Average Nursing Assistant Salary

How Much Does a Nursing Assistant Make?

On average, a Nursing Assistant make $41,270 a year. The lowest-paid 10 percent made $31,390, while the top-paid 10 percent made $50,140.

Annually National Average Salary: $41,270

$31K

$36K

$41K

$46K

$50K

10%

25%

50%

75%

90%

* Based on information from the May 2024 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	$25,890	$29,110	$32,670	$35,930	$38,770
Alaska	$41,190	$41,840	$48,550	$50,700	$59,780
Arizona	$36,460	$37,680	$43,060	$45,300	$49,890
Arkansas	$28,330	$29,670	$33,350	$36,120	$39,430
California	$39,220	$44,350	$48,790	$50,540	$59,540
Connecticut	$38,450	$39,760	$44,860	$48,110	$51,790
Delaware	$32,640	$36,280	$40,120	$43,680	$47,990
District of Columbia	$39,120	$43,120	$47,480	$50,360	$56,160
Florida	$32,690	$35,360	$38,320	$41,030	$46,080
Georgia	$28,470	$32,290	$37,090	$41,050	$46,190
Hawaii	$35,600	$39,700	$45,480	$51,110	$53,150
Idaho	$28,410	$32,620	$37,740	$44,630	$46,340
Illinois	$36,270	$38,520	$43,950	$48,110	$50,800
Indiana	$32,100	$35,650	$38,610	$42,360	$45,510
Iowa	$35,070	$36,740	$40,590	$44,710	$48,100
Kansas	$31,140	$35,280	$38,600	$41,560	$45,980
Kentucky	$29,630	$34,380	$37,960	$42,760	$46,340
Louisiana	$26,630	$28,750	$31,700	$34,450	$37,720
Maine	$37,350	$40,270	$45,500	$48,390	$54,580
Maryland	$34,330	$37,120	$42,070	$45,780	$50,030
Massachusetts	$38,380	$40,220	$46,130	$48,370	$56,340
Michigan	$35,680	$37,180	$40,210	$43,320	$45,980
Minnesota	$37,760	$39,790	$45,230	$48,100	$54,230
Mississippi	$23,570	$28,710	$31,750	$35,100	$38,790
Missouri	$30,320	$34,770	$37,650	$40,170	$44,960
Montana	$35,240	$37,040	$42,020	$46,220	$53,330
Nebraska	$35,790	$37,080	$40,830	$44,660	$47,970
Nevada	$36,250	$36,950	$44,360	$47,590	$59,070
New Hampshire	$37,400	$40,790	$47,190	$49,730	$58,530
New Jersey	$37,240	$39,650	$44,480	$47,490	$50,690
New Mexico	$30,820	$35,290	$38,320	$42,610	$46,450
New York	$37,480	$41,010	$47,530	$50,720	$59,240
North Carolina	$29,370	$34,580	$37,980	$41,820	$45,960
North Dakota	$34,620	$36,060	$42,530	$46,880	$49,970
Ohio	$34,480	$36,810	$39,840	$43,620	$46,060
Oklahoma	$29,240	$31,360	$34,900	$36,960	$41,600
Oregon	$40,180	$45,230	$49,970	$56,020	$60,500
Pennsylvania	$36,270	$37,950	$41,700	$45,070	$48,100
Rhode Island	$38,190	$39,070	$43,740	$46,790	$49,950
South Carolina	$28,980	$33,300	$35,970	$38,640	$42,730
South Dakota	$29,960	$35,010	$38,070	$41,440	$45,070
Tennessee	$30,080	$33,630	$37,040	$39,160	$44,500
Texas	$29,580	$33,090	$37,010	$39,530	$45,760
Utah	$32,910	$36,220	$39,240	$41,480	$45,980
Vermont	$35,820	$38,800	$43,610	$47,150	$51,660
Virginia	$30,220	$35,830	$40,160	$45,640	$48,520
Washington	$40,170	$44,850	$49,960	$54,780	$60,220
West Virginia	$29,850	$33,020	$36,320	$39,090	$42,210
Wisconsin	$37,040	$38,500	$43,050	$45,920	$48,200
Wyoming	$33,110	$36,980	$41,040	$46,260	$50,810
Guam	$28,820	$30,510	$34,750	$41,730	$41,730
Puerto Rico	$19,760	$19,900	$25,060	$22,180	$41,950
Virgin Islands	$28,690	$39,360	$40,970	$41,980	$49,600

