{ "name": "Sell My Business Quotes Exit Route Map", "title": "Exit Route Map", "url": "https://sellmybusinessquotes.com/datasets/exit-route-map/", "csv": "https://sellmybusinessquotes.com/datasets/exit-route-map.csv", "markdown": "https://sellmybusinessquotes.com/datasets/exit-route-map/index.md", "computed_at": "2026-10-21", "license": "https://sellmybusinessquotes.com/terms", "headline": "The median published figure in the Exit Route Map is 12.90 percent across 2 sources' own pages (range 12 to 13.80 percent), read 12 October 2026.", "quotes": [ "The median published figure in the Exit Route Map is 12.90 percent across 2 sources' own pages (range 12 to 13.80 percent), read 12 October 2026.", "2 of the 29 named sources read in full publish a figure; 27 publish none, read 12 October 2026.", "The median is unchanged since 26 September 2026 (was 12.90 percent across 2)." ], "citation": "\"Sell My Business Quotes Exit Route Map\", updated 2026-10-21, https://sellmybusinessquotes.com/datasets/exit-route-map/.", "changed_since": { "since": "2026-09-26", "previous_median": 12.9, "delta": 0, "direction": "unchanged", "sentence": "The median is unchanged since 26 September 2026 (was 12.90 percent across 2)." }, "national": { "unit": "%", "n": 2, "median": 12.9, "min": 12, "max": 13.8, "p25": null, "p75": null, "mean": 12.9, "units": { "%": 2 }, "published_sources": 2, "named_sources": 30, "read_sources": 29, "not_published": 27, "published_share": 0.069 }, "by_axis": {}, "rows": [ { "source": "ABS, Counts of Australian Businesses including Entries and Exits (latest release)", "url": "https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/latest-release", "figure": "13.8%", "value": 13.8, "unit": "%", "vat": null, "axis": {}, "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "quote": "13.8% exit rate, with 375,331 exits", "source_class": "primary-government", "text_sha256": "b767537642619ce7ca83769d93310dd78533a7832378082ccf41dfb1cdc12b70" }, { "source": "Statistics Canada, the long-run evolution of business entry and exit rates in Canada", "url": "https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2025009/article/00001-eng.htm", "figure": "12%", "value": 12, "unit": "%", "vat": null, "axis": {}, "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "quote": "Similarly, from 2001 to 2012, the exit rate stays around 12%, with a very subtle decline over the subsequent years.", "source_class": "primary-government", "text_sha256": "cc37d527700662d06d4f6f112d19272404c9c62f0a10e0b2080dd9d26bef729e" } ], "not_published": [ { "source": "US Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey characteristics of business owners (2024 tables)", "url": "https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2024/econ/abs/2024-abs-characteristics-of-owners.html", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "US Census Bureau, business owner characteristics release", "url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/business-owner-characteristics.html", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "US Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey API", "url": "https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs/data/api.html", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "NCEO, Employee Ownership by the Numbers", "url": "https://www.nceo.org/research/employee-ownership-by-the-numbers", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "NCEO, National ESOP Database", "url": "https://www.nceo.org/research/data/national-esop-database", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "NCEO, closely held ESOP participants, most recent data", "url": "https://www.nceo.org/employee-ownership-blog/22-increase-closely-held-company-esop-participants-most-recent-data", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "ONS, Business demography, UK (latest)", "url": "https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/latest", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "ONS, Business demography quarterly, UK", "url": "https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemographyquarterlyexperimentalstatisticsuk/julytoseptember2025", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "ABS, Counts of Australian Businesses, July 2021 - June 2025", "url": "https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/jul2021-jun2025", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Statistics Canada, Business Dynamics measures by firm size and province (table 33-10-0088-01)", "url": "https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310008801", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "Statistics Canada, Business Dynamics measures by industry (table 33-10-0164-01)", "url": "https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310016401", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "US BLS, Business Employment Dynamics news release", "url": "https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.htm", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "US BLS, Business Employment Dynamics release contents", "url": "https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.toc.htm", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "US