Pay by state · 53 states
Nursing Assistant Salary by State (2026)
Nursing Assistants earn the most in Oregon at $49,830 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $22,850 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $42,260. All 53 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $49,830Oregon
- National median
- $42,260BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $22,850Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 53of 54 OEWS areas
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?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Nursing Assistants at $22,850 a year, $26,980 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Nursing Assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts North Dakota first at $51,507 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $45,820. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.