Personal Assistant

October 30, 2016

Personal Assistant Job Description

As a personal assistant, you will have to do any number of tasks that your boss asks you to. These can range from setting up meetings, calling work clients, managing those under him, getting his dry cleaning, getting coffee, and any other personal errands he might need done. This can seem tedious, but none of these tasks require any great skill. It is just about getting the job done, and getting it done quickly.

Personal Assistant Salary Statistics as of 2015

Average annual salary for a Personal Assistant is $33396 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest salary recorded was $61514. The lowest salary reported was $20373. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Median hourly wage for a Personal Assistant is $16.61 based on statistics in the U.S. as of 2015. The highest hourly rate recorded was $30.59. The lowest hourly rate recorded was $10.13. These figures will vary on a state to state basis as these are averages across all 50 states.

Bonuses for a Personal Assistant are based on the years of experience using statistics from the U.S. as of 2015. The average bonus recorded was $487.96 from people with 15+ years of experience. The average bonus recorded was $0 from people with under 1 year of experience.

These are the highest paying states for a Personal Assistant. These numbers are based of the median annual salary as of 2015.
California – $20,299 – $72,992
Colorado – $17,311 – $92,110
Florida – $24,328 – $59,396
Illinois – $27,855 – $73,974
Massachusetts – $24,729 – $73,296
New York – $28,416 – $82,040
Texas – $19,653 – $56,977

These are the highest paying cities for a Personal Assistant. These numbers are based of the median annual salary as of 2015.
New York, New York –
Los Angeles, California –
Dallas, Texas –
Chicago, Illinois –
Houston, Texas –
San Francisco, California –
Boston, Massachusetts –

This chart outlines the average annual salary of a Personal Assistant from the past 5 years. In 2015 the average annual salary was $33396 while in 2007 it was just $30970.86

The average PA salary is around $34,000. This is a very good salary for someone who does not have a college degree, or experience in any particular field. The only problem with being a PA is the fact that there is limited growth potential. If you are someone’s PA at a large company, your only chances for advancement would be to be the personal assistant of someone higher up. That will likely get you a slight rise in pay. For this reason, the possible increase in salary would not go any higher than $50,000, or maybe $60,000, if you are lucky.

Another positive aspect to being a personal assistant is the job security. As long as you are doing your job well, you cannot expect to be out of a job. Everyone needs personal assistants, and no matter how many people companies lay off, they will never lay off personal assistants. PAs do not make as much compared to other employees, and the work they do cannot be moved on to anyone else.

Secondly, there will always be opportunities to work at other companies, if you do not like where you are working. As long as you get good references from previous jobs, you should not have too much trouble being hired as a PA. Another way to get a better salary as a PA is to stay loyal to a company for many years. This level of loyalty will make you an invaluable member of their staff. Chances are you will get a pay rise every few years, simply for being a rock who will never let the company down.

So, if you are truly serious about being a PA then there are a few things you will need to work on. You need to be good with computers. If Excel, PowerPoint, or Word trouble you, then get familiar with them. You should also be able to type fast. If that is a problem, get an online program that helps with typing speed and accuracy. You must also work on your time management skills, so that you can get work done fast. All of these qualities will endear you to your bosses and improve your chances of a higher PA salary.

Job Outlook

Gender Statistics

Related Jobs

91%

Based on our stats gathered across the U.S. 9% of Personal Assistants were males while 91% were females. These numbers are based on averages across all states combined. Some individual states may have a much different ratio however.

Past Jobs

Administrative Assistant
$21,309 – $43,515
Executive Assistant
$29,932 – $64,423
Administrative / Office Manager
$23,783 – $53,741

Future Jobs

Office Administrator
$24,356 – $59,523
Executive Assistant to CEO
$31,914 – $73,585
Sr. Administrative Assistant
$28,402 – $56,025