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Oregon, where the average salary is $49,970.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Oregon - $49,970

Washington - $49,960

California - $48,790

Alaska - $48,550

New York - $47,530

Monthly Salary by State

State	10% Monthly	25% Monthly	Avg. Monthly	75% Monthly	90% Monthly
Alabama	$2,083	$2,417	$2,667	$2,917	$3,167
Alaska	$3,417	$3,417	$4,000	$4,167	$4,917
Arizona	$3,000	$3,083	$3,583	$3,750	$4,083
Arkansas	$2,333	$2,417	$2,750	$3,000	$3,250
California	$3,250	$3,667	$4,000	$4,167	$4,917
Connecticut	$3,167	$3,250	$3,667	$4,000	$4,250
Delaware	$2,667	$3,000	$3,333	$3,583	$3,917
District of Columbia	$3,250	$3,583	$3,917	$4,167	$4,667
Florida	$2,667	$2,917	$3,167	$3,417	$3,833
Georgia	$2,333	$2,667	$3,083	$3,417	$3,833
Hawaii	$2,917	$3,250	$3,750	$4,250	$4,417
Idaho	$2,333	$2,667	$3,083	$3,667	$3,833
Illinois	$3,000	$3,167	$3,583	$4,000	$4,167
Indiana	$2,667	$2,917	$3,167	$3,500	$3,750
Iowa	$2,917	$3,000	$3,333	$3,667	$4,000
Kansas	$2,583	$2,917	$3,167	$3,417	$3,750
Kentucky	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,500	$3,833
Louisiana	$2,167	$2,333	$2,583	$2,833	$3,083
Maine	$3,083	$3,333	$3,750	$4,000	$4,500
Maryland	$2,833	$3,083	$3,500	$3,750	$4,167
Massachusetts	$3,167	$3,333	$3,833	$4,000	$4,667
Michigan	$2,917	$3,083	$3,333	$3,583	$3,750
Minnesota	$3,083	$3,250	$3,750	$4,000	$4,500
Mississippi	$1,917	$2,333	$2,583	$2,917	$3,167
Missouri	$2,500	$2,833	$3,083	$3,333	$3,667
Montana	$2,917	$3,083	$3,500	$3,833	$4,417
Nebraska	$2,917	$3,083	$3,333	$3,667	$3,917
Nevada	$3,000	$3,000	$3,667	$3,917	$4,917
New Hampshire	$3,083	$3,333	$3,917	$4,083	$4,833
New Jersey	$3,083	$3,250	$3,667	$3,917	$4,167
New Mexico	$2,500	$2,917	$3,167	$3,500	$3,833
New York	$3,083	$3,417	$3,917	$4,167	$4,917
North Carolina	$2,417	$2,833	$3,083	$3,417	$3,750
North Dakota	$2,833	$3,000	$3,500	$3,833	$4,083
Ohio	$2,833	$3,000	$3,250	$3,583	$3,833
Oklahoma	$2,417	$2,583	$2,833	$3,000	$3,417
Oregon	$3,333	$3,750	$4,083	$4,667	$5,000
Pennsylvania	$3,000	$3,083	$3,417	$3,750	$4,000
Rhode Island	$3,167	$3,250	$3,583	$3,833	$4,083
South Carolina	$2,333	$2,750	$2,917	$3,167	$3,500
South Dakota	$2,417	$2,917	$3,167	$3,417	$3,750
Tennessee	$2,500	$2,750	$3,083	$3,250	$3,667
Texas	$2,417	$2,750	$3,083	$3,250	$3,750
Utah	$2,667	$3,000	$3,250	$3,417	$3,750
Vermont	$2,917	$3,167	$3,583	$3,917	$4,250
Virginia	$2,500	$2,917	$3,333	$3,750	$4,000
Washington	$3,333	$3,667	$4,083	$4,500	$5,000
West Virginia	$2,417	$2,750	$3,000	$3,250	$3,500
Wisconsin	$3,083	$3,167	$3,583	$3,750	$4,000
Wyoming	$2,750	$3,000	$3,417	$3,833	$4,167
Guam	$2,333	$2,500	$2,833	$3,417	$3,417
Puerto Rico	$1,583	$1,583	$2,083	$1,833	$3,417
Virgin Islands	$2,333	$3,250	$3,333	$3,417	$4,083

