Nursing Assistant Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

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.

The median hourly wage for nursing assistants is $20.32 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $42,260 annual median works out to about $3,520 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of nursing assistants earn less than $33,940 a year and the bottom quarter less than $37,260 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

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.

BLS does not split nursing assistants' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $51,980, against a median of $42,260 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Oregon ($49,830), Washington ($49,180), New York ($48,590).

Not a degree, but you do need credentialed training: BLS lists a postsecondary non-degree award (a certificate or license program) 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 or the equivalent (such as a ged).

It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 2.6% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 196,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

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.

Yes, for most. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 15% of nursing assistants usually work more than 40 hours a week, 62% work exactly 40 and 23% work fewer. 89% say their schedule is regular and 6% irregular, and 6% work seasonally. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

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 1,731 careers in the bank.

At least 75 clock hours. Federal rules require that an approved nurse aide training and competency evaluation program consist of no less than 75 clock hours, include at least 16 hours of supervised practical training, and cover at least 16 hours of communication and interpersonal skills, infection control, safety and emergency procedures, promoting residents' independence and respecting residents' rights before any direct contact with a resident. Because the regulation states these as minimums, state programs can be longer.

Yes, and it is issued by the state you work in, not nationally. The credential is issued and titled by the state. BLS notes that in some states a nursing assistant is called a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) but titles vary by state. What varies: the number of training hours above the federal 75-hour floor, the format and passing standard of the competency evaluation, whether the state requires continuing education, criminal background checks, and the operation of the state registry itself. Registry listing is what a nursing home must verify before letting you work.

The Nurse aide competency evaluation. Every approved nurse aide training program must contain the competency evaluation procedures set out in the federal regulation. It is taken after the training program, and passing it is what places you on the state nurse aide registry and lets you use the state's title. The exam's name and format are set at state level, not nationally.

Women make up 86.9% of nursing assistants, against 47.1% of all employed people: a female-dominated occupation. 19.9% are 55 or older, close to the 23.2% across all jobs. The median worker is 39.6 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.