How much do CNAs make?

CNA salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Nursing Assistants (SOC 31-1131) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

CNAs in the US earned a median of $42,260 a year ($20.32 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $37,260 to $47,220.

Median annual pay: $42,260; Mean $42,700
Median hourly pay: $20.32; Mean $20.53
Typical range (10th–90th): $33.9K–$52.0K; $33,940 to $51,980
US jobs: 1,448,910; +2.6% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a CNA: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: North Dakota

CNA pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$33,940
25th percentile$37,260
Median$42,260
75th percentile$47,220
90th percentile$51,980

Half of all CNAs earned more than $42,260 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $33,940; the top 10% made over $51,980. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $37,260 to $47,220.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$33,940	$16.32	$2,828
25th	$37,260	$17.91	$3,105
Median (50th)	$42,260	$20.32	$3,522
75th	$47,220	$22.70	$3,935
90th	$51,980	$24.99	$4,332
Mean (average)	$42,700	$20.53	$3,558

CNA salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for CNAs by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Oregon $49,830
2. Washington $49,180
3. New York $48,590
4. New Hampshire $47,870
5. District of Columbia $47,700

Lowest-paying states

51. Louisiana $30,510
50. Mississippi $31,520
49. Alabama $34,140
48. Arkansas $34,430
47. Oklahoma $35,930

Best after cost of living: North Dakota. Its median of $45,820 is worth about $51,507 at national-average prices, more than in Oregon once prices are counted.


Alabama	$34,140	49	$38,436	48	$16.41	25,250	11.95
Alaska	$46,370	14	$45,301	14	$22.29	2,060	6.33
Arizona	$44,780	21	$44,479	17	$21.53	20,320	6.27
Arkansas	$34,430	48	$39,603	45	$16.55	17,260	13.24
California	$47,630	6	$43,018	25	$22.90	110,060	6.04
Colorado	$47,380	7	$45,977	8	$22.78	22,240	7.74
Connecticut	$44,790	20	$43,229	22	$21.53	21,380	12.60
Delaware	$42,030	25	$42,111	31	$20.21	5,530	11.40
District of Columbia	$47,700	5	$43,403	21	$22.93	3,490	4.98
Florida	$37,510	43	$36,272	49	$18.03	96,960	9.77
Georgia	$37,680	41	$39,131	46	$18.12	43,440	8.89
Hawaii	$45,350	18	$41,246	35	$21.80	5,050	8.05
Idaho	$38,650	35	$40,474	42	$18.58	7,910	9.23
Illinois	$45,960	15	$45,979	7	$22.10	68,640	11.26
Indiana	$38,330	38	$41,070	38	$18.43	33,640	10.51
Iowa	$39,350	31	$44,837	16	$18.92	22,670	14.54
Kansas	$38,010	39	$42,201	30	$18.27	24,610	17.12
Kentucky	$38,370	37	$42,558	28	$18.45	23,410	11.70
Louisiana	$30,510	51	$34,589	51	$14.67	20,690	10.69
Maine	$47,070	9	$48,501	2	$22.63	8,540	13.34
Maryland	$43,240	23	$41,197	36	$20.79	27,720	10.03
Massachusetts	$46,680	11	$44,139	19	$22.44	38,130	10.48
Michigan	$39,570	29	$41,126	37	$19.03	43,290	9.83
Minnesota	$46,680	12	$47,333	6	$22.44	29,120	9.87
Mississippi	$31,520	50	$36,249	50	$15.15	14,200	12.21
Missouri	$37,680	42	$41,490	33	$18.11	34,050	11.60
Montana	$40,900	26	$43,214	23	$19.67	4,390	8.57
Nebraska	$40,000	27	$44,394	18	$19.23	16,450	16.06
Nevada	$45,490	17	$45,500	12	$21.87	8,100	5.22
New Hampshire	$47,870	4	$45,956	10	$23.02	7,810	11.42
New Jersey	$46,830	10	$43,040	24	$22.52	32,400	7.56
New Mexico	$39,390	30	$42,717	27	$18.94	4,750	5.45
New York	$48,590	3	$45,024	15	$23.36	87,990	9.08
North Carolina	$38,460	36	$40,773	41	$18.49	64,010	12.95
North Dakota	$45,820	16	$51,507	1	$22.03	6,840	15.92
Ohio	$39,010	33	$42,048	32	$18.76	63,280	11.40
Oklahoma	$35,930	47	$40,903	40	$17.27	19,410	11.37
Oregon	$49,830	1	$48,210	3	$23.96	14,800	7.52
Pennsylvania	$44,590	22	$45,700	11	$21.44	67,740	11.17
Rhode Island	$46,440	13	$45,405	13	$22.33	10,220	20.38
South Carolina	$37,220	45	$39,702	44	$17.90	21,760	9.44
South Dakota	$38,800	34	$43,799	20	$18.65	6,860	15.00
Tennessee	$37,990	40	$41,352	34	$18.27	27,040	8.25
Texas	$37,500	44	$38,637	47	$18.03	88,680	6.30
Utah	$39,840	28	$40,298	43	$19.15	12,260	7.06
Vermont	$47,130	8	$48,112	4	$22.66	3,030	9.98
Virginia	$43,200	24	$42,728	26	$20.77	40,580	9.87
Washington	$49,180	2	$45,957	9	$23.65	30,270	8.53
West Virginia	$36,720	46	$41,029	39	$17.66	9,390	13.38
Wisconsin	$45,130	19	$47,962	5	$21.70	28,370	9.64
Wyoming	$39,160	32	$42,248	29	$18.83	2,830	10.08

