Average Nursing Assistant Salary

Salary by State

Annually

Monthly

Hourly

Annual Salary by State

State	10% Annual	25% Annual	Avg. Annual	75% Annual	90% Annual
Alabama	$18,750	$21,220	$24,590	$27,090	$31,640
Alaska	$32,860	$35,410	$40,320	$44,960	$49,750
Arizona	$26,080	$28,530	$32,640	$36,890	$40,020
Arkansas	$20,510	$22,410	$25,950	$29,200	$31,630
California	$26,870	$30,000	$36,630	$40,880	$50,070
Colorado	$26,590	$29,460	$33,980	$37,860	$40,830
Connecticut	$26,450	$29,280	$34,360	$38,610	$44,030
Delaware	$26,290	$28,230	$31,770	$35,680	$39,120
District of Columbia	$28,770	$30,080	$35,320	$39,240	$46,230
Florida	$21,090	$23,370	$27,790	$31,110	$36,600
Georgia	$19,880	$22,280	$27,890	$30,510	$36,500
Hawaii	$28,110	$31,920	$37,710	$42,470	$50,030
Idaho	$21,950	$24,740	$28,950	$32,340	$37,750
Illinois	$22,570	$25,550	$29,760	$32,760	$38,730
Indiana	$21,900	$24,810	$28,610	$31,860	$36,730
Iowa	$24,040	$26,710	$30,520	$33,550	$39,200
Kansas	$21,550	$23,930	$27,280	$30,240	$33,400
Kentucky	$20,850	$23,190	$27,280	$30,690	$35,430
Louisiana	$17,610	$19,950	$23,340	$25,610	$30,280
Maine	$24,190	$26,310	$30,770	$34,980	$38,770
Maryland	$24,710	$27,540	$32,450	$36,900	$41,760
Massachusetts	$26,960	$29,450	$35,040	$38,720	$44,930
Michigan	$24,620	$27,360	$31,220	$35,530	$39,190
Minnesota	$27,320	$30,460	$35,150	$39,420	$45,200
Mississippi	$17,970	$20,350	$23,980	$26,510	$31,060
Missouri	$19,700	$21,780	$26,490	$29,540	$35,200
Montana	$23,800	$26,890	$30,440	$34,180	$38,690
Nebraska	$23,550	$26,410	$29,920	$32,280	$37,810
Nevada	$26,140	$29,170	$34,890	$38,820	$47,980
New Hampshire	$26,600	$29,000	$33,430	$37,710	$41,870
New Jersey	$23,220	$26,740	$31,190	$35,180	$40,210
New Mexico	$20,880	$23,830	$28,850	$33,270	$38,640
New York	$26,980	$31,370	$38,810	$46,000	$51,030
North Carolina	$19,430	$22,310	$26,540	$30,360	$34,690
North Dakota	$26,920	$29,930	$34,320	$38,500	$42,500
Ohio	$21,990	$24,890	$28,690	$31,780	$37,040
Oklahoma	$20,600	$22,350	$26,030	$29,280	$33,100
Oregon	$25,760	$29,030	$34,780	$39,670	$46,570
Pennsylvania	$24,720	$27,640	$31,590	$36,070	$39,660
Rhode Island	$25,770	$28,050	$33,020	$37,340	$42,900
South Carolina	$19,970	$22,290	$26,560	$29,610	$33,350
South Dakota	$21,560	$24,180	$28,120	$31,370	$36,250
Tennessee	$20,650	$22,970	$27,250	$30,640	$35,790
Texas	$20,740	$23,090	$27,930	$31,630	$37,660
Utah	$22,110	$25,380	$28,890	$31,880	$36,770
Vermont	$25,810	$27,770	$31,710	$35,490	$39,610
Virginia	$20,870	$24,070	$29,400	$31,880	$37,900
Washington	$26,830	$29,360	$33,800	$37,820	$41,460
West Virginia	$20,840	$22,560	$26,900	$29,870	$35,590
Wisconsin	$25,010	$27,630	$31,280	$35,310	$38,920
Wyoming	$25,830	$27,770	$31,930	$35,810	$40,300
Guam	$22,320	$25,750	$29,160	$32,240	$37,360
Puerto Rico	$15,960	$16,950	$22,540	$32,670	$38,280
Virgin Islands	$25,700	$27,160	$31,150	$32,080	$44,050

Annual Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $40,320.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $40,320

New York - $38,810

Hawaii - $37,710

California - $36,630

District of Columbia - $35,320

Monthly Salary by State

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

Monthly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $3,333.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $3,333

