Virtual assistant statistics 2026

These are the numbers we use when we talk to business owners about delegating. Every statistic links to its source, and we note when a figure is our own calculation. Feel free to cite this page.

How much time do business owners lose to admin?

1. 36% of an entrepreneur's working week goes on small administrative tasks, according to a Time etc and Censuswide survey of 251 US entrepreneurs (September 2023). Source: Stealth Agents summary of the survey
2. About 16 hours a week is what that 36% works out to across the survey's average 45.5-hour week. This is a calculation from the survey figures, not a reported number.
3. 22.4% of small business owners' time goes on administration plus legal and compliance work, in a UENI survey of 837 US businesses with five or fewer employees (May 2024). Source: UENI research
4. 60 hours is the median working week reported by owners in the same UENI survey.
5. 47% of US small business owners say their business spends too much time on regulatory compliance, and 73% name taxes and record-keeping as the most time-consuming areas (MetLife and US Chamber of Commerce Small Business Index, Q4 2024). Source: Stealth Agents summary
6. 32 hours a month is how long German small and medium businesses spend on legal compliance, about 7% of working hours (KfW Research, April 2025). Source: Stealth Agents summary

What do virtual assistants cost?

7. $24.40 an hour is the average rate for a US-based virtual assistant, per ZipRecruiter. Source: Stealth Agents 2026 cost research
8. $19 to $32 an hour is the typical range for US-based virtual assistants. Source: Stealth Agents
9. About $3 to $15 an hour is the typical range for virtual assistants in India, and about $3 to $12 in the Philippines. Source: Stealth Agents
10. $36 to $65 an hour is what managed US virtual assistant agencies charge, with specialist roles up to $79. Source: Stealth Agents
11. £30 to £40 an hour is typical for UK virtual assistant agencies. Source: VA Masters
12. 3 to 5% is the client marketplace fee on Upwork's Basic plan, and Fiverr takes 20% from sellers, costs that sit on top of freelancer rates. Source: Stealth Agents

What does an in-house assistant cost?

13. $48,310 a year ($23.23 an hour) is the US median wage for secretaries and administrative assistants (May 2025). Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. $76,590 a year is the US median wage for executive assistants (May 2025). Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. 30% of US private-sector employer compensation costs go on benefits on top of wages (June 2026). Source: BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation
16. About $69,000 a year is the total cost of a median US administrative assistant once benefits are added, our calculation from the two BLS figures above, before recruiting, equipment and office space.
17. £27,000 to £29,000 a year is the cost of a UK in-house assistant after employer National Insurance and overheads. Source: VA Masters

Outsourcing and hiring trends

18. 66% of US businesses outsource at least one department, and 59% say cost savings are the main reason they outsource (Zippia). Source: cited by MyOutDesk

How should you use these numbers?

Start with your own week. If admin takes even half of the 16 hours in the Time etc survey, that's around 35 hours a month, close to our 40-hour Starter plan at $399. Compare that with your own hourly value, or with the roughly $33 an hour a median in-house assistant costs once benefits are included. Our savings calculator does the maths for your tasks, and our VA vs employee guide breaks down the full comparison.