1. Western Carolina University
Cullowhee, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$3,926
Enrollment
9,835
What is a Personal Assistant/Office Assistant?
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a personal assistant/office assistant. For example, did you know that they make an average of $25.94 an hour? That's $53,954 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -276,700 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Do
There are certain skills that many personal assistants/office assistants have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed decisionmaking skills, interpersonal skills and writing skills.
How To Become a Personal Assistant/Office Assistant
If you're interested in becoming a personal assistant/office assistant, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 43.6% of personal assistants/office assistants have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.6% of personal assistants/office assistants have master's degrees. Even though some personal assistants/office assistants have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of executive assistant you might progress to a role such as office manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title co-owner.
Personal Assistant/Office Assistant
Co-Owner
6 Years
Business Manager
6 Years
Branch Manager
6 Years
Office Manager
5 Years
Accounting Manager
7 Years
Accountant And Office Manager
6 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Personal Assistant/Office Assistant
Personal Assistants/Office Assistants in America make an average salary of $53,954 per year or $26 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $77,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $37,000 per year.
Average Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Salary
$53,954 Yearly$25.94 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Personal Assistant/Office Assistant
There are several types of personal assistant/office assistant, including:
Office Administrator
Role:
As office administrator, you've got to lay down the law for your team. Sure, no one likes a tough boss, but they need to know what goals they're aiming for, and that's where you come in. You'll need to divide and conquer on some tasks, so the team doesn't feel overwhelmed.
The biggest, and probably toughest, part of your job is making sure your team is consistantly performing. You have to find a nice balance for employees so they don't get burned out on work, while also making sure they're not playing Solitaire on their computer.
Office administrators typically work somewhere between 35-40 hours a week. Generally, they won't work more than that. This means you might get to go home a little early some days. Our fingers are crossed that you get off a little early on Friday, so you can kickstart your weekend on a high note.
- Average Salary: $37,423
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Administrative Professional
Role:
An administrative professional performs a variety of administrative and clerical tasks to support the operations of an office or department. Usually, they also double as front desk staff, receptionist, or office manager, which entails additional duties.
The key responsibilities of an administrative professional typically revolve around handling correspondence (phone calls, emails, text messages, etc.), monitoring the inventory of office supplies, overseeing maintenance of office equipment, managing schedules, preparing presentation materials, and attending meetings on behalf of other employees. If they work at the front desk, they are also responsible for greeting guests, signing all visitors in, and receiving mail.
Most employers may require applicants to have a bachelor's degree in a relevant field for this role, but this is not always the case. High school graduates and applicants with associate's degrees may still qualify; however, they may need to have prior work experience.
The salary of an average administrative professional is around $38,000 per year. However, there are some administrative professionals that make up $71,000 annually, which are usually those that work for executives in large companies.
- Average Salary: $39,486
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Jobs
Number Of Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 3,439 | $58,318 |
| 2 | Florida | 2,481 | $51,115 |
| 3 | Texas | 2,436 | $51,584 |
| 4 | New York | 2,280 | $70,149 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 1,691 | $50,865 |
| 6 | Ohio | 1,461 | $47,946 |
| 7 | Illinois | 1,360 | $51,514 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | 1,221 | $63,166 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 1,182 | $50,025 |
| 10 | Virginia | 1,132 | $56,092 |
| 11 | Michigan | 1,057 | $45,652 |
| 12 | Washington | 955 | $74,615 |
| 13 | Georgia | 939 | $46,970 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 853 | $63,260 |
| 15 | Colorado | 778 | $48,892 |
| 16 | Indiana | 757 | $46,556 |
| 17 | Arizona | 750 | $52,757 |
| 18 | Minnesota | 726 | $56,431 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 708 | $52,323 |
| 20 | Maryland | 704 | $59,379 |
| 21 | Missouri | 610 | $51,555 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 604 | $44,755 |
| 23 | Oregon | 597 | $65,379 |
| 24 | Connecticut | 531 | $77,423 |
| 25 | South Carolina | 483 | $52,844 |
| 26 | Utah | 410 | $59,049 |
| 27 | Iowa | 392 | $48,190 |
| 28 | Alabama | 348 | $50,358 |
| 29 | Kentucky | 336 | $41,143 |
| 30 | Louisiana | 298 | $48,648 |
| 31 | Kansas | 288 | $50,537 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 262 | $38,682 |
| 33 | Nebraska | 260 | $44,219 |
| 34 | Arkansas | 250 | $42,594 |
| 35 | Nevada | 229 | $52,342 |
| 36 | Idaho | 207 | $48,147 |
| 37 | New Mexico | 191 | $53,139 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | 172 | $62,945 |
| 39 | Montana | 171 | $44,425 |
| 40 | Mississippi | 163 | $48,252 |
| 41 | Alaska | 160 | $63,752 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 141 | $47,335 |
| 43 | Maine | 134 | $55,223 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | 119 | $69,470 |
| 45 | North Dakota | 114 | $58,346 |
| 46 | Delaware | 100 | $48,516 |
| 47 | Hawaii | 93 | $49,743 |
| 48 | Vermont | 84 | $63,426 |
| 49 | South Dakota | 80 | $48,182 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 65 | $55,782 |
Top Colleges for Personal Assistant/Office Assistants
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-State Tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
5. Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,105
Enrollment
13,729
6. Cedar Crest College
Allentown, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$39,216
Enrollment
1,303
7. Morgan State University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-State Tuition
$7,900
Enrollment
6,404
8. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
9. Siena Heights University
Adrian, MI • Private
In-State Tuition
$27,124
Enrollment
2,035
10. University of Akron
Akron, OH • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,463
Enrollment
13,676
Top Skills For a Personal Assistant/Office Assistant
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 16.5% of personal assistants/office assistants listed customer service on their resume, but soft skills such as decisionmaking skills and interpersonal skills are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Personal Assistant/Office Assistant templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Personal Assistant/Office Assistant resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Personal Assistant/Office Assistant diversity
Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Gender Distribution
Female
86%
Male
14%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among personal assistants/office assistants, 85.7% of them are women, while 14.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among personal assistants/office assistants is White, which makes up 65.8% of all personal assistants/office assistants.
- The most common foreign language among personal assistants/office assistants is Spanish at 68.1%.
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How Do Personal Assistants/Office Assistants Rate Their Jobs?
Top Personal Assistant/Office Assistant Employers
Most Common Employers For Personal Assistant/Office Assistant
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caribe Hilton | $88,562 | $42.58 | 2 |
| 2 | Keller Williams Realty | $82,733 | $39.78 | 3 |
| 3 | Reid's Appliances | $65,203 | $31.35 | 2 |
| 4 | Ameriprise Financial | $62,867 | $30.22 | 3 |
| 5 | World Financial Group | $62,217 | $29.91 | 2 |
| 6 | Liberty Mutual Insurance | $60,852 | $29.26 | 3 |
| 7 | Julie's Clothing | $55,333 | $26.60 | 2 |
| 8 | VanSciverRealtors | $55,236 | $26.56 | 2 |
| 9 | State Farm Insurance Agency | $52,756 | $25.36 | 3 |
| 10 | Robert Half | $50,704 | $24.38 | 3 |