New York - $3,167

Hawaii - $3,083

California - $3,000

Minnesota - $2,917

Hourly Salary by State

State	10% Hourly	25% Hourly	Avg. Hourly	75% Hourly	90% Hourly
Alabama	$9.01	$10.2	$11.82	$13.0	$15.2
Alaska	$15.8	$17.0	$19.38	$21.6	$23.9
Arizona	$12.5	$13.7	$15.69	$17.7	$19.2
Arkansas	$9.86	$10.7	$12.48	$14.0	$15.2
California	$12.9	$14.4	$17.61	$19.6	$24.0
Colorado	$12.7	$14.1	$16.34	$18.2	$19.6
Connecticut	$12.7	$14.0	$16.52	$18.5	$21.1
Delaware	$12.6	$13.5	$15.27	$17.1	$18.8
District of Columbia	$13.8	$14.4	$16.98	$18.8	$22.2
Florida	$10.1	$11.2	$13.36	$14.9	$17.5
Georgia	$9.56	$10.7	$13.41	$14.6	$17.5
Hawaii	$13.5	$15.3	$18.13	$20.4	$24.0
Idaho	$10.5	$11.9	$13.92	$15.5	$18.1
Illinois	$10.8	$12.2	$14.31	$15.7	$18.6
Indiana	$10.5	$11.9	$13.75	$15.3	$17.6
Iowa	$11.5	$12.8	$14.67	$16.1	$18.8
Kansas	$10.3	$11.5	$13.12	$14.5	$16.0
Kentucky	$10.0	$11.1	$13.12	$14.7	$17.0
Louisiana	$8.47	$9.59	$11.22	$12.3	$14.5
Maine	$11.6	$12.6	$14.79	$16.8	$18.6
Maryland	$11.8	$13.2	$15.60	$17.7	$20.0
Massachusetts	$12.9	$14.1	$16.84	$18.6	$21.6
Michigan	$11.8	$13.1	$15.01	$17.0	$18.8
Minnesota	$13.1	$14.6	$16.90	$18.9	$21.7
Mississippi	$8.64	$9.78	$11.53	$12.7	$14.9
Missouri	$9.47	$10.4	$12.73	$14.2	$16.9
Montana	$11.4	$12.9	$14.63	$16.4	$18.6
Nebraska	$11.3	$12.7	$14.38	$15.5	$18.1
Nevada	$12.5	$14.0	$16.77	$18.6	$23.0
New Hampshire	$12.7	$13.9	$16.07	$18.1	$20.1
New Jersey	$11.1	$12.8	$15.00	$16.9	$19.3
New Mexico	$10.0	$11.4	$13.87	$15.9	$18.5
New York	$12.9	$15.0	$18.66	$22.1	$24.5
North Carolina	$9.34	$10.7	$12.76	$14.6	$16.6
North Dakota	$12.9	$14.3	$16.50	$18.5	$20.4
Ohio	$10.5	$11.9	$13.79	$15.2	$17.8
Oklahoma	$9.91	$10.7	$12.51	$14.0	$15.9
Oregon	$12.3	$13.9	$16.72	$19.0	$22.3
Pennsylvania	$11.8	$13.2	$15.19	$17.3	$19.0
Rhode Island	$12.3	$13.4	$15.88	$17.9	$20.6
South Carolina	$9.60	$10.7	$12.77	$14.2	$16.0
South Dakota	$10.3	$11.6	$13.52	$15.0	$17.4
Tennessee	$9.93	$11.0	$13.10	$14.7	$17.2
Texas	$9.97	$11.1	$13.43	$15.2	$18.1
Utah	$10.6	$12.2	$13.89	$15.3	$17.6
Vermont	$12.4	$13.3	$15.24	$17.0	$19.0
Virginia	$10.0	$11.5	$14.13	$15.3	$18.2
Washington	$12.9	$14.1	$16.25	$18.1	$19.9
West Virginia	$10.0	$10.8	$12.93	$14.3	$17.1
Wisconsin	$12.0	$13.2	$15.04	$16.9	$18.7
Wyoming	$12.4	$13.3	$15.35	$17.2	$19.3
Guam	$10.7	$12.3	$14.02	$15.5	$17.9
Puerto Rico	$7.67	$8.15	$10.84	$15.7	$18.4
Virgin Islands	$12.3	$13.0	$14.97	$15.4	$21.1

Hourly Average Salary: Top 5 States

The top earning state in the field is Alaska, where the average salary is $19.38.

These are the top 5 earning states in the field:

Alaska - $19.38

New York - $18.66

Hawaii - $18.13

California - $17.61

District of Columbia - $16.98

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 2019 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.