How much money do nursing assistants make per year or per hour? Has the average salary for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) grown in recent years?
To answer these questions, let’s examine the latest data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. [1,2]
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) Salary
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in the United States, the average salary for nursing assistants (CNAs) was $32,050, and the average hourly age was $15.41 in 2020.
Keep in mind that those salary figures are only national averages, and you could make more or less depending on your location, industry, education, experience, and more.
Nursing Assistant Median Salary
The median salary for CNAs (nursing assistants) was $30,850 per year or $14.83 per hour.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics also publishes percentile estimates for CAN salary data.
- 10th percentile: $22,750 / $10.94
- 25th percentile: $26,650 / $12.81
- 50th percentile: $30,850 / $14.83
- 75th percentile: $36,990 / $17.78
- 90th percentile: $42,110 / $20.25
If you earned $42,110 in 2020, you were in the 90th percentile for nursing assistant earnings, which means that you earned more than 90% of the nursing assistants in the U.S.
Nursing Assistant Salary Growth
Here’s a quick look at the salary growth for nursing assistants over the past few years. What’s interesting about this data is that the nursing assistant salary has grown steadily from year to year. In some of the other salary articles, there would be a huge bump or decline in growth rate during certain years, but each year has seen a steady growth from the previous year.
The biggest percentage increase in salary for the nursing assistant was in 2020, which saw a 4.33% growth in salary and hourly wage rate from 2019. Interestingly, I have read some of the comments from CNAs talking about how they have been able to earn a lot more recently than in previous years due to the COVID-19 chaos. One commenter wrote that she was earning $35 per hour, and others were earning even more after overtime, travel assignments, and bonus perks.
Highest and Lowest Paying States for Nursing Assistants
Now let’s take a look at the average CNA salary for each state. Looking at the map below, you can see which states paid the most on average, represented in the darker shades of purple, and which states paid less on average, represented in the lighter shades.
The highest paying state was Alaska, which paid nursing assistants an average salary of $42,500 and an hourly wage of $20.43. However, Alaska only employed some 1,800 nursing assistants. The second highest paying state was New York, which paid an average salary of $40,620 and an hourly wage of $19.53. They also employed some 81,440 nursing assistants.
The lowest paying state was Louisiana, which employed a modest number of CNAs (21,030) and paid an average salary of $24,300 and an hourly wage of $11.68. The second lowest paying state was Mississippi, which paid an average salary of $24,400 and an hourly wage of $11.73 to their nursing assistants. This state also employed some 13,010 CNAs.
Nursing Assistant Salary in Every State
Here is a list of the average pay rates for certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in each state, along with the estimated employment numbers. California, Florida, and New York had the highest employment level for nursing assistant, whereas Alaska, Vermont, and Wyoming had the lowest employment level.
And I do always like to remind everyone that you can’t just look at salary numbers alone. You also have to consider the cost and quality of living in each state as well.
State/TerritoryEmploymentHourly wageSalaryAlabama21,470$12.31$25,600Alaska1,800$20.43$42,500Arizona15,830$16.17$33,630Arkansas18,560$12.76$26,550California97,970$18.89$39,280Colorado21,310$16.57$34,470Connecticut21,370$17.02$35,400Delaware4,930$15.86$32,980District of Columbia3,290$17.78$36,980Florida84,520$13.78$28,660Georgia33,520$14.88$30,950Guam320$14.02$29,160Hawaii4,050$18.58$38,650Idaho6,600$14.12$29,370Illinois56,330$14.98$31,160Indiana30,120$14.24$29,610Iowa22,520$15.13$31,480Kansas21,790$13.71$28,510Kentucky20,310$13.45$27,980Louisiana21,030$11.68$24,300Maine9,140$15.71$32,670Maryland27,430$16.27$33,840Massachusetts40,550$17.86$37,160Michigan48,610$15.40$32,030Minnesota28,260$17.33$36,040Mississippi13,010$11.73$24,400Missouri34,880$13.33$27,720Montana5,110$15.25$31,720Nebraska13,390$14.79$30,770Nevada7,030$16.48$34,280New Hampshire7,600$16.61$34,550New Jersey44,560$15.88$33,030New Mexico4,980$14.56$30,290New York81,440$19.53$40,620North Carolina53,900$13.37$27,800North Dakota7,930$17.07$35,510Ohio63,290$14.28$29,710Oklahoma19,930$13.09$27,220Oregon12,320$17.83$37,100Pennsylvania71,880$15.65$32,560Puerto Rico820$10.75$22,350Rhode Island9,110$16.48$34,280South Carolina17,710$13.35$27,760South Dakota6,150$13.88$28,870Tennessee28,730$13.43$27,940Texas75,690$13.97$29,050Utah12,050$14.54$30,240Vermont2,460$16.08$33,450Virgin Islands100$18.31$38,080Virginia41,560$14.18$29,490Washington34,420$17.46$36,310West Virginia7,350$13.56$28,200Wisconsin30,460$15.66$32,560Wyoming2,810$15.94$33,160Highest and Lowest Paying Cities for Nursing Assistants
Now let’s examine the highest and lowest paying cities and surrounding metropolitan or non-metropolitan areas for nursing assistants. Again, when looking at the map below, you can see that the highest paying areas are in darker purple and the lower paying areas are in lighter purple. A few areas, represented in white, did not have data available from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The highest paying city and surrounding area was the San Francisco, Oakland, Hayward, California area, which paid an average salary of $48,420 and an hourly wage of $23.28. This area also employed some 10,410 nursing assistants.
The lowest paying area was the Northeast Louisiana non-metropolitan area, which paid an average salary of $20,160 and an hourly wage of $9.69. The employment estimate for this area was 1,850.
Here’s a short list of the highest and lowest paying areas for nursing assistants. There are over 500 areas reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and I’ve listed all of those in our “top paying cities for nursing assistants” article.
Top Paying Industries for Nursing Assistants
Let’s shift gears now and look at the industries that paid the highest average salary to nursing assistants. “Junior Colleges” paid the highest salary, offering nursing assistants an average of $49,250 per year or $23.68 per hour. However, take a look at the employment number: only 120 were estimated to work in that industry.
IndustryEmploymentHourly mean wageAnnual mean wageJunior Colleges120$ 23.68$ 49,250Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools5,560$ 21.57$ 44,870Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)15,790$ 19.81$ 41,210Scientific Research and Development Services670$ 19.05$ 39,630Outpatient Care Centers12,940$ 18.47$ 38,420Industries with the Highest Employment of Nursing Assistants
Finally, let’s look at the industries that actually employed the majority of nursing assistants. As you might expect, “Nursing Care Facilities” was the industry with the highest employment level for CNAs, employing an estimated 527,480 nursing assistants. This industry offered an average salary of $31,000 and an average hourly wage of $14.90.