2026 Lower Middle Market Executive Compensation Guide

Compensation benchmarks continue changing. Our 2026 compensation guide can help inform your next hire.

The 2026 Platinum Search Partners Lower Middle Market Executive Compensation Guide is built for companies that want straightforward, practical data. Instead of broad national averages that blend together Fortune 500 and early-stage companies, this guide focuses on the midsize ranges that matter most to founder-led, private equity backed, and growth oriented businesses.

Here is a look at what you will find inside:

Compensation Benchmarks for Leadership Roles

The guide includes updated salary, bonus, and total cash compensation data for the roles that have the greatest impact on revenue, operations, and scale. Roles include C-Suite, finance, HR, administration and sales. Each table includes the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile.

Compensation is broken down by company revenue ranges from $2M - $250M to ensure the data aligns with the realities of small and midsize businesses.

2026 Trends Influencing Executive Compensation

The guide highlights several trends shaping how companies compete for talent this year.

How Companies Are Structuring Bonuses and Incentives

Beyond base salary, the guide shows are companies are structuring base salaries with bonuses to build their compensation strategies across each role.