BLS, Business Employment Dynamics by state", "url": "https://www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmstate.htm", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "BizBuySell Insight Report", "url": "https://www.bizbuysell.com/insight-report/", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Exit Planning Institute, State of Owner Readiness", "url": "https://exit-planning-institute.org/state-of-owner-readiness", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Exit Planning Institute, Generational State of Owner Readiness 2025 national report (PDF)", "url": "https://exit-planning-institute.org/hubfs/25SOOR-Generational.pdf", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Exit Planning Institute, Generational State of Owner Readiness", "url": "https://exit-planning-institute.org/generational-state-of-owner-readiness", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Gallup, small-business owners and succession plans", "url": "https://news.gallup.com/poll/657362/small-business-owners-lack-succession-plan.aspx", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "GOV.UK, qualitative evaluation of Employee Ownership Trusts", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualitative-evaluation-of-employee-ownership-trusts", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026", "url": "https://advocacy.sba.gov/2026/02/03/frequently-asked-questions-about-small-business-2026/", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "SBA Office of Advocacy, FAQs About Small Business 2026 (PDF)", "url": "https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/FINAL_FAQsAboutSmallBusiness_2026_012826.pdf", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profiles for the States", "url": "https://advocacy.sba.gov/2025/06/30/2025-small-business-profiles-for-the-states-territories-and-nation/", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "The ESOP Association, a statistical snapshot of ESOPs", "url": "https://www.esop.org/infographics/statistical-snapshot-esops.php", "retrieved_at": "2026-09-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Employee Ownership Association, UK EO Growth Strategy", "url": "https://employeeownership.co.uk/Site/Site/content/News-and-Insights/Growth-Strategy/uk-eo-growth-strategy.aspx", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "read in full and no accepted figure on the page" }, { "source": "PwC US Family Business Survey", "url": "https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/audit-assurance/private-company-services/library/family-business-survey.html", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" }, { "source": "Project Equity, business owner statistics on exits and succession", "url": "https://project-equity.org/news/employee-ownership-insider/business-owner-statistics-exit-planning/", "retrieved_at": "2026-10-12", "reason": "every candidate on the page was refused" } ], "sources": [ { "url": "https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2024/econ/abs/2024-abs-characteristics-of-owners.html", "label": "US Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey characteristics of business owners (2024 tables)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2025/business-owner-characteristics.html", "label": "US Census Bureau, business owner characteristics release", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/abs/data/api.html", "label": "US Census Bureau, Annual Business Survey API", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.nceo.org/research/employee-ownership-by-the-numbers", "label": "NCEO, Employee Ownership by the Numbers", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.nceo.org/research/data/national-esop-database", "label": "NCEO, National ESOP Database", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.nceo.org/employee-ownership-blog/22-increase-closely-held-company-esop-participants-most-recent-data", "label": "NCEO, closely held ESOP participants, most recent data", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemography/latest", "label": "ONS, Business demography, UK (latest)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/business/activitysizeandlocation/bulletins/businessdemographyquarterlyexperimentalstatisticsuk/julytoseptember2025", "label": "ONS, Business demography quarterly, UK", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/latest-release", "label": "ABS, Counts of Australian Businesses including Entries and Exits (latest release)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/economy/business-indicators/counts-australian-businesses-including-entries-and-exits/jul2021-jun2025", "label": "ABS, Counts of Australian Businesses, July 2021 - June 2025", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310008801", "label": "Statistics Canada, Business Dynamics measures by firm size and province (table 33-10-0088-01)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=3310016401", "label": "Statistics Canada, Business Dynamics measures by industry (table 33-10-0164-01)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/36-28-0001/2025009/article/00001-eng.htm", "label": "Statistics