Nursing Assistant (CNA) Salary by State
How much nursing assistants earn in each state. SOC code 31-1131 (Nursing Assistants). Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025.
- National median wage$42,260Half earn more, half less
- National mean wage$42,700Average of all workers
- Median hourly wage$20.32Mean $20.53/hour
- U.S. employment1,448,910Wage & salary jobs
- Top-paying stateWashington$52,230 mean
- States with data51 / 51Others not published by BLS
How much do nursing assistants make?
Nationally, nursing assistants earn a median of $42,260 a year and a mean of $42,700 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle half of the occupation earns between $37,260 (25th percentile) and $47,220 (75th percentile); the bottom 10% earn under $33,940 and the top 10% more than $51,980.
That median is 0.8× the median for all U.S. occupations ($50,980).
By state, the mean wage ranges from $52,230 in Washington (highest) to $32,250 in Louisiana (lowest). After adjusting the median for each state’s price level, North Dakota comes out on top at $51,483 in national-average dollars.
National pay distribution
| Percentile | Annual | Monthly | Hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $33,940 | $2,828 | $16.32 |
| 25th | $37,260 | $3,105 | $17.91 |
| Median | $42,260 | $3,522 | $20.32 |
| 75th | $47,220 | $3,935 | $22.70 |
| 90th | $51,980 | $4,332 | $24.99 |
| Mean | $42,700 | $3,558 | $20.53 |
25th and 75th percentile hourly figures are annual ÷ 2,080 hours.
Nursing Assistant (CNA) salary in every state
Click a column heading to sort. Adjusted median = median × 100 ÷ BEA regional price parity (2024).
| State | Mean wage | Median wage | Median hourly | 10th pct | 90th pct | Adjusted median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $52,230 | $49,180 | $23.65 | $42,500 | $62,660 | $45,963 | 30,270 |
| Oregon | $52,160 | $49,830 | $23.96 | $43,210 | $61,310 | $48,191 | 14,800 |
| California | $50,190 | $47,630 | $22.90 | $40,110 | $61,100 | $43,026 | 110,060 |
| New Hampshire | $49,290 | $47,870 | $23.02 | $39,140 | $59,660 | $45,940 | 7,810 |
| Alaska | $48,920 | $46,370 | $22.29 | $39,450 | $58,430 | $45,283 | 2,060 |
| New York | $48,800 | $48,590 | $23.36 | $38,450 | $59,890 | $45,032 | 87,990 |
| District of Columbia | $47,930 | $47,700 | $22.93 | $38,900 | $57,500 | $43,403 | 3,490 |
| Massachusetts | $47,700 | $46,680 | $22.44 | $39,380 | $57,880 | $44,121 | 38,130 |
| Maine | $47,510 | $47,070 | $22.63 | $39,100 | $58,120 | $48,526 | 8,540 |
| Colorado | $47,400 | $47,380 | $22.78 | $38,690 | $56,070 | $45,955 | 22,240 |
| Vermont | $46,850 | $47,130 | $22.66 | $37,620 | $59,600 | $48,092 | 3,030 |
| New Jersey | $46,810 | $46,830 | $22.52 | $38,900 | $55,140 | $43,042 | 32,400 |
| Rhode Island | $46,360 | $46,440 | $22.33 | $39,220 | $54,950 | $45,396 | 10,220 |
| Minnesota | $46,030 | $46,680 | $22.44 | $38,010 | $55,410 | $47,343 | 29,120 |
| Hawaii | $45,710 | $45,350 | $21.80 | $36,000 | $52,660 | $41,227 | 5,050 |
| Connecticut | $45,440 | $44,790 | $21.53 | $38,660 | $53,870 | $43,234 | 21,380 |
| Illinois | $45,230 | $45,960 | $22.10 | $37,590 | $54,050 | $45,960 | 68,640 |
| Nevada | $44,900 | $45,490 | $21.87 | $36,940 | $50,680 | $45,490 | 8,100 |
| Arizona | $44,820 | $44,780 | $21.53 | $37,100 | $57,820 | $44,469 | 20,320 |
| Wisconsin | $44,600 | $45,130 | $21.70 | $37,900 | $50,650 | $47,960 | 28,370 |
| Pennsylvania | $43,960 | $44,590 | $21.44 | $37,760 | $49,360 | $45,686 | 67,740 |
| North Dakota | $43,330 | $45,820 | $22.03 | $35,130 | $51,380 | $51,483 | 6,840 |
