Average Nursing Assistant Salary

How Much Does a Nursing Assistant Make?

On average, a Nursing Assistant make $33,250 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $23,880, while the top-paid 10 percent made $44,240.

Annually National Average Salary: $33,250

$23K

$28K

$33K

$37K

$44K

10%

25%

50%

75%

90%

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS.

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$22,230	$23,150	$26,590	$29,590	$30,270
Alaska	$36,590	$37,380	$43,080	$47,520	$55,520
Arizona	$28,900	$29,690	$34,610	$37,460	$37,980
Arkansas	$23,000	$23,540	$27,840	$29,490	$35,010
California	$30,230	$35,680	$39,760	$44,740	$49,040
Colorado	$29,370	$30,230	$35,210	$37,680	$38,500
Connecticut	$29,100	$29,960	$36,110	$37,750	$46,330
Delaware	$28,910	$29,770	$34,240	$37,380	$38,140
District of Columbia	$31,270	$36,710	$39,390	$46,540	$47,520
Florida	$23,050	$27,780	$29,840	$30,230	$37,020
Georgia	$22,440	$23,460	$30,600	$32,870	$40,730
Hawaii	$29,000	$29,380	$36,680	$38,130	$47,520
Idaho	$23,970	$28,150	$30,380	$30,410	$37,090
Illinois	$28,280	$29,420	$33,230	$36,840	$37,460
Indiana	$24,180	$28,770	$31,110	$35,890	$37,460
Iowa	$28,720	$28,990	$32,440	$36,360	$37,750
Kansas	$23,070	$28,280	$29,730	$31,700	$36,520
Kentucky	$22,750	$24,480	$29,290	$30,640	$36,420
Louisiana	$18,520	$22,440	$25,840	$28,940	$29,830
Maine	$29,100	$29,620	$34,360	$37,150	$38,750
Maryland	$27,990	$29,360	$34,040	$37,190	$43,650
Massachusetts	$29,920	$31,320	$37,680	$38,040	$47,280
Michigan	$28,900	$29,690	$33,790	$37,460	$38,080
Minnesota	$29,160	$32,050	$36,730	$37,920	$46,490
Mississippi	$22,300	$22,750	$25,690	$28,740	$29,840
Missouri	$22,810	$24,240	$29,520	$30,260	$36,590
Montana	$28,770	$28,930	$32,050	$36,430	$37,460
Nebraska	$28,520	$29,130	$32,380	$36,510	$37,700
Nevada	$28,900	$29,390	$35,820	$37,710	$46,180
New Hampshire	$29,130	$30,160	$36,070	$37,750	$45,850
New Jersey	$29,130	$29,960	$35,830	$37,750	$44,630
New Mexico	$23,400	$28,680	$31,620	$36,360	$38,290
New York	$29,620	$36,360	$40,680	$46,950	$47,800
North Carolina	$22,610	$24,240	$29,410	$33,050	$37,250
North Dakota	$29,130	$29,780	$36,070	$37,500	$46,330
Ohio	$23,910	$28,900	$31,330	$36,280	$37,400
Oklahoma	$22,720	$23,650	$27,850	$29,620	$33,240
Oregon	$29,690	$35,620	$38,830	$45,850	$47,520
Pennsylvania	$28,510	$29,640	$34,190	$37,270	$39,600
Rhode Island	$29,610	$29,960	$35,610	$37,620	$46,210
South Carolina	$22,830	$23,960	$29,260	$29,780	$36,330
South Dakota	$23,150	$28,800	$29,660	$30,090	$36,800
Tennessee	$22,960	$23,950	$28,900	$29,870	$36,520
Texas	$23,260	$27,910	$30,620	$34,150	$37,710
Utah	$23,440	$28,680	$30,630	$34,720	$37,460
Vermont	$29,130	$29,550	$34,600	$37,280	$42,410
Virginia	$23,130	$28,380	$30,890	$36,190	$37,750
Washington	$29,930	$35,050	$38,270	$43,080	$46,550
West Virginia	$22,970	$24,240	$29,560	$30,230	$37,500
Wisconsin	$28,820	$29,680	$33,870	$37,250	$37,990
Wyoming	$28,900	$29,300	$33,430	$36,710	$38,790
Guam	$21,300	$22,840	$27,830	$30,260	$37,250
Puerto Rico	$16,510	$16,870	$19,070	$18,480	$21,980
Virgin Islands	$27,020	$30,260	$35,270	$37,090	$47,590

