Certified nursing assistant salary

Open certified nursing assistant jobs post a median of $22 an hour, with the middle half paying $20–$24.50: about $45,800 a year full time. Measured from 2,385 jobs at 352 employers that state their pay, read from each employer's own job board.

Median posted /hr

Middle half /hr

A year, full time

estimate, 2,080 hours

BLS median /hr

May 2025

The jobs themselves: Certified nursing assistant jobs

What certified nursing assistants are paid

Each bar counts the open jobs posting an hourly rate in its step of pay (a range at its midpoint). The middle half of employers' rates is in the darker color.

Posted hourly rates of 2,385 open jobs. The chart spans the 2nd to the 98th percentile; the lowest rate posted is $8.39, the highest $70.16.

Posted on open jobs

$20–$24.50/hr

Middle half of 1,083 employer rates (each employer's advertised range once), median $22. 43% of the 5,526 open certified nursing assistant jobs state an hourly rate. 51 more state an "up to" ceiling, a weekly travel rate, a per-visit fee, or a rate far from the rest (a differential read as pay), left out.

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Certified nursing assistant pay by employer

What each employer posts for certified nursing assistants, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first. An employer with at least 5 such jobs has a page of its own with every range it posts.

Employer	Median posted	Posted range	Jobs stating pay
Sanford Health	$22	$15–$31	174
Advocate Health	$26	$19.80–$32.80	77
Providence	$26.75	$16.14–$42.81	72
Select Medical	$21	$15.30–$32.30	70
UnitedHealth Group	$19	$10–$28.80	59
Essentia Health	$21.50	$15–$29.67	52
UPMC	$24.75	$18.59–$30.40	41
Baptist Health South Florida	$19.75	$16.77–$23.60	41
CommonSpirit Health	$23.75	$15–$38.94	40
Rochester Regional Health	$21	$18.64–$28.97	40
MultiCare Health System	$27	$21.18–$40.85	38
Benedictine	$23.75	$18.42–$30.57	38
PACS Group	$20.75	$15–$31.74	37
Riverside Health	$21	$16.20–$28	35
Covenant Living	$22.75	$16.25–$28.35	34
ECU Health	$20	$18–$23.31	33
BAYADA Home Health Care	$18	$14–$30	31
Beth Israel Lahey Health	$23.50	$18.81–$33	29
MerrimackHealth	$21.25	$16.23–$27.96	29
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions	$18.50	$15.30–$40.15	26
MaineTouch	$19.50	$18–$21	25
Avera Health	$23.50	$19.75–$34.24	24
Fairview Health Services	$25.75	$20.34–$31.85	23
Mass General Brigham	$22	$18.56–$33.34	22
Adventist HealthCare	$22	$18–$26	20
Mercyhealth	$21.50	$16.56–$28.69	20
Erickson Senior Living	$22	$14–$26.50	19
Bassett Healthcare Network	$18	$16–$19.12	19
Allina Health	$24.50	$19.61–$27.78	18
ScionHealth	$23.75	$15.92–$70.16	18
OSF HealthCare	$20.75	$17–$22.60	18
Gundersen Health System	$22	$18–$24.81	17
UW Health	$23.25	$17.62–$27.13	16
Trinity Health	$21.75	$17.55–$25.60	16
Valley Health (Virginia)	$21.50	$18.59–$24.16	16
Alumus	$23.50	$19–$28	15
RWJBarnabas Health	$23.50	$21.04–$27.78	15
Genesis HealthCare	$23	$10.50–$37.50	15
Ascension	$20.75	$16.06–$25.05	15
Harmony Senior Services	$18	$15.50–$21.12	15

Median of each employer's own jobs (a range at its midpoint), and the lowest and highest rate it posts. Jobs stating pay link to the employer's open jobs.

Certified nursing assistant pay by state

States where at least 8 open jobs from 3 employers state an hourly rate, highest median first. Each opens the state's own page, with its towns and employers.

