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The differences between administrative assistants and personal assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an administrative assistant and a personal assistant. Additionally, a personal assistant has an average salary of $40,026, which is higher than the $34,945 average annual salary of an administrative assistant.
The top three skills for an administrative assistant include customer service, data entry and powerpoint. The most important skills for a personal assistant are run errands, companionship, and scheduling appointments.
| Administrative Assistant | Personal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $34,945 | $40,026 |
| Hourly rate | $16.80 | $19.24 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 65,769 | 21,638 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.14 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Average age | 50 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Administrative assistants, or admin assistants, do general clerical and administrative activities. Their duties involve organizing and maintaining files and records, preparing documents, scheduling meetings and appointments, and providing general support in the office. Administrative assistants handle incoming and outgoing official correspondences, take minutes of important meetings and manage calls to the main office number. They also assist executives in providing structure to their day by managing their schedule, drafting e-mails, and other activities that executives may need assistance in. Administrative assistants should have the following skills: organizing, business writing, decision-making, and communication.
Personal assistants are employees working for individuals who need help in managing their personal affairs. Personal assistants manage the daily activities of their employers. They are in charge of managing their employer's schedules and appointments, often coordinating their meetings and orienting them on their schedule at the start of the day. They also arrange travel needs, from looking for travel tickets to booking accommodations. When they have built enough trust with their employer, they are entrusted to also manage personal financial accounts and are often given access to other confidential information related to the employer.
Administrative assistants and personal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Administrative Assistant | Personal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $34,945 | $40,026 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $46,000 | Between $26,000 And $60,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | Westfield State University | AbbVie |
| Best paying industry | - | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between an administrative assistant and a personal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Administrative Assistant | Personal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 41% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between administrative assistants' and personal assistants' demographics:
| Administrative Assistant | Personal Assistant | |
| Average age | 50 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 12.7% Female, 87.3% | Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 3.8% White, 66.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 7.4% White, 57.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 12% |