PIC processors - assembly vs. C?
Define earlier.
The 16F series is from the earlier days (20 years ago?) Back then we would write MP-ASM and C code, then I found a C++ compiler for it too.
It all depends on what you are writing and how efficient the compiler is for it.  The Hi-Tech C compiler, which I believe Microchip purchased (the whole company), was pretty darned efficient, and made really small hex files.
True, you can make smaller code by hand writing assembly, but then how long do you want to spend writing code vs. making the project as a whole?