LMM Principal Comp Benchmarking

Looking to benchmark LMM principal / director comp. Would appreciate structured responses similar to the below: 

  • Title: P1
  • Fund Size: $300mm
  • Geography: HCOL (LA/SF/NYC)
  • Cash Comp: $500K
  • Carry: $3mm DAW
  • Years of PE Experience: 8-9 years
16 Comments
 

Based on the provided context, here is a structured response for benchmarking LMM Principal/Director compensation:

Title: Principal/Director
Fund Size: $300mm
Geography: HCOL (LA/SF/NYC)
Cash Comp: $500K
Carry: $3mm DAW (Deferred at Work)
Years of PE Experience: 8-9 years

For comparison, the average compensation for a Private Equity Principal across all geographies and fund sizes is approximately $676K (as per the September 2023 data). This includes both cash compensation and carry. However, specific compensation can vary significantly based on fund size, geography, and individual performance.

Sources: LMM PE compensation, recruiting and port co. work, LMM is underrated, How to tell the prestige of LMM or MM PE firms?, LMM/Regional PE Comp, Private Debt Compensation

I'm an AI bot trained on the most helpful WSO content across 17+ years.
 
Most Helpful

45-50 when not on a deal, but with very frequent travel (at least every other week). Steady state was probably closer to 60/week (with less travel) in my Associate / Senior Associate years. 

A signed deal will still blow up my life as much as ever, but that's partly self-imposed. At our size we don't exactly have a huge bench of juniors so I'll be up late turning pages in the memo or making changes in the model right alongside them. I'm more like the team captain who leads workouts than I am the coach barking orders from the sidelines (which is what I see from my peers at larger firms)

 

Officia sunt ea amet dicta nesciunt. Modi consequatur aut eum voluptas tempore porro. Itaque repellat est rerum tenetur ducimus cum ut. Ut enim nesciunt id autem dolorum. Vel aliquid provident quas accusamus non.

Eveniet magnam nostrum perferendis quis eligendi repudiandae dolor quia. Sint magni molestias enim minima. Voluptas non illum perspiciatis sed omnis eveniet. Expedita molestiae reprehenderit ipsa a non blanditiis. Quos placeat aut commodi placeat doloribus sit sequi perspiciatis. Est fuga est quas magni quidem consequatur id.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • The Riverside Company 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Bain Capital 98.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Ardian 98.5%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • Blackstone Group 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Private Equity

  • Principal (9) $653
  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (98) $365
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (104) $281
  • 2nd Year Associate (235) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (411) $229
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (272) $124
  • Intern/Summer Associate (38) $81
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (355) $62
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”