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Job outlook for assistants in the United States
Assistant job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected assistant job growth rate is -8% from 2018-2028.
About -286,900 new jobs for assistants are projected over the next decade.
Assistant salaries have increased 12% for assistants in the last 5 years.
There are over 285,028 assistants currently employed in the United States.
There are 557,900 active assistant job openings in the US.
The average assistant salary is $37,363.
Are assistant jobs in demand?
Assistant job and salary trends over time
Assistant jobs over time
Assistant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 285,028 | 0.08% |
| 2020 | 288,834 | 0.09% |
| 2019 | 318,177 | 0.10% |
| 2018 | 337,996 | 0.10% |
| 2017 | 351,969 | 0.11% |
Average assistant salary over time
Assistant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $37,363 | $17.96 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $36,247 | $17.43 | +2.9% |
| 2024 | $35,228 | $16.94 | +2.9% |
| 2023 | $34,227 | $16.46 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $33,487 | $16.10 | +2.7% |
Assistant jobs by state
Most common states for assistants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 2,052 | 153% |
| 2 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 892 | 129% |
| 3 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 7,038 | 126% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 8,500 | 124% |
| 5 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 1,545 | 116% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 820 | 111% |
| 7 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 749 | 99% |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 5,563 | 96% |
| 9 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 1,008 | 96% |
| 10 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 1,723 | 95% |
| 11 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 6,267 | 94% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 2,961 | 94% |
| 13 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 5,148 | 92% |
| 14 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 1,720 | 90% |
| 15 | Vermont | 623,657 | 547 | 88% |
| 16 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 5,148 | 85% |
| 17 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 2,434 | 84% |
| 18 | Delaware | 961,939 | 805 | 84% |
| 19 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 8,523 | 83% |
| 20 | Connecticut | 3,588,184 | 2,970 | 83% |
Most common cities for assistants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Needham | 14 | 48% | $94,877 |
| 2 | Carbondale | 7 | 27% | $38,964 |
| 3 | Plymouth | 8 | 14% | $95,763 |
| 4 | Brookline | 6 | 10% | $94,936 |
| 5 | Clinton | 5 | 5% | $51,200 |
| 6 | Boston | 19 | 3% | $95,026 |
| 7 | Atlanta | 16 | 3% | $39,321 |
| 8 | Orlando | 8 | 3% | $41,276 |
| 9 | Denver | 10 | 1% | $27,649 |
| 10 | San Diego | 9 | 1% | $31,203 |
| 11 | Washington | 9 | 1% | $89,016 |
| 12 | Austin | 6 | 1% | $26,122 |
| 13 | Indianapolis | 6 | 1% | $52,479 |
| 14 | San Francisco | 6 | 1% | $31,815 |
| 15 | Colorado Springs | 5 | 1% | $27,711 |
| 16 | New York | 20 | 0% | $80,739 |
| 17 | Los Angeles | 15 | 0% | $31,375 |
| 18 | Chicago | 11 | 0% | $48,635 |
| 19 | Houston | 7 | 0% | $26,438 |
Assistant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of assistant experts
Meredith College
What experience really stands out on Assistant resumes?
Angela Robbins Ph.D.: History majors-and in fact, all students in the Humanities-practice skills in the classroom which have real-world, job performance implications, as laid out above. In my experience, students need to do a better job of communicating on their resumes what exactly those skills are so they do stand out. Job-seekers might list critical thinking skills, leadership skills, and the ability to work on a team on their resumes, for example, but for them to be able to point to specific examples from their classes and projects, and to be able to talk about those in interviews, is especially valuable. Internships also really stand out, because employers want to know that students have practiced these skills outside the classroom and have gained real-world experience, too.