The video above and snapshots below offer a quick synopsis of some key details from PitchBook's 2015 Annual U.S. PE Middle Market Report. Take a look for highlights of last year's record-breaking activity in the U.S. middle market; to explore in more depth, check out the report here.

2014 was a record year for middle market PE investment, with $385 billion deployed during the year.

Typically, the middle market accounts for about two-thirds of all PE activity; this past year it represented 78% of activity.

The Southeast's $23 billion increase in capital invested during 2014 topped U.S. regional step-ups and accounted for 28% of the U.S.'s total jump in capital invested.

It was also a record year for middle market exits, with 780 liquidity events totaling $95.7 billion.

There was an uptick in the number of funds in the $1 billion to $5 billion range, showing an increased appetite in the upper middle market.

Data for the report came from the PitchBook Platform. If you'd like a free trial, contact us here.