| Maryland | $43,310 | $43,240 | $20.79 | $36,060 | $49,330 | $41,181 | 27,720 |
| Montana | $43,160 | $40,900 | $19.67 | $36,780 | $49,700 | $43,235 | 4,390 |
| Nebraska | $42,390 | $40,000 | $19.23 | $37,090 | $48,980 | $44,395 | 16,450 |
| Delaware | $42,290 | $42,030 | $20.21 | $36,530 | $48,080 | $42,114 | 5,530 |
| Virginia | $42,160 | $43,200 | $20.77 | $31,560 | $50,980 | $42,730 | 40,580 |
| Iowa | $41,490 | $39,350 | $18.92 | $35,620 | $47,980 | $44,818 | 22,670 |
| Michigan | $41,490 | $39,570 | $19.03 | $36,830 | $46,740 | $41,133 | 43,290 |
| Wyoming | $41,470 | $39,160 | $18.83 | $33,390 | $49,610 | $42,244 | 2,830 |
| New Mexico | $41,400 | $39,390 | $18.94 | $34,110 | $48,340 | $42,722 | 4,750 |
| Ohio | $40,520 | $39,010 | $18.76 | $35,060 | $46,570 | $42,037 | 63,280 |
| Utah | $40,450 | $39,840 | $19.15 | $34,870 | $47,080 | $40,283 | 12,260 |
| Indiana | $40,200 | $38,330 | $18.43 | $35,390 | $46,890 | $41,083 | 33,640 |
| Kansas | $39,730 | $38,010 | $18.27 | $32,180 | $46,980 | $42,186 | 24,610 |
| South Dakota | $39,510 | $38,800 | $18.65 | $31,110 | $46,100 | $43,792 | 6,860 |
| North Carolina | $39,280 | $38,460 | $18.49 | $30,260 | $47,080 | $40,785 | 64,010 |
| Kentucky | $39,170 | $38,370 | $18.45 | $30,390 | $46,450 | $42,539 | 23,410 |
| Florida | $39,160 | $37,510 | $18.03 | $34,350 | $46,790 | $36,277 | 96,960 |
| Idaho | $39,100 | $38,650 | $18.58 | $28,380 | $47,430 | $40,471 | 7,910 |
| Texas | $38,780 | $37,500 | $18.03 | $30,620 | $47,500 | $38,620 | 88,680 |
| Georgia | $38,760 | $37,680 | $18.12 | $30,300 | $47,310 | $39,128 | 43,440 |
| Missouri | $38,410 | $37,680 | $18.11 | $31,350 | $45,260 | $41,498 | 34,050 |
| Tennessee | $38,230 | $37,990 | $18.27 | $31,110 | $44,660 | $41,338 | 27,040 |
| West Virginia | $37,490 | $36,720 | $17.66 | $31,060 | $45,290 | $41,028 | 9,390 |
| South Carolina | $37,390 | $37,220 | $17.90 | $30,460 | $44,760 | $39,723 | 21,760 |
| Oklahoma | $35,920 | $35,930 | $17.27 | $29,630 | $42,870 | $40,923 | 19,410 |
| Arkansas | $33,970 | $34,430 | $16.55 | $28,840 | $39,020 | $39,620 | 17,260 |
| Alabama | $33,670 | $34,140 | $16.41 | $28,330 | $38,680 | $38,446 | 25,250 |
| Mississippi | $32,890 | $31,520 | $15.15 | $27,050 | $38,290 | $36,230 | 14,200 |
| Louisiana | $32,250 | $30,510 | $14.67 | $27,980 | $37,390 | $34,592 | 20,690 |
Highest median pay
- Oregon — $49,830
- Washington — $49,180
- New York — $48,590
- New Hampshire — $47,870
- District of Columbia — $47,700
Lowest median pay
- Louisiana — $30,510
- Mississippi — $31,520
- Alabama — $34,140
- Arkansas — $34,430
- Oklahoma — $35,930
Best pay after cost of living
- North Dakota — $51,483
- Maine — $48,526
- Oregon — $48,191
- Vermont — $48,092
- Wisconsin — $47,960
The most nursing assistants work in California (110,060 jobs), Florida and Texas.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a nursing assistant (cna) make?
The national median wage for nursing assistants is $42,260 a year and the mean is $42,700, according to BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
Which state pays nursing assistants the most?
Washington has the highest mean wage for nursing assistants at $52,230, and Oregon has the highest median at $49,830.
Which state pays nursing assistants the least?
Louisiana has the lowest mean wage for nursing assistants among states with published data, at $32,250.
Where do nursing assistants earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state’s median wage by its BEA price level, North Dakota ranks first at $51,483 in national-average dollars, followed by Maine and Oregon.