiple: 2.5x - 3.8x SDE + Inventory.

Working with owners in Pierce County

Business Advisors of America works with owners who are selling a business in Pierce County. Contact us to talk about a sale.

Get a Free Valuation

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Questions owners in Pierce County ask

How long does it take to sell a business in Pierce County?

The time depends on the price, the quality of the records and the number of qualified buyers.

How is a business valued in Pierce County?

Valuation starts with the earnings the business produces for an owner, then adjusts for assets, size, industry and the terms a buyer is likely to accept. The result is a range, and the asking price is set inside it.

Is the sale confidential?

Buyers are asked to sign a non-disclosure agreement before they see the name of the business or its financial statements.

FROM OUR BLOG

Guides for owners in Pierce County

October 3, 2025

Business Owners

Add-Backs: What Counts, What Does Not, and What Buyers Push Back On

Every add-back you can prove raises your sale price by two to three times its amount. Every add-back you cannot prove costs you credibility on all the others.

Read article

October 3, 2025

Business Owners

Add-Backs: What Counts, What Does Not, and What Buyers Push Back On

Every add-back you can prove raises your sale price by two to three times its amount. Every add-back you cannot prove costs you credibility on all the others.

Read article

March 5, 2026

Business Owners

Buyer Qualification: How We Screen Out the Buyers Who Cannot Close

Most inquiries on a business listing come from people who cannot close. Here is how they get screened out before they see your name or your financials.

Read article

March 5, 2026

Business Owners

Buyer Qualification: How We Screen Out the Buyers Who Cannot Close

Most inquiries on a business listing come from people who cannot close. Here is how they get screened out before they see your name or your financials.

Read article

February 9, 2026

Business Owners

The Confidential Information Memorandum: What Goes In It and Why

The CIM is the document a buyer reads before they decide to spend time on your business. Here is what it has to contain and the mistakes that cost sellers offers.

Read article

February 9, 2026

Business Owners

The Confidential Information Memorandum: What Goes In It and Why

The CIM is the document a buyer reads before they decide to spend time on your business. Here is what it has to contain and the mistakes that cost sellers offers.

Read article