Orderlies
Median $38,290
Occupation · SOC 31-1131
Nursing Assistants: pay and where the jobs are
What nursing assistants earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$42,260 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $42,700
- Median hourly wage
- $20.32
- Mean hourly wage
- $20.53
- Employment
- 1,448,910
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-1131.
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See where your pay falls among nursing assistants nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do nursing assistants make?
The median annual wage for nursing assistants was $42,260 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $33,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $51,980. As an hourly rate, the median is $20.32. About 1,448,910 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Oregon ($49,830), Washington ($49,180) and New York ($48,590). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for nursing assistants looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $33,940 | $16.32 | $2,828 | $2,454 |
| 25th percentile | $37,260 | $17.91 | $3,105 | $2,677 |
| Median | $42,260 | $20.32 | $3,522 | $3,011 |
| 75th percentile | $47,220 | $22.70 | $3,935 | $3,343 |
| 90th percentile | $51,980 | $24.99 | $4,332 | $3,662 |
Nursing Assistants: pay by state
53 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$43,836 take-home in national prices
2
$39,715 take-home in national prices
3
$39,434 take-home in national prices
Where a median nursing assistant paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 14,800 | $49,830 | $43,210 | $61,310 | $38,728 | $37,469 |
| Washington | 30,270 | $49,180 | $42,500 | $62,660 | $41,014 | $38,326 |
| New York | 87,990 | $48,590 | $38,450 | $59,890 | $38,954 | $36,095 |
| New Hampshire | 7,810 | $47,870 | $39,140 | $59,660 | $40,644 | $39,018 |
| District of Columbia | 3,490 | $47,700 | $38,900 | $57,500 | $38,811 | $35,314 |
| California | 110,060 | $47,630 | $40,110 | $61,100 | $38,934 | $35,165 |
| Colorado | 22,240 | $47,380 | $38,690 | $56,070 | $38,665 | $37,520 |
| Vermont | 3,030 | $47,130 | $37,620 | $59,600 | $38,904 | $39,715 |
| Maine | 8,540 | $47,070 | $39,100 | $58,120 | $38,253 | $39,416 |
| New Jersey | 32,400 | $46,830 | $38,900 | $55,140 | $38,381 | $35,275 |
| Massachusetts | 38,130 | $46,680 | $39,380 | $57,880 | $37,359 | $35,325 |
| Minnesota | 29,120 | $46,680 | $38,010 | $55,410 | $37,803 | $38,332 |
| Rhode Island | 10,220 | $46,440 | $39,220 | $54,950 | $37,859 | $37,015 |
| Alaska | 2,060 | $46,370 | $39,450 | $58,430 | $39,206 | $38,303 |
| Illinois | 68,640 | $45,960 | $37,590 | $54,050 | $36,979 | $36,994 |
| North Dakota | 6,840 | $45,820 | $35,130 | $51,380 | $38,996 | $43,836 |
| Nevada | 8,100 | $45,490 | $36,940 | $50,680 | $38,731 | $38,739 |
| Hawaii | 5,050 | $45,350 | $36,000 | $52,660 | $36,702 | $33,380 |
| Wisconsin | 28,370 | $45,130 | $37,900 | $50,650 | $37,105 | $39,434 |
| Connecticut | 21,380 | $44,790 | $38,660 | $53,870 | $36,179 | $34,919 |
| Arizona | 20,320 | $44,780 | $37,100 | $57,820 | $37,435 | $37,183 |
| Pennsylvania | 67,740 | $44,590 | $37,760 | $49,360 | $36,608 | $37,519 |
| Maryland | 27,720 | $43,240 | $36,060 | $49,330 | $35,235 | $33,571 |
| Virginia | 40,580 | $43,200 | $31,560 | $50,980 | $35,221 | $34,837 |
| Delaware | 5,530 | $42,030 | $36,530 | $48,080 | $34,127 | $34,193 |
| Montana | 4,390 | $40,900 | $36,780 | $49,700 | $33,878 | $35,794 |
| Nebraska | 16,450 | