15+ Virtual Assistant Statistics: What’s The Value of Hiring a VA?

With that many business tasks to get done, the need for a virtual assistant rises. However, finding a great one can be a daunting task.

Ideally, you want someone knowledgeable, reliable, and with a healthy relationship with money. Fortunately, virtual assistants are available worldwide, willing to step up for the task from another part of the globe.

Even if English is not your native language, there’s a big chance you can find a person speaking the same language as you.

Whatever the case may be, our virtual assistant statistics are bound to help you find The One. If you’re actively looking, just relax and let the facts guide you.

Remarkable Virtual Assistant Facts (Editor’s Choice):

• Nearly 60% of virtual assistants have a college degree.
• The ethnicity with the highest average VA salary is Asian.
• If they’d choose a virtual assistant instead of an in-house employee, companies would save up to 78% in operating costs per year.
• Virtual assistants can make you 13% more productive.
• 69.3% of VAs are married.
• The VA industry’s worth exceeds $100 billion.
• India has the lowest-paid virtual assistants, while VAs from the US are the highest-paid.

Virtual Assistant Demographics

Are you already getting the feeling that virtual assistants are everywhere?

Well, that’s because they really are.

People of all races, ethnicities, and genders are VAs. There is still a certain pattern, though.

1. Whites are the leading virtual assistants by race, with a rate of 70.8%.

(Source: Zippia)

VAs are quite sought after and well-paid in the United States. This probably explains why so many of them are white. The second most common race is Hispanic, but it’s really far behind with 14.8%. Only 8.7% of virtual assistants are African American, and just 3.5% are Asian. The rest either consists of American Indians or are undeclared.

2. 82.6% of virtual assistants are female.

(Source: Zippia)

When dividing virtual assistants by gender, we can see that females seem to be more interested in this profession. It’s hardly a coincidence, given that only 13.3% of VAs are male, and the remaining 4.1% have not declared their gender. Women tend to be more orderly, which may be a good explanation.

There are more male assistants now than there were 10 years ago, but not by a wide margin. In 2010, 9.78% of VAs were male, while in 2019 that percentage was 13.86%.

3. 62.1% of VAs speak Spanish.

(Source: Zippia)

There are many reasons why virtual assistant jobs worldwide are so desirable. They have an edge over in-house workers, among other things, because of foreign languages.

The chance of them knowing at least one language other than English rises significantly. 62.1% of them, for instance, speak Spanish. Unfortunately, most other foreign languages are pretty much lacking. 8.6% of VAs are French speakers, 6.9% speak German, and only 3.4% speak Portuguese and Japanese, respectively.

4. Nearly 60% of virtual assistants are college graduates.

(Source: Delegated)

Although not as crucial now, having a college degree is still welcome. The majority of VAs tend to be college graduates, which surely gives a good impression. What’s even better is how many know exactly what they’re doing, no matter the diploma. The fact that so many of them are graduates is just icing on the cake.

5. The vast majority of virtual assistants are over 40 years old.

(Source: Zippia)

78% of them, to be precise. Only 16% of them are aged 30 to 40, with just 6% of VAs being 20 to 30 years old. People older than 40 are the most dominant in the virtual assistant industry. That goes for all races and all genders. That’s where they ultimately tend to end up after switching jobs during their younger days.

6. 69.3% of virtual assistants are married.

(Source: Best of Budgets)

76.1% of them also have children. We believe that both of these virtual assistant statistics are good news because they suggest that VAs are emotionally mature people. This also means that the chances of them being satisfied with their job are greater, even though that’s sadly not always the case.

Virtual Work Statistics

Most virtual assistants work remotely, which only further changes the rules of the game. Let’s see how they’re affecting companies as well as what’s most interesting about their wages.

7. Companies can save up to 78% per year in operating costs if they hire a virtual assistant.

(Source: OutsourceWorkers)

Hiring a virtual assistant rather than a full-time employee can save you money in numerous ways. That particularly goes for operating costs, most virtual assistant statistics suggest.

Every year, you can save up to 78% of operating costs this way. The percentage is bound to be pretty big, especially if you’re in a developed country. This way, the chances of you suggesting a great salary that benefits the worker increases. Of course, that’s not to mention the fact that you’re not paying for your employees’ benefits. No rental space and no additional internet bandwidth fees equal more money.

8. On average, remote workers are 13% more productive.

(Source: Outsource Access)

Virtual assistants aren’t any different here. Statistics show that remote workers take considerably fewer breaks, let alone sick days. It’s not surprising that virtual assistant productivity rises among remote workers. Given the nature of their job, they have more time to sort out all their tasks this way.

