4 Comments
 

Based on the most helpful WSO content, here are the percentages of firms that pay out carry:

  • Blackstone Group: 98.9%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts): 98.4%
  • Ardian: 97.9%
  • Bain Capital: 97.4%
  • The Riverside Company: 99.5%
  • Warburg Pincus: 98.4%
  • Starwood Capital Group: 97.4%

These percentages reflect the share of PE firms that end up paying carry, as detailed in the WSO dataset.

Sources: Actually Realizing Carry, Confused about carry at PE Fund, Data: Average Private Equity Compensation and Carry from Associate to Managing Partner, Data: Average Private Equity Compensation and Carry from Associate to Managing Partner, Top Growth firms comp out of undergrad

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

It depends on vintage, say for 2005/2006 funds I wouldn't be surprised if about half of all funds raised in those years didn't pay carry. A good gauge is the number of funds per vintage that did not hit the 8% hurdle that's standard. For other more "normal" years I would say bottom quartile funds don't hit hurdle, or about 25% of funds raised per year.

It is very rare that large PE firms don't end up hitting hurdle. Fund returns are more likely to be mid to low teens net IRR yes but very unlikely to be below 8% unless the fund was raised right before a major financial crisis or something

 

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Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Blackstone Group 99.6%
  • The Riverside Company 99.3%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.9%
  • Warburg Pincus 98.5%
  • Vista Equity Partners 98.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Private Equity

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

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Private Equity

  • Bain Capital 99.6%
  • Blackstone Group 99.3%
  • The Riverside Company 98.9%
  • Starwood Capital Group 98.5%
  • KKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) 98.2%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Private Equity

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  • Director/MD (24) $547
  • Vice President (100) $364
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (106) $280
  • 2nd Year Associate (236) $272
  • 1st Year Associate (414) $231
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (33) $157
  • 2nd Year Analyst (97) $134
  • 1st Year Analyst (274) $126
  • Intern/Summer Associate (40) $79
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (357) $61
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