Canada, the long-run evolution of business entry and exit rates in Canada", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.htm", "label": "US BLS, Business Employment Dynamics news release", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cewbd.toc.htm", "label": "US BLS, Business Employment Dynamics release contents", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.bls.gov/bdm/bdmstate.htm", "label": "US BLS, Business Employment Dynamics by state", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.bizbuysell.com/insight-report/", "label": "BizBuySell Insight Report", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://exit-planning-institute.org/state-of-owner-readiness", "label": "Exit Planning Institute, State of Owner Readiness", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://exit-planning-institute.org/hubfs/25SOOR-Generational.pdf", "label": "Exit Planning Institute, Generational State of Owner Readiness 2025 national report (PDF)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://exit-planning-institute.org/generational-state-of-owner-readiness", "label": "Exit Planning Institute, Generational State of Owner Readiness", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://news.gallup.com/poll/657362/small-business-owners-lack-succession-plan.aspx", "label": "Gallup, small-business owners and succession plans", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/qualitative-evaluation-of-employee-ownership-trusts", "label": "GOV.UK, qualitative evaluation of Employee Ownership Trusts", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-10437/CBP-10437.pdf", "label": "House of Commons Library, Budget 2025: Employee Ownership Trusts (CBP-10437)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://advocacy.sba.gov/2026/02/03/frequently-asked-questions-about-small-business-2026/", "label": "SBA Office of Advocacy, Frequently Asked Questions About Small Business 2026", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/FINAL_FAQsAboutSmallBusiness_2026_012826.pdf", "label": "SBA Office of Advocacy, FAQs About Small Business 2026 (PDF)", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://advocacy.sba.gov/2025/06/30/2025-small-business-profiles-for-the-states-territories-and-nation/", "label": "SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profiles for the States", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.esop.org/infographics/statistical-snapshot-esops.php", "label": "The ESOP Association, a statistical snapshot of ESOPs", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://employeeownership.co.uk/Site/Site/content/News-and-Insights/Growth-Strategy/uk-eo-growth-strategy.aspx", "label": "Employee Ownership Association, UK EO Growth Strategy", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://www.pwc.com/us/en/services/audit-assurance/private-company-services/library/family-business-survey.html", "label": "PwC US Family Business Survey", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" }, { "url": "https://project-equity.org/news/employee-ownership-insider/business-owner-statistics-exit-planning/", "label": "Project Equity, business owner statistics on exits and succession", "license": "the publisher's own terms; quoted for reporting and comment" } ], "methodology": "Every row is a verbatim sentence read from the named source's own page through our fetch service on the date shown, hash-pinned to the stored read (the sha of the page's visible text; the raw page is mirrored to R2). 2 of the 29 named sources that could be read published a usable figure; 27 published none and are recorded as not published, never filled in; 1 could not be read (blocked, dead or unreachable) and count nowhere. The headline figures (median, minimum, maximum, quartiles) are over ONE figure per source in % (a source's median where its page yielded several accepted sentences), so N counts sources, never sentences; 284 candidate sentence(s) were refused by a reviewer with the reason recorded. The fuller derivation this dataset is chartered to grow into (not yet what the figures above are; they are each source's own published figure as read): one row per jurisdiction per year per route - third-party sale, family succession, management buyout, employee ownership (ESOP in the US, EOT in the UK) and closure - as a count and a share of all exits, computed by joining each route's own counting authority to the statistical agency's total of business deaths; beside it the share of owners with a written plan and the median time a sale takes. Nobody publishes the routes side by side: the ESOP registry counts ESOPs, the statistical agency counts closures, the broker index counts listings, and the readiness survey counts intentions, so the derivation is the RECONCILIATION - what fraction of the year's exits each counted route can account for, and how large the unaccounted remainder is. Changed-since on every release.", "embed": "

12.90 percent

median published figure, Exit Route Map, across 2 sources, read 12 October 2026

Source: Sell My Business Quotes Exit Route Map
" }