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for CNAs

383 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$56,840	$51,475	5,350
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$56,080	$48,507	11,790
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$51,990	$46,782	16,530
Napa, CA	$50,370	$44,752	460
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$50,350	$47,761	8,890
Bend, OR	$50,080	$48,337	620
Boulder, CO	$49,860	$47,395	1,030
Grants Pass, OR	$49,770	$50,910	420
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	$49,270	$43,771	79,480
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	$49,240	$45,684	1,250

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	79,480	$49,270	$43,771
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	45,850	$46,940	$45,311
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	43,090	$47,380	$41,720
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	30,680	$46,220	$45,069
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	26,130	$47,590	$43,957
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	25,520	$45,730	$41,999
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	23,490	$38,010	$33,297
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	23,420	$38,530	$37,375
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	23,260	$39,350	$39,327
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	19,230	$37,970	$38,498

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves CNA pay: employers and settings

The state you work in sets most of the range. Oregon has the highest median for nursing assistants at $49,830, followed by Washington at $49,180, New York at $48,590, New Hampshire at $47,870, and the District of Columbia at $47,700. After living costs, North Dakota comes out best at $51,507. The bottom of the list is Alabama at $34,140, Mississippi at $31,520, and Louisiana at $30,510.

Setting matters too. Skilled nursing facilities pay a median of $43,000 and general hospitals $41,650 while assisted living pays $39,490 and home health care $38,040. Staffing agencies, which place CNAs in short-term shifts at other facilities, stand out at $47,810 in our data. Federal jobs have a median of $54,080 and state government $45,260.

Across all CNAs, the 10th percentile is $33,940, and the 90th is $51,980, a narrow spread. Within it, shift differentials for nights and weekends, overtime, and added state credentials such as a medication aide certificate are the usual ways to earn more without leaving the role. The hourly median is $20.32.

Where CNAs work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)	36.9%	$43,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals	30.6%	$41,650
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly	11.1%	$39,490
Home Health Care Services	4.9%	$38,040
Employment Services	3.3%	$47,810
Individual and Family Services	2.2%	$35,380

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	1,317,790	$41,790
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	14,560	$54,080
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	41,890	$45,260
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	74,670	$42,130

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

CNA pay over time

Median annual pay, 2019–2025

$42.3K $29.7K

2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $29,660 in 2019 to $42,260 in 2025, up 42% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2019 median is worth $37,231 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 14% over the period.

The series starts in 2019 because BLS changed how it defines or publishes this occupation before then, so earlier figures are not comparable.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What CNAs do

A certified nursing assistant (CNA) gives the hands-on daily care that keeps patients and nursing home residents clean, fed, moving and safe. CNAs help people bathe, dress, use the toilet, eat and get in and out of bed or a wheelchair. They take vital signs, turn bedbound patients to prevent pressure sores, change linens, record what residents eat and drink, and tell the nurse when something looks wrong, such as a new bruise, confusion or a change in breathing.

CNAs work under licensed practical nurses and registered nurses. In our data, 36.9% of nursing assistants work in skilled nursing facilities and 30.6% in general hospitals; others work in assisted living communities, home health agencies and staffing agencies. The work is physical: you are on your feet for most of a shift, lifting and repositioning people, and BLS reports that nursing assistants have one of the highest injury rates of any occupation. Because care runs around the clock, nights, weekends and holidays are normal, and the job title varies by state, from CNA to STNA or LNA.