State	Median posted	Middle half	BLS median	Jobs
California	$26.50	$23.50–$29	$22.90 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	177
Washington	$26.50	$24.50–$28.50	$23.65 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	130
Oregon	$26.25	$24.25–$27.50	$23.96 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	52
Alaska	$25.75	$24.25–$26.75	$22.29 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	15
New Hampshire	$24.50	$21.25–$25.50	$23.02 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	37
Rhode Island	$23.50	$21.50–$24.50	$22.33 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	16
New York	$23.25	$20.25–$25.25	$23.36 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	129
Minnesota	$23	$21–$24.50	$22.44 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	241
Colorado	$23	$22–$24.25	$22.78 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	69
Vermont	$23	$19.50–$24.50	$22.66 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	23
Massachusetts	$22.75	$21–$23.50	$22.44 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	140
Maine	$22.50	$21–$24.50	$22.63 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	64
South Dakota	$22.50	$21.25–$23.75	$18.65 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	62
North Dakota	$22	$20.50–$23	$22.03 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	67
Wisconsin	$21.75	$21–$23.25	$21.70 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	98
New Jersey	$21.75	$20–$24	$22.52 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	71
Nebraska	$21.75	$20.50–$23.25	$19.23 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	28
Illinois	$21.50	$20.50–$22.50	$22.10 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	144
Connecticut	$21.50	$20–$23	$21.53 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	25
Nevada	$21.50	$21–$22.50	$21.87 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	17
Pennsylvania	$21.25	$20–$22	$21.44 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	78
Maryland	$21.25	$21–$22.50	$20.79 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	77
Missouri	$21.25	$20–$22	$18.11 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	30
Kansas	$21	$18.50–$21.50	$18.27 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	40
Arizona	$20.75	$19–$22.50	$21.53 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	33
Virginia	$20.50	$19–$21.50	$20.77 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	131
Iowa	$20.50	$18.75–$21.25	$18.92 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	37
Indiana	$20.50	$19.50–$21	$18.43 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	33
Montana	$20.50	$18.75–$22.50	$19.67 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	21
Florida	$20.25	$19.50–$21.25	$18.03 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	77
Texas	$20.25	$18.50–$21.25	$18.03 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	53
Ohio	$20.25	$19.25–$21	$18.76 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	52
North Carolina	$20	$18–$21.50	$18.49 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	107
Idaho	$20	$19–$21.25	$18.58 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	17
Michigan	$20	$18.25–$21	$19.03 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	15
West Virginia	$19.75	$19.25–$21.25	$17.66 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	14
Mississippi	$19.25	$18.75–$20.25	$15.15 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	10
Alabama	$19	$18–$21.25	$16.41 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	10
Georgia	$18.50	$13.75–$21	$18.12 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	33
South Carolina	$18.50	$17.75–$19.75	$17.90 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	17
Tennessee	$17.50	$16.50–$20.75	$18.27 (source: BLS OEWS, state medians, opens in a new tab)	30

Median and middle half of employers' rates in the state. BLS medians are for the occupation's main SOC code in the state (May 2025).

Night shift certified nursing assistant pay

Where one employer posts both night and other certified nursing assistant jobs in the same state (124 such employers and states), the night jobs post the same base rate as the rest (the median gap is $0): most employers state their night differential apart from the base pay, so check the posting for it.

Employer, state	Night jobs, median	Other jobs, median
Sanford Health, MN	$24 (7)	$23 (45)
Essentia Health, MN	$22.25 (13)	$20.75 (34)
Sanford Health, ND	$21.25 (9)	$22.50 (37)
Baptist Health South Florida, FL	$21 (4)	$19.75 (37)
Rochester Regional Health, NY	$20.75 (9)	$21 (31)
MultiCare Health System, WA	$26.50 (6)	$27.50 (32)
Riverside Health, VA	$19.25 (6)	$21.75 (29)
UPMC, PA	$23.75 (1)	$24.75 (33)

A job counts as a night job when its title names nights ("Nights", "NOC", "7p-7a"). Jobs in brackets.

Certified nursing assistant specialties

What each specialty posts. A specialty's jobs also count in the certified nursing assistant figures above.

Medication aide salarymedian posted $21.50/hr, 97 jobs

Best-paid open certified nursing assistant jobs

The open jobs posting the highest hourly rates tonight, at most two from one employer.

CNA - PT Nights
ScionHealth · San Leandro, CA· 4d ago
$58.68–$70.16/hr
Nurse Assistant, Med/Surg
Sutter Health · Burlingame, CA· 1mo ago
$34.25–$47.94/hr
Nursing Assistant, Behavioral Health Unit
Sutter Health · San Mateo and Burlingame, CA· 2d ago
$34.25–$47.94/hr
AHD Certified Nursing Assistant
Alameda Health System · Alameda, CA· 1mo ago
$37.78–$40.78/hr
Nursing Assistant (NA), D3 BMT / CAR-T - Relief Status, Rotating shifts
Stanford Health Care · Palo Alto, CA· 5d ago
$37.01–$41.38/hr
Nursing Assistant (NA) - BMT/CCT (AAU D2) - 0.8 FTE, 8-HR, Day Shift
Stanford Health Care · Palo Alto, CA· 4d ago
$36.01–$40.38/hr
Quality Coordinator (RN, LPN, CNA, MA)
LifePoint Health · Pasco, WA· 3d ago
$22.00–$54.00/hr
Certified Nursing Assistant
Alameda Health System · Oakland and San Leandro, CA· 2w ago
$32.04–$43.50/hr
Licensed Nursing Assistant, LNA/MNA
Genesis HealthCare · Peterborough, NH· 2mo ago
$37.50/hr
Personal Assistant with CNA or LPN Certification
TheKey · Chicago and Skokie, IL· 5d ago
$35.00–$40.00/hr
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) - Medical Surgical - Contract - Nights - Manchester, NH
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions · Manchester, NH· 1w ago
$34.1–$40.15/hr
Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) - Medical Surgical - Contract - Nights - Portsmouth, NH
HealthTrust Workforce Solutions · Portsmouth, NH· 1w ago
$34.1–$40.15/hr