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $43,080.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $43,080

New York - $40,680

California - $39,760

District of Columbia - $39,390

Oregon - $38,830

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$1,833	$1,917	$2,167	$2,417	$2,500
Alaska	$3,000	$3,083	$3,583	$3,917	$4,583
Arizona	$2,333	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,083
Arkansas	$1,917	$1,917	$2,250	$2,417	$2,917
California	$2,500	$2,917	$3,250	$3,667	$4,083
Colorado	$2,417	$2,500	$2,917	$3,083	$3,167
Connecticut	$2,417	$2,417	$3,000	$3,083	$3,833
Delaware	$2,333	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,167
District of Columbia	$2,583	$3,000	$3,250	$3,833	$3,917
Florida	$1,917	$2,250	$2,417	$2,500	$3,083
Georgia	$1,833	$1,917	$2,500	$2,667	$3,333
Hawaii	$2,417	$2,417	$3,000	$3,167	$3,917
Idaho	$1,917	$2,333	$2,500	$2,500	$3,083
Illinois	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,000	$3,083
Indiana	$2,000	$2,333	$2,583	$2,917	$3,083
Iowa	$2,333	$2,333	$2,667	$3,000	$3,083
Kansas	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$2,583	$3,000
Kentucky	$1,833	$2,000	$2,417	$2,500	$3,000
Louisiana	$1,500	$1,833	$2,083	$2,333	$2,417
Maine	$2,417	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,167
Maryland	$2,250	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,583
Massachusetts	$2,417	$2,583	$3,083	$3,167	$3,917
Michigan	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,083	$3,167
Minnesota	$2,417	$2,667	$3,000	$3,083	$3,833
Mississippi	$1,833	$1,833	$2,083	$2,333	$2,417
Missouri	$1,833	$2,000	$2,417	$2,500	$3,000
Montana	$2,333	$2,333	$2,667	$3,000	$3,083
Nebraska	$2,333	$2,417	$2,667	$3,000	$3,083
Nevada	$2,333	$2,417	$2,917	$3,083	$3,833
New Hampshire	$2,417	$2,500	$3,000	$3,083	$3,750
New Jersey	$2,417	$2,417	$2,917	$3,083	$3,667
New Mexico	$1,917	$2,333	$2,583	$3,000	$3,167
New York	$2,417	$3,000	$3,333	$3,833	$3,917
North Carolina	$1,833	$2,000	$2,417	$2,750	$3,083
North Dakota	$2,417	$2,417	$3,000	$3,083	$3,833
Ohio	$1,917	$2,333	$2,583	$3,000	$3,083
Oklahoma	$1,833	$1,917	$2,250	$2,417	$2,750
Oregon	$2,417	$2,917	$3,167	$3,750	$3,917
Pennsylvania	$2,333	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,250
Rhode Island	$2,417	$2,417	$2,917	$3,083	$3,833
South Carolina	$1,833	$1,917	$2,417	$2,417	$3,000
South Dakota	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$2,500	$3,000
Tennessee	$1,833	$1,917	$2,333	$2,417	$3,000
Texas	$1,917	$2,250	$2,500	$2,833	$3,083
Utah	$1,917	$2,333	$2,500	$2,833	$3,083
Vermont	$2,417	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,500
Virginia	$1,917	$2,333	$2,500	$3,000	$3,083
Washington	$2,417	$2,917	$3,167	$3,583	$3,833
West Virginia	$1,833	$2,000	$2,417	$2,500	$3,083
Wisconsin	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,083	$3,083
Wyoming	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,000	$3,167
Guam	$1,750	$1,833	$2,250	$2,500	$3,083
Puerto Rico	$1,333	$1,333	$1,583	$1,500	$1,750
Virgin Islands	$2,250	$2,500	$2,917	$3,083	$3,917