A typical day

Help residents wash, dress, groom and use the bathroom or a bedpan
Take temperature, pulse, blood pressure and breathing rate and chart the numbers
Lift, turn and transfer patients using gait belts and mechanical lifts
Serve meals, help people eat and record how much they take in
Make beds, change soiled linens and keep rooms clean and safe
Watch for skin breakdown, pain, falls or sudden changes and report them to the nurse
Walk with patients and help with range-of-motion exercises

Also called: certified nursing assistant, nursing assistant, cnas, certified medication aide (cma), certified nurse aide (cna), certified nurses aide (cna), certified nursing assistant (cna), licensed nursing assistant (lna).

How to become a CNA

Full guide

To become a CNA, you complete a state-approved nurse aide training program of at least 75 hours, pass your state's competency exam (a written or oral test plus a skills demonstration), and get listed on the state nurse aide registry. Most people finish in a few weeks to a few months.

Typical time: 1-3 months; Fastest: About 3-4 weeks
Minimum education: State-approved nurse aide training program (at least 75 hours under federal rules; many states require more)
License: Certification and registry listing required to work in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in every state; titles and other rules vary by state
Typical training cost: $0–$4.6K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a CNA: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 1-3 months; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $0–$4.6K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $42,260; $8,720 below the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 0–11%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

The median for CNAs is below the median for all US jobs, so the case for training rests on the work itself, entry speed and local pay rather than a pay premium. This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for CNAs

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +2.6%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 1,505,900; 1,544,900 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 196,200; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 1.8%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects nursing assistant jobs to grow 2.6% from 2025 to 2035, from 1,505,900 to 1,544,900, a little slower than the 3.5% expected for all occupations. Even so, there will be about 196,200 openings a year, because so many CNAs move into nursing school, other jobs or retirement. Finding work is rarely the hard part.

BLS notes a split in where the jobs will be. Financial pressure on nursing homes could limit hiring there, while home- and community-based care is expected to add opportunities as more people choose care outside institutions.

Related careers and their pay

Paramedic$60,600
LPN$64,400
Registered Nurse$97,550
EMT$44,470
Medical Assistant$45,690
Nurse Practitioner$132,300
CRNA$236,590

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

CNA salary FAQ

How much do CNAs make an hour?

The median hourly wage for CNAs was $20.32 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $16.32 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $24.99. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays CNAs the most?

Oregon has the highest median pay for CNAs, $49,830 a year, followed by Washington ($49,180) and New York ($48,590). After adjusting for each state's price level, North Dakota comes out ahead at about $51,507 in national-average dollars.

Do CNAs make six figures?

Few do: based on the BLS percentiles, fewer than 10% of CNAs earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $42,260, and the top 10% earn more than $51,980. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Has CNA pay kept up with inflation?

Yes, and then some. The median for nursing assistants rose from $29,660 in 2019 to $42,260 in 2025. In 2025 dollars, the 2019 median was worth $37,231. After inflation, then, CNAs earn noticeably more than they did six years earlier, though pay still sits well below that of licensed nurses.

Do CNAs earn more in hospitals or nursing homes?

In our data, nursing homes pay slightly more. Skilled nursing facilities have a median of $43,000 against $41,650 in general hospitals. Hospitals may offer different benefits, a wider range of patients and a path into nursing through tuition support, while nursing homes depend heavily on CNAs for daily care. Assisted living and home health pay less, at $39,490 and $38,040.

Which states have the most CNA jobs?

California has the most nursing assistants, with 110,060, followed by Florida with 96,960, Texas with 88,680, New York with 87,990 and Illinois with 68,640. Large, older populations mean more nursing homes and hospitals. Pay does not track job counts: Oregon and Washington have the highest state medians, while Florida and Texas rank lower.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 31-1131
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (31-1131.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Nursing Assistants and Orderlies, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
42 CFR 483.152: Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · checked October 28, 2026
42 CFR 483.154: Nurse aide competency evaluation, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · checked October 28, 2026
NNAAP Exam Overview (Virginia candidate handbook), Credentia · checked October 28, 2026
NNAAP and MACE, National Council of State Boards of Nursing · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
42 CFR 483.35: Nursing services, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · checked October 28, 2026
42 CFR 483.95: Training requirements, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations · checked October 28, 2026

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