9. Ethnicity-wise, Asian VAs have the highest average annual salary.

(Source: Zippia)

Despite being among the least numerous groups, Asian virtual assistants have the highest average salary. It’s at $40,932, but the rest aren’t that far behind here.

Whites have the lowest—yet it’s $38,409. African American and Latino people have an average salary that’s slightly higher—at $39,100. The bottom line is that race isn’t a big factor when it comes to VA salaries. It’s more about the company and the country where it’s from. Speaking of countries…

10. The United States has the highest-paid virtual assistants by country.

(Source: Virtuale Staffing)

The US is well-known for having some of the most experienced VAs overall. Consequently, they’re quite expensive. Their annual income averages $57,206. In other words, their average virtual assistant would expect to be paid $27 per hour!

India is on the other end of the spectrum, with an average income of only $3,715 per year. That means that the average hourly rate for a virtual assistant in India is just $1.8! That comes at an additional price, though. Their accents are generally quite tough to understand, making them subpar virtual assistants.

Do keep in mind, however, that these are nothing but averages. You may be pleasantly surprised by Indians or disappointed with fellow Americans. Sometimes, it just comes down to the luck of the draw.

Who Hires Virtual Assistants?

They are actually wanted across all industries worldwide. Companies of all sizes and niches are on the hunt for a good virtual assistant. However, sometimes the search for them is quite a hard task all by itself.

11. Most companies hiring virtual assistants have more than 1,000 employees.

(Source: Zippia)

As it currently stands, 27% of companies that look for VAs have 1,000 to 10,000 employees. Of course, they are also needed in companies with much more employees than that. These make for 22%.

Just 16% of companies with VAs have 100 to 500 employees. Even fewer are those with 500 to 1,000 employees as well as those with less than 100. Still, the latter make up 11% of all. Apparently, companies of all sizes look for virtual assistants, albeit not equally often.

12. 65% of virtual assistants work in a private company.

(Source: Zippia)

Virtual assistant facts show that, just like VAs, private companies seem to be a thing of the future. How couldn’t they? They usually offer better conditions for their employees and are also on the lookout for remote workers more regularly.

It could also be that, because of the former, virtual assistants prefer these companies. Only 30% of them work in a public company. The remaining 5% work for educational institutions.

13. Technology is the industry with the most virtual assistants.

(Source: Zippia)

19% of companies in the technology industry have virtual assistants. The second place is tied by Fortune 500 companies and those connected to retail.

Given their success, the former sure are doing something right. In other words, having a virtual assistant is desirable. Startups are another proof of that, as 8% of them already have an assistant.

Virtual Assistant Market Research

The virtual assistant market is fairly new.

As such, there are both crucial and fun facts about it you may not have heard about.

14. The virtual assistant industry’s worth exceeds $100 billion.

(Source: Virtudesk)

That’s a pretty significant rise from 2018’s $85.7 billion. Virtual assistant facts indicate that it wasn’t until 2021 that virtual assistance took to the next level.

Not surprising at all, considering how entrepreneurship becomes more and more popular worldwide. Still, one person can’t usually do everything, so somebody has to fill the cracks… Or at least cover the mundane parts of managing a business.

15. The most in-demand virtual assistant services are marketing and sales.

(Source: Reviano)

And there’s a good reason for this. Not only do sales and marketing usually go hand in hand, but they both also consist of many smaller tasks.

Ad campaigns, SEO, copywriting, etc., are all part of the process. You may know how to handle some or most of these, but hardly anybody can do it all. That’s where virtual assistants come in. None of this is to mention that you’ll also have much more time this way. Be it for work or pleasure, who can say no to extra time? 

16. An international virtual assistants’ day actually exists.

(Source: Days Of The Year)

Rather than having a set date, it’s always set on May’s third Friday. In 2022, it’ll fall on May 20. In 2023, on May 19.

The Alliance for Virtual Businesses is responsible for this idea. They came up with it to support virtual assistants around the world, raising awareness.

17. There is at least one big virtual assistant association.

(Source: IVAA)

Simply called International Virtual Assistant Association, its goal is to further develop and educate VAs. It can also help freelancers hone their skills as well as aid people with finding their ideal assistant.

It’s likely not the only nonprofit organization of this kind, but we expect there will be even more of them. After all, this is such a sought-after job that it’s only becoming more popular.

Wrap Up

However you turn it, wherever you look, there is going to be an abundance of virtual assistants. Did you know that there even are virtual assistant companies that can lend a helping hand? Keep that in mind when looking for one, as you can use that to your advantage.

With all these virtual assistant statistics, you now at least know where to start. So, what are you waiting for? Go out there and give it a shot!