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $3,583.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $3,583

New York - $3,333

District of Columbia - $3,250

California - $3,250

Oregon - $3,167

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$10.69	$11.13	$12.78	$14.23	$14.55
Alaska	$17.59	$17.97	$20.71	$22.85	$26.69
Arizona	$13.89	$14.28	$16.64	$18.01	$18.26
Arkansas	$11.06	$11.32	$13.38	$14.18	$16.83
California	$14.53	$17.15	$19.12	$21.51	$23.58
Colorado	$14.12	$14.53	$16.93	$18.11	$18.51
Connecticut	$13.99	$14.40	$17.36	$18.15	$22.28
Delaware	$13.90	$14.31	$16.46	$17.97	$18.34
District of Columbia	$15.03	$17.65	$18.94	$22.37	$22.85
Florida	$11.08	$13.36	$14.35	$14.53	$17.80
Georgia	$10.79	$11.28	$14.71	$15.80	$19.58
Hawaii	$13.94	$14.13	$17.64	$18.33	$22.85
Idaho	$11.53	$13.54	$14.61	$14.62	$17.83
Illinois	$13.59	$14.14	$15.97	$17.71	$18.01
Indiana	$11.63	$13.83	$14.96	$17.26	$18.01
Iowa	$13.81	$13.94	$15.60	$17.48	$18.15
Kansas	$11.09	$13.60	$14.30	$15.24	$17.56
Kentucky	$10.94	$11.77	$14.08	$14.73	$17.51
Louisiana	$8.90	$10.79	$12.43	$13.91	$14.34
Maine	$13.99	$14.24	$16.52	$17.86	$18.63
Maryland	$13.46	$14.12	$16.37	$17.88	$20.99
Massachusetts	$14.38	$15.06	$18.12	$18.29	$22.73
Michigan	$13.89	$14.28	$16.25	$18.01	$18.31
Minnesota	$14.02	$15.41	$17.66	$18.23	$22.35
Mississippi	$10.72	$10.94	$12.35	$13.82	$14.35
Missouri	$10.97	$11.65	$14.19	$14.55	$17.59
Montana	$13.83	$13.91	$15.41	$17.52	$18.01
Nebraska	$13.71	$14.01	$15.57	$17.55	$18.12
Nevada	$13.89	$14.13	$17.22	$18.13	$22.20
New Hampshire	$14.01	$14.50	$17.34	$18.15	$22.04
New Jersey	$14.01	$14.40	$17.23	$18.15	$21.46
New Mexico	$11.25	$13.79	$15.20	$17.48	$18.41
New York	$14.24	$17.48	$19.56	$22.57	$22.98
North Carolina	$10.87	$11.65	$14.14	$15.89	$17.91
North Dakota	$14.01	$14.32	$17.34	$18.03	$22.28
Ohio	$11.49	$13.89	$15.06	$17.44	$17.98
Oklahoma	$10.93	$11.37	$13.39	$14.24	$15.98
Oregon	$14.28	$17.13	$18.67	$22.04	$22.85
Pennsylvania	$13.71	$14.25	$16.44	$17.92	$19.04
Rhode Island	$14.23	$14.40	$17.12	$18.09	$22.22
South Carolina	$10.98	$11.52	$14.07	$14.32	$17.47
South Dakota	$11.13	$13.85	$14.26	$14.47	$17.69
Tennessee	$11.04	$11.51	$13.89	$14.36	$17.56
Texas	$11.18	$13.42	$14.72	$16.42	$18.13
Utah	$11.27	$13.79	$14.72	$16.69	$18.01
Vermont	$14.01	$14.21	$16.63	$17.92	$20.39
Virginia	$11.12	$13.65	$14.85	$17.40	$18.15
Washington	$14.39	$16.85	$18.40	$20.71	$22.38
West Virginia	$11.04	$11.65	$14.21	$14.53	$18.03
Wisconsin	$13.86	$14.27	$16.28	$17.91	$18.27
Wyoming	$13.89	$14.09	$16.07	$17.65	$18.65
Guam	$10.24	$10.98	$13.38	$14.55	$17.91
Puerto Rico	$7.94	$8.11	$9.17	$8.89	$10.57
Virgin Islands	$12.99	$14.55	$16.96	$17.83	$22.88

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $20.71.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $20.71

New York - $19.56

California - $19.12

District of Columbia - $18.94

Oregon - $18.67

Nursing Assistants: Salary Overview

Nursing assistants work under the supervision of licensed practical or vocational nurses and registered nurses and help patients with daily activities.

Their job description typically includes cleaning and bathing patients, helping patients when using the toilet and dressing, recording patients’ health concerns, measuring their vital signs, serving meals, and helping patients eat.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual wage for nursing assistants was $29,660 in May 2019 which means that half of all workers in this profession earned less than this amount while half earned more.

Salaries for this profession vary depending on a wide range of factors, including experience level, education, and industry of employment.

The top 10 percent earned more than $40,620 while the lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,960.

Nursing Assistant Salary by Industry

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing assistants held approximately 1.5 million jobs in the United States in 2018, most of them working for nursing care facilities or for hospitals.

The average annual wage reported by nursing assistants who worked in nursing care facilities was $29,650 while those who worked for general medical and surgical hospitals reportedly earned $32,540 per year on average.

Nursing assistants who worked for continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly reportedly earned $29,100 per year, on average.

The average annual wage was $29,310 for nursing assistants employed in the field of home health care services and $28,070 for those who worked in industrial and family services.

According to the BLS report, the top-paying industries for nursing assistants were scientific research and development services, the federal executive branch, and junior colleges.

Nursing assistants who worked in research reportedly earned $42,210 while those employed in the federal executive branch earned around $39,090 on average.

The average annual wage reported by nursing assistants who worked for junior colleges was $38,970.

Salaries for nursing assistants also vary based on the region and the state of employment.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the highest average annual wage was reported by nursing assistants in Alaska- a state where the mean wage was $40,320.

Other top-paying states for this profession are New York, Hawaii, California, and the District of Columbia- states where average annual wages were above $35,000.

Nursing assistants in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana earned wages that were below $25,000, on average.

Nursing Assistant Salary by Experience Level and Education

Nursing assistants often need a state-issued license or certification but exact requirements vary by state.

A nursing assistant who holds a certificate is called a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).

Some states also offer nursing assistants the possibility of becoming a Certified Medication Assistant (CMA).

This additional credential allows them to dispense medication.

Earning additional certifications can improve a nursing assistant’s salary.

Salaries for nursing assistants also vary depending on the experience level.

According to nursejournal.org, entry-level Certified Nursing Assistants earned $23,440 per year while those in their late-career reportedly earned $28,580 per year.

Certified Nursing Assistants in their early career earned $24,420.

Mid-career CNAs reportedly earned $25,710 annually while experienced CNAs earned $26,960 per year, on average.

Job Prospects

Employment for nursing assistants is projected to grow 9 percent from 2018 to 2028.

This growth is explained, in part by the fact that the baby boom generation ages and they are more likely to need medical assistance.

Nursing assistants will be needed to care for patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes or heart diseases but also to care for patients in nursing and residential care facilities.

However, this demand is sensitive to fluctuations in government funding.

Many nursing homes rely on such funding and cuts in government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid may affect patients’ ability to pay.

* Based on information from the May 2021 salary report from the BLS. The figures represent accumulated data for all states of employment for Nursing Assistants. BLS data represents averages and medians for workers at all levels of education and experience. This data doesn't represent starting salaries.

* Employment conditions in your area may vary.