60 Virtual Assistant Statistics & Trends in 2024 (Original Research)

We’ve compiled 60 virtual assistant statistics based on original research to help better understand the industry.

There is a current lack of research focusing specifically on virtual assistants. Most “virtual assistant stats” online are based on data about general freelancers and remote workers — or they are completely made up and aren’t backed by any actual data.

The VA statistics below come from our 2024 virtual assistant survey, an original research study conducted on virtual assistants worldwide.

Top Virtual Assistant Statistics

👉 Businesses save an average of 66% on operating costs by outsourcing work to a virtual assistant. (Project Untethered)

👉 97% of virtual assistants are female. (Project Untethered)

👉 47% of virtual assistants are over age 40. (Project Untethered)

👉 VAs from the Philippines charge an average of 3x less per hour ($11.33) than VAs from the US ($35.61). (Project Untethered)

👉 36% of virtual assistants see their work as a side hustle, while 63% of VAs use it as their primary income source. (Project Untethered)

👉 84% of virtual assistants are satisfied with their job. (Project Untethered)

👉 Virtual assistants charge an average of $31.48 per hour, yet only 5% earn over $5,000 per month. (Project Untethered)

👉 57% of virtual assistants work 20 hours or less per week. (Project Untethered)

👉 Virtual assistants who use AI save an average of 8 hours of work per week. (Project Untethered)

👉 Virtual assistants with only a high school diploma charge an average of $3 per hour more than those with a four-year degree. (Project Untethered)

👉 Virtual assistants who use AI make on average $694 per month more than people who don’t use AI. (Project Untethered)

👉 52% of virtual assistants are unconcerned about AI threatening their job security, and only 3% are very concerned. (Project Untethered)

👉 Virtual assistants were 5x more likely to find their first client through their existing in-person network (37%) than they were on freelancing job platforms like Upwork (8%). (Project Untethered)

👉 54% of virtual assistants have done work for free. (Project Untethered)

Virtual Assistant Demographics

• Married virtual assistants account for 45% of the workforce. (Project Untethered)
• 47% of virtual assistants are over the age of 40. (Project Untethered)
• 51% of these VAs have three or more members in their family. (Project Untethered)
• 97% of virtual assistants are women. (Project Untethered)
• 34% of virtual assistants have not earned a college degree. (Project Untethered)
• 10% of virtual assistants have a 2-year degree. (Project Untethered)
• 40% of virtual assistants have a 4-year degree. (Project Untethered)
• 16% of virtual assistants have a post-graduate degree. (Project Untethered)

Virtual Assistant Business Structures

• 50% of virtual assistants serve clients on a retainer basis, providing ongoing support for a fixed monthly fee. (Project Untethered)
• 72% of virtual assistants charge clients by the hour. (Project Untethered)
• 34% of virtual assistants use project-based fees, setting a price based on a package of tasks or outcomes. (Project Untethered)
• 56% of virtual assistants use more than one of the above payment structures depending on the client. (Project Untethered)
• 89% of virtual assistants work as independent contractors, 3% are employees, and 8% have a mixed employment status. (Project Untethered)

Finding Virtual Assistant Clients

• 41% of virtual assistants relied on pre-existing skills and did not require additional training to find their first clients. (Project Untethered)
• 23% of virtual assistants learned skills to land their first client through free resources or self-teaching methods.
• 8% of virtual assistants gained the skills they use in their VA business through on-the-job training and learning while working. (Project Untethered)
• 28% of virtual assistants invested in paid training programs to acquire the skills needed to secure their first clients. (Project Untethered)
• 37% of virtual assistants found their first client through their existing in-person network. (Project Untethered)
• 14% of VAs landed their first client through a word-of-mouth recommendation. (Project Untethered)
• 13% of VAs found their first client through various social media platforms. (Project Untethered)
• 8% of virtual assistants secured their first client via an online job board. (Project Untethered)

Virtual Assistant Portfolios

• 33% of virtual assistants use a simple portfolio PDF to showcase their experience, which is the most common approach. (Project Untethered)
• 17% of virtual assistants have a personal website where potential clients can learn more about their experience and services. (Project Untethered)
• 12% of virtual assistants use Canva files to show off their skills and work history. (Project Untethered)
• 12% of virtual assistants send potential clients to their LinkedIn profile and use it as their main portfolio. (Project Untethered)
• 7% of virtual assistants showcase their skills and experience through third-party freelancing platforms like Upwork, Fiverr, etc. (Project Untethered)
• 2% of virtual assistants use social media as their portfolio. (Project Untethered)

Virtual Assistant Income Stats

• Virtual assistants working on a monthly retainer earn an average of $2,080 per month and work 22 hours per week. That comes out to an average of $23.64 per hour. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants who charge by the hour earned an average of $1,773 per month while working 22 hours per week, which comes out to $20.15 per hour. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants working on a project basis earned an average of $2,234 per month working about 19 hours per week, which breaks down to $29.34 per hour. (Project Untethered)

• Virtual assistants whose only source of income is VA work make an average of $33 per hour. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants who have a different primary income source earn an average of $32 per hour. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants whose main source of income is VA work, but not their only source of income, average $29 per hour. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants who work for companies with over 50 employees make an average of $28/hour, while those who work for companies with 2 to 5 employees earn $32 per hour. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants who specialize in a skill earn an average of $3.67 more per hour than those who haven’t specialized — that’s roughly $587 extra per month for full-time work. (Project Untethered)

Challenges Working as a VA

• The biggest issue virtual assistants have with clients is “scope of work changing” — 21% of VAs rank this as their #1 issue. (Project Untethered)
• 47% of virtual assistants struggle with pricing for their projects. (Project Untethered)
• 59% of virtual assistants have problems with unpredictable income. (Project Untethered)
• 33% of virtual assistants find it challenging to manage their workload effectively between multiple clients. (Project Untethered)

Virtual Assistant Trends With Artificial Intelligence

• Virtual assistants who use AI make on average of $694 more each month compared to those that don’t use AI. (Project Untethered)
• 17% of virtual assistants are very concerned about how AI may affect their job security, 44% are slightly concerned, 35% are slightly unconcerned, and 3% are very unconcerned. (Project Untethered)
• 30% of VAs love AI, 59% like AI, 9% dislike AI, and 1% hate AI. (Project Untethered)
• Virtual assistants who report using AI as much as possible save an average of 8 hours of work per week. (Project Untethered)
• 28% of virtual assistants still have never used AI in their work. (Project Untethered)

Virtual Assistant Job Satisfaction

• Overall, 84% of virtual assistants are either somewhat or very satisfied with their job. (Project Untethered)
• 93% of virtual assistants who work for companies with over 50 employees are satisfied with their jobs, but that number drops to 81% for VAs working with smaller companies of 2 to 5 employees. (Project Untethered)

More About Virtual Assistants

• 8 Best Virtual Assistant Courses Online (Free & Paid)
• 11 Best Companies to Hire Virtual Assistants in the Philippines
• Virtual Assistant Jobs For Beginners to Find Work ASAP