State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Nursing Assistant Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Nursing Assistants is $42,260 a year ($20.32/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 2.3% through 2034, with about 204,100 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: Postsecondary nondegree award.
SOC 31-1131Healthcare SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $42,260
- Projected growth
- +2.3%
- Openings a year
- 204,100
- Typical education
- Certificate
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Certified Medication Aide (CMA), Certified Nurse Aide (CNA), Certified Nurses Aide (CNA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA), Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA), Nurses' Aide.
How much do Nursing Assistants make?
10th percentile$33,940
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$37,260
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$42,260
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$47,220
Upper quartile
90th percentile$51,980
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $42,260 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $20.32/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $42,700 |
| People employed | 1,448,910 |
Versus all US occupations
At $42,260, Nursing Assistants earn 17% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $8,720 a year.
Versus healthcare support occupations
Inside the Healthcare Support group, where the middle occupation pays $44,910, this is 6% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $51,980 or more while the bottom 10% earn $33,940, a gap of 1.5×. That is a narrow spread, so experience and employer move pay less than in most occupations.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 13% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Oregon posts the highest raw median ($49,830), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $51,507 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Nursing Assistants the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $49,830 | $48,210 | 14,800 |
| Washington | $49,180 | $45,957 | 30,270 |
| New York | $48,590 | $45,024 | 87,990 |
| New Hampshire | $47,870 | $45,956 | 7,810 |
| District of Columbia | $47,700 | $43,403 | 3,490 |
| California | $47,630 | $43,018 | 110,060 |
| Colorado | $47,380 | $45,977 | 22,240 |
| Vermont | $47,130 | $48,112 | 3,030 |
| Maine | $47,070 | $48,501 | 8,540 |
| New Jersey | $46,830 | $43,040 | 32,400 |
Is Nursing Assistant a growing career?
Nursing Assistants2.3%
All US occupations3.1%
+2.3% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Nursing Assistants to change 2.3% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 32,600 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 204,100 openings are projected each year, 14.2% of the 1,441,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of nursing assistants and orderlies is projected to show little or no change from 2024 to 2034.
Despite limited employment growth, about 211,800 openings for nursing assistants and orderlies are projected each year, on average, over the decade.
Most of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
As the population ages, nursing assistants and orderlies will be needed to help care for an increasing number of older people who have chronic or progressive diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
How to become a Nursing Assistant
Nursing assistants typically must complete a state-approved education program and pass their state’s competency exam. Orderlies typically have at least a high school diploma or equivalent.
| Typical entry-level education | Postsecondary nondegree award |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | None |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as nursing assistants.
- High School Diploma38.7%
- Post-Secondary Certificate24.0%
- Some College Courses12.2%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)9.8%
- Bachelor's Degree6.1%
What does a Nursing Assistant do?
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
Nursing assistants, sometimes called nursing aides, provide basic care and help patients with activities of daily living. Orderlies transport patients and clean treatment areas.
Day-to-day tasks
- Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
- Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
- Communicate with patients to ascertain feelings or need for assistance or social and emotional support.
- Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
- Change bed linens or make beds.
- Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- Observe or examine patients to detect symptoms that may require medical attention, such as bruises, open wounds, or blood in urine.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where nursing assistants work
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities) | 35% |
|---|---|
| Hospitals; state, local, and private | 33% |
| Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly | 11% |
| Home healthcare services | 5% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.6/5
- Monitoring3.3/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Speaking3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Active Learning2.9/5
- Writing2.8/5
- Learning Strategies2.4/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.6/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
- Time Management2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.6/5
- Instructing2.5/5
- Operations Monitoring2.3/5
Tools and software
- Business intelligence and data analysis software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Billing and invoicing software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Internet browser software
- Video conferencing software
- Video creation and editing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Nursing Assistant?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.6
Investigative2.7
Artistic1.0
Socialprimary5.7
Enterprising1.8
Conventionalprimary4.2
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Nursing Assistant: frequently asked questions
How much do Nursing Assistants make?
Nursing Assistants earn a median of $42,260 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 17% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $20.32/hr. The middle half earn between $37,260 and $47,220. The top 10% earn $51,980 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Nursing Assistant?
Not a degree, but you do need credentialled training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or licence programme) as the typical entry route for Nursing Assistants. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 38.7% hold high school diploma.
Is Nursing Assistant a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.3% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 204,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Nursing Assistant do?
Nursing assistants, sometimes called nursing aides, provide basic care and help patients with activities of daily living. A core O*NET task: provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising. Employers most often ask for Business intelligence and data analysis software, Electronic mail software, Medical software.
Which states pay Nursing Assistants the most?
The highest state medians for Nursing Assistants are Oregon ($49,830), Washington ($49,180), New York ($48,590) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $51,507.
What personality type suits a Nursing Assistant?
O*NET scores Nursing Assistants highest on the Social, Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.