CNA Salaries by State (BLS May 2025 Data)

A certified nursing assistant in Washington earns, on average, almost $20,000 a year more than one in Louisiana for the same work. This guide ranks every state and the District of Columbia by what nursing assistants actually earn, using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, the newest state-level wage data the government publishes. Every figure is a BLS estimate for the nursing assistant occupation (which covers CNAs, state-tested nursing assistants and nurse aides); nothing here is self-reported or blended from salary sites.

National estimates for nursing assistants (May 2025)

The BLS counts 1,448,910 nursing assistants employed in the United States. The mean annual wage is $42,700 ($20.53 an hour) and the median is $42,260 ($20.32 an hour). Half of nursing assistants earn between $37,260 and $47,220; the top 10% earn more than $51,980.

Which states pay CNAs the most?

Washington pays nursing assistants the most, with a mean annual wage of $52,230: $9,530 above the national mean. Oregon is $70 behind it, and California, New Hampshire and Alaska round out the top five. Every state in the top ten averages more than $47,000 a year, which is above the national 75th percentile. The ten highest-paying states:

1. Washington: $52,230 a year ($25.11 an hour)
2. Oregon: $52,160 a year ($25.08 an hour)
3. California: $50,190 a year ($24.13 an hour)
4. New Hampshire: $49,290 a year ($23.70 an hour)
5. Alaska: $48,920 a year ($23.52 an hour)
6. New York: $48,800 a year ($23.46 an hour)
7. District of Columbia: $47,930 a year ($23.04 an hour)
8. Massachusetts: $47,700 a year ($22.93 an hour)
9. Maine: $47,510 a year ($22.84 an hour)
10. Colorado: $47,400 a year ($22.79 an hour)

Which states pay CNAs the least?

At the other end, Louisiana has the lowest mean nursing assistant wage at $32,250, below the national 10th percentile. The five lowest-paying states, all in the South:

1. Louisiana: $32,250 a year ($15.51 an hour)
2. Mississippi: $32,890 a year ($15.81 an hour)
3. Alabama: $33,670 a year ($16.19 an hour)
4. Arkansas: $33,970 a year ($16.33 an hour)
5. Oklahoma: $35,920 a year ($17.27 an hour)

These are means, not offers. A CNA with a decade in a hospital in Alabama, working nights, can out-earn a new certificate holder in Oregon, and housing in the highest-paying states eats into the gap (more on that below).

CNA pay in all 50 states (and D.C.)

Ranked by mean annual wage. "Median" is the annual wage at the midpoint of the state's nursing assistants, and "CNAs employed" is the BLS employment estimate for the state. Each state's name links to our guide to nursing jobs and pay in that state.

In North Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Nevada, Wisconsin and Vermont the median sits above the mean, which means pay there is clustered near the top of the range rather than pulled up by a few high earners. In Washington, California, Alaska and Oregon the opposite is true: a typical nursing assistant earns $2,300 to $3,100 less than the state mean, so the headline figures for the top four states overstate what most CNAs there take home.

Where the CNA jobs are

Pay and headcount rarely line up. California is the only state that is both a top-five payer and a top-five employer, and New York is the only other top-ten payer with more than 40,000 nursing assistants. The six states with the most CNAs:

• California: 110,060 CNAs, mean $50,190
• Florida: 96,960 CNAs, mean $39,160
• Texas: 88,680 CNAs, mean $38,780
• New York: 87,990 CNAs, mean $48,800
• Illinois: 68,640 CNAs, mean $45,230
• Pennsylvania: 67,740 CNAs, mean $43,960

Those six states employ about 520,000 nursing assistants, more than a third of the country's total. Florida and Texas, the second and third largest employers, both pay below the national mean. Browse the openings on our board for CNA jobs in California, Florida, Texas and New York, or every CNA job we list.

Top-paying industries for CNAs

Setting matters as much as geography. National mean annual wages for nursing assistants by industry, May 2025:

Skilled nursing facilities and general hospitals employ two out of every three nursing assistants, and hospitals pay about $1,000 a year more than nursing homes. The federal government, outpatient centers and staffing agencies pay the most but hire far fewer. Assisted living, home health and family services, where many CNAs start, pay the least of the major settings.

Job outlook for nursing assistants

The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook counts 1,558,700 nursing assistant and orderly jobs in 2025 and projects employment to grow 3% from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations, adding 41,100 jobs. Growth is the smaller number, though: the BLS projects about 203,300 openings a year over the decade, most of them to replace workers who move into LPN or RN roles, change occupations or retire. Nursing assistants typically complete a state-approved education program and pass their state's competency exam to be certified; the exact hours, fees and exam are set by each state.

What the numbers don't tell you

• Cost of living. BLS wages are gross pay, not adjusted for housing or taxes. Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska, New York and Massachusetts lead the pay table and are also among the most expensive places to live; Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota sit in the top 25 with cheaper housing. Compare what is left after rent, not the headline figure.
• Setting and shift. The industry table above is national; the same spread between a hospital and a home health agency exists inside every state, and shift differentials, overtime and agency work are inside these averages. A night-shift hospital CNA in a mid-ranked state can land well above the state mean.
• Experience. The 10th-to-90th percentile spread at the national level is $33,940 to $51,980. Where you fall in that range depends more on years in the role, setting and shift than on the state line.
• Moving your certification. There is no multistate compact for nursing assistants. Each state keeps its own nurse aide registry, and most will list a CNA who is active and in good standing on another state's registry through a reciprocity application rather than a new program, so check the destination state's registry before you move. Our state guides, for example how to become a nurse in Texas and in California, cover the CNA step alongside the LPN and RN licenses.
• The next step up. The gap between the national nursing assistant median ($42,260) and the LPN median ($64,400) is the main reason CNA-to-LPN bridge programs stay full, and the registered nurse median is more than double a CNA's. Some employers pay for the bridge, so ask before you enroll.

Sources

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 national and state estimates, Nursing Assistants (31-1131), read 8 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Nursing Assistants (31-1131), read 8 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, Nursing Assistants (31-1131), read 8 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Nursing Assistants and Orderlies, 2025 pay and 2025-35 projections, read 8 October 2026.