Pay by state · 53 areas
Nursing Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Nursing Assistants earn the most in Oregon at $49,830 a year and the least in Louisiana at $30,510 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $42,260. The table below covers all 50 states, DC, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $49,830Oregon
- National median
- $42,260BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $30,510Louisiana
- Areas reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
Top and bottom
Highest- and lowest-paying states for nursing assistants
Ranked on the state median among the 50 states and DC. After cost of living, North Dakota comes out ahead instead. Territories are in the full table but not ranked here.
Highest median pay
- 1Oregon$49,830
- 2Washington$49,180
- 3New York$48,590
- 4New Hampshire$47,870
- 5District of Columbia$47,700
Lowest median pay
- 1Louisiana$30,510
- 2Mississippi$31,520
- 3Alabama$34,140
- 4Arkansas$34,430
- 5Oklahoma$35,930
All states
Nursing Assistant salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of nursing assistants OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | OROregon | $49,830 | $47,480 | $59,080 | 14,800 | $48,210 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $49,180 | $46,980 | $57,930 | 30,270 | $45,957 |
| 3 | NYNew York | $48,590 | $43,760 | $51,980 | 87,990 | $45,024 |
| 4 | NHNew Hampshire | $47,870 | $44,890 | $54,400 | 7,810 | $45,956 |
| 5 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $47,700 | $42,400 | $51,850 | 3,490 | $43,403 |
| 6 | CACalifornia | $47,630 | $45,850 | $54,800 | 110,060 | $43,018 |
| 7 | COColorado | $47,380 | $44,550 | $49,920 | 22,240 | $45,977 |
| 8 | VTVermont | $47,130 | $40,850 | $48,940 | 3,030 | $48,112 |
| 9 | MEMaine | $47,070 | $44,200 | $50,190 | 8,540 | $48,501 |
| 10 | NJNew Jersey | $46,830 | $43,950 | $48,760 | 32,400 | $43,040 |
| 11 | MAMassachusetts | $46,680 | $44,340 | $49,800 | 38,130 | $44,139 |
| 12 | MNMinnesota | $46,680 | $40,340 | $49,330 | 29,120 | $47,333 |
| 13 | RIRhode Island | $46,440 | $44,760 | $47,460 | 10,220 | $45,405 |
| 14 | AKAlaska | $46,370 | $45,120 | $52,240 | 2,060 | $45,301 |
| 15 | ILIllinois | $45,960 | $39,420 | $48,380 | 68,640 | $45,979 |
| 16 | NDNorth Dakota | $45,820 | $36,410 | $47,950 | 6,840 | $51,507 |
| 17 | NVNevada | $45,490 | $39,100 | $47,990 | 8,100 | $45,500 |
| 18 | HIHawaii | $45,350 | $40,060 | $50,440 | 5,050 | $41,246 |
| 19 | WIWisconsin | $45,130 | $39,580 | $47,320 | 28,370 | $47,962 |
| 20 | CTConnecticut | $44,790 | $41,900 | $47,180 | 21,380 | $43,229 |
| 21 | AZArizona | $44,780 | $38,320 | $46,630 | 20,320 | $44,479 |
| 22 | PAPennsylvania | $44,590 | $39,270 | $46,850 | 67,740 | $45,700 |
| 23 | MDMaryland | $43,240 | $38,400 | $45,760 | 27,720 | $41,197 |
| 24 | VAVirginia | $43,200 | $37,020 | $46,930 | 40,580 | $42,728 |
| 25 | DEDelaware | $42,030 | $38,490 | $45,210 | 5,530 | $42,111 |
| 26 | MTMontana | $40,900 | $38,040 | $47,550 | 4,390 | $43,214 |
| 27 | NENebraska | $40,000 | $38,030 | $46,410 | 16,450 | $44,394 |
| 28 | UTUtah | $39,840 | $37,040 | $44,350 | 12,260 | $40,298 |
| 29 | MIMichigan | $39,570 | $38,160 | $44,910 | 43,290 | $41,126 |
| 30 | NMNew Mexico | $39,390 | $37,310 | $45,410 | 4,750 | $42,717 |
| 31 | IAIowa | $39,350 | $37,360 | $45,650 | 22,670 | $44,837 |
| 32 | WYWyoming | $39,160 | $37,180 | $47,340 | 2,830 | $42,248 |
| 33 | OHOhio | $39,010 | $37,300 | $44,590 | 63,280 | $42,048 |
| 34 | SDSouth Dakota | $38,800 | $36,830 | $43,940 | 6,860 | $43,799 |
| 35 | IDIdaho | $38,650 | $36,300 | $46,250 | 7,910 | $40,474 |
| 36 | NCNorth Carolina | $38,460 | $35,950 | $43,850 | 64,010 | $40,773 |
| 37 | KYKentucky | $38,370 | $36,150 | $44,120 | 23,410 | $42,558 |
| 38 | INIndiana | $38,330 | $37,020 | $44,420 | 33,640 | $41,070 |
| 39 | KSKansas | $38,010 | $36,210 | $44,170 | 24,610 | $42,201 |
| 40 | TNTennessee | $37,990 | $35,560 | $40,880 | 27,040 | $41,352 |
| 41 | GAGeorgia | $37,680 | $35,490 | $42,980 | 43,440 | $39,131 |
| 42 | MOMissouri | $37,680 | $35,400 | $41,600 | 34,050 | $41,490 |
| 43 | FLFlorida | $37,510 | $36,040 | $42,310 | 96,960 | $36,272 |
| 44 | TXTexas | $37,500 | $35,300 | $43,070 | 88,680 | $38,637 |
| 45 | VIU.S. Virgin Islands | $37,240 | $37,240 | $40,090 | 110 | N/A |
| 46 | SCSouth Carolina | $37,220 | $34,960 | $39,690 | 21,760 | $39,702 |
| 47 | WVWest Virginia | $36,720 | $35,460 | $38,410 | 9,390 | $41,029 |
| 48 | OKOklahoma | $35,930 | $32,900 | $38,250 | 19,410 | $40,903 |
| 49 | ARArkansas | $34,430 | $30,200 | $36,070 | 17,260 | $39,603 |
| 50 | ALAlabama | $34,140 | $30,060 | $36,390 | 25,250 | $38,436 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $31,520 | $29,520 | $35,200 | 14,200 | $36,249 |
| 52 | LALouisiana | $30,510 | $29,070 | $35,100 | 20,690 | $34,589 |
| 53 | PRPuerto Rico | $22,850 | $21,840 | $37,310 | 430 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For nursing assistants, that changes the ranking: Oregon leads on raw pay at $49,830, while North Dakota leads once prices are taken into account at $51,507.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Nursing Assistant pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays nursing assistants the most?
Oregon reports the highest median wage for nursing assistants at $49,830 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($49,180) and New York ($48,590).
Which state pays nursing assistants the least?
Among the 50 states and DC, Louisiana reports the lowest median for nursing assistants at $30,510 a year, $19,320 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Among the territories, U.S. Virgin Islands reports $37,240 and Puerto Rico reports $22,850.
Is the highest-paying state the best for nursing assistants after cost of living?
Not on this data. Oregon pays the most on paper ($49,830) but ranks 3rd of 51 once each median is divided by the state's BEA Regional Price Parity ($48,210). North Dakota leads after that adjustment at $51,507, from a raw median of $45,820. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; the adjustment is NueCareer's calculation.