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The differences between personal assistants and executive/personal assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a personal assistant, becoming an executive/personal assistant takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an executive/personal assistant has an average salary of $64,511, which is higher than the $40,026 average annual salary of a personal assistant.
The top three skills for a personal assistant include run errands, companionship and scheduling appointments. The most important skills for an executive/personal assistant are financial statements, powerpoint, and calendar management.
| Personal Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $40,026 | $64,511 |
| Hourly rate | $19.24 | $31.01 |
| Growth rate | -8% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 21,638 | 110,560 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
An executive/personal assistant is responsible for performing secretarial duties, including administrative and clerical tasks as needed, helping the business operations run smoothly and efficiently. Executive/personal assistants receive and respond to client's calls and inquiries, schedule and maintain an organized record of executive and staff meetings, sorting files and documents, and attending general meetings on behalf of the executives. They should also have excellent communication and critical-thinking skills, especially on providing recommendations for business decisions and profitable opportunities. An executive/personal assistant creates expense reports, monitors the adequacy of stock inventory, and coordinates with planning company events.
Personal assistants and executive/personal assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Personal Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Average salary | $40,026 | $64,511 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $60,000 | Between $44,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | AbbVie | ONE Sotheby's International Realty |
| Best paying industry | Real Estate | Finance |
There are a few differences between a personal assistant and an executive/personal assistant in terms of educational background:
| Personal Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 41% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Western Carolina University |
Here are the differences between personal assistants' and executive/personal assistants' demographics:
| Personal Assistant | Executive/Personal Assistant | |
| Average age | 49 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7% | Male, 15.5% Female, 84.5% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 5.0% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 10% |