Every open job: Certified nursing assistant jobs

What BLS measures

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys what people employed in the occupation earn, at every level of experience. A posting advertises what a new hire is offered, so the two measure different things.

Hourly wages, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Each figure opens its BLS page.
BLS occupation	10th pct	25th pct	Median	75th pct	90th pct	Employed
Nursing Assistants (31-1131)	$16.32 (source: BLS OEWS, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)	$17.91 (source: BLS OEWS, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)	$20.32 (source: BLS OEWS, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)	$22.70 (source: BLS OEWS, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)	$24.99 (source: BLS OEWS, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)	1,448,910 (source: BLS OEWS, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)

The posted median ($22) is $1.68 above the BLS median ($20.32 (source: BLS OEWS May 2025, Nursing Assistants, opens in a new tab)). Posted ranges run from a new hire's rate to an experienced one's, and their midpoint is counted here.

Certified nursing assistant salary: common questions

How much does a certified nursing assistant make an hour?

Open certified nursing assistant jobs on CareJobs.Now that state an hourly rate post a median of $22, with the middle half between $20–$24.50 (2,385 jobs from 352 employers, each employer's advertised range counted once). Postings advertise a base rate, usually before shift differentials and bonuses. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics measured a median of $20.32/hr ($42,260 a year) for nursing assistants in May 2025.

How much does a certified nursing assistant make a year?

At the posted median of $22 an hour, full time (2,080 hours a year) comes to about $45,800, and the middle half to $41,600 to $51,000. That is arithmetic on the hourly rate, not a salary any job states.

Which states pay certified nursing assistants the most?

By the median hourly rate open jobs post: California ($26.50), Washington ($26.50) and Oregon ($26.25). The lowest: Tennessee ($17.50), South Carolina ($18.50) and Georgia ($18.50). Each state's page breaks its pay down by town and employer.

Which employers pay certified nursing assistants the most?

Among employers stating a rate on at least 5 open jobs: MultiCare Health System ($27), Providence ($26.75) and Advocate Health ($26). The employer table lists the 40 employers with the most jobs stating pay.

Do night shift certified nursing assistants earn more?

Not in the base rate employers post: where one employer posts both night and other certified nursing assistant jobs in the same state (124 such employers and states), the median gap is $0. Most state their night differential separately in the posting.

Where do these figures come from?

From the pay CareJobs.Now's open jobs state, read every night from each employer's own job board: 2,385 of 5,526 open certified nursing assistant jobs (43%) state an hourly rate. No pay is estimated for a job that states none, "up to" ceilings and weekly travel rates are left out, and each employer's advertised range counts once in the median, so no single employer sets it.

More pay by job: CNAs & PCTs

Certified nursing assistant jobs →Every healthcare salary →Pay explorer →

Sources and method

Only pay a job states is used: a plain hourly or yearly figure or range in US dollars, read from the job's own posting. A range counts at its midpoint. In the median and the middle half each employer's advertised range counts once, so an employer posting one range in many towns does not set the figure; an employer's own figures count its jobs one by one. "Up to" ceilings, weekly travel rates and rates under a third or over three times the occupation's median are left out. The yearly estimate is the hourly rate times 2,080 hours (40 a week). A job counts under its occupation and every occupation above it, and under every state it is open in. A page exists while at least 8 jobs from 3 employers state a rate. BLS figures are as published.

CareJobs.Now job board: the pay open jobs state, read nightly from each employer's own careers site, published October 24, 2026
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Nursing Assistants (SOC 31-1131), published May 15, 2026
BLS OEWS May 2025: Nursing Assistants by state, published May 15, 2026
BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035: Nursing Assistants (Occupational Outlook Handbook), published August 27, 2026

Cite this page

CareJobs.Now. (2026). Certified nursing assistant salary. Data as of October 24, 2026. https://carejobs.now/salaries/certified-nursing-assistant

How the board counts