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Washington, where the average salary is $4,083.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Washington - $4,083

Oregon - $4,083

California - $4,000

Alaska - $4,000

New Hampshire - $3,917

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$12.45	$13.99	$15.71	$17.28	$18.64
Alaska	$19.80	$20.12	$23.34	$24.38	$28.74
Arizona	$17.53	$18.11	$20.70	$21.78	$23.99
Arkansas	$13.62	$14.26	$16.04	$17.36	$18.96
California	$18.86	$21.32	$23.46	$24.30	$28.63
Connecticut	$18.49	$19.12	$21.57	$23.13	$24.90
Delaware	$15.69	$17.44	$19.29	$21.00	$23.07
District of Columbia	$18.81	$20.73	$22.83	$24.21	$27.00
Florida	$15.72	$17.00	$18.42	$19.73	$22.15
Georgia	$13.69	$15.52	$17.83	$19.74	$22.21
Hawaii	$17.12	$19.09	$21.87	$24.57	$25.55
Idaho	$13.66	$15.68	$18.14	$21.46	$22.28
Illinois	$17.44	$18.52	$21.13	$23.13	$24.42
Indiana	$15.43	$17.14	$18.56	$20.37	$21.88
Iowa	$16.86	$17.66	$19.51	$21.49	$23.13
Kansas	$14.97	$16.96	$18.56	$19.98	$22.11
Kentucky	$14.24	$16.53	$18.25	$20.56	$22.28
Louisiana	$12.81	$13.82	$15.24	$16.56	$18.14
Maine	$17.96	$19.36	$21.88	$23.27	$26.24
Maryland	$16.50	$17.84	$20.23	$22.01	$24.06
Massachusetts	$18.45	$19.34	$22.18	$23.26	$27.09
Michigan	$17.15	$17.88	$19.33	$20.83	$22.11
Minnesota	$18.15	$19.13	$21.75	$23.13	$26.07
Mississippi	$11.33	$13.80	$15.26	$16.88	$18.65
Missouri	$14.58	$16.71	$18.10	$19.31	$21.61
Montana	$16.94	$17.81	$20.20	$22.22	$25.64
Nebraska	$17.21	$17.83	$19.63	$21.47	$23.06
Nevada	$17.43	$17.77	$21.33	$22.88	$28.40
New Hampshire	$17.98	$19.61	$22.69	$23.91	$28.14
New Jersey	$17.91	$19.06	$21.38	$22.83	$24.37
New Mexico	$14.82	$16.97	$18.42	$20.49	$22.33
New York	$18.02	$19.72	$22.85	$24.38	$28.48
North Carolina	$14.12	$16.62	$18.26	$20.11	$22.10
North Dakota	$16.64	$17.34	$20.45	$22.54	$24.03
Ohio	$16.58	$17.70	$19.16	$20.97	$22.14
Oklahoma	$14.06	$15.08	$16.78	$17.77	$20.00
Oregon	$19.32	$21.75	$24.03	$26.93	$29.09
Pennsylvania	$17.44	$18.25	$20.05	$21.67	$23.13
Rhode Island	$18.36	$18.79	$21.03	$22.50	$24.01
South Carolina	$13.93	$16.01	$17.29	$18.58	$20.54
South Dakota	$14.41	$16.83	$18.30	$19.93	$21.67
Tennessee	$14.46	$16.17	$17.81	$18.83	$21.40
Texas	$14.22	$15.91	$17.79	$19.00	$22.00
Utah	$15.82	$17.41	$18.86	$19.94	$22.11
Vermont	$17.22	$18.66	$20.97	$22.67	$24.84
Virginia	$14.53	$17.22	$19.31	$21.94	$23.33
Washington	$19.31	$21.56	$24.02	$26.34	$28.95
West Virginia	$14.35	$15.88	$17.46	$18.80	$20.29
Wisconsin	$17.81	$18.51	$20.70	$22.08	$23.18
Wyoming	$15.92	$17.78	$19.73	$22.24	$24.43
Guam	$13.86	$14.67	$16.71	$20.06	$20.06
Puerto Rico	$9.50	$9.57	$12.05	$10.66	$20.17
Virgin Islands	$13.80	$18.93	$19.70	$20.18	$23.84

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Oregon, where the average salary is $24.03.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Oregon - $24.03

Washington - $24.02

California - $23.46

Alaska - $23.34

New York - $22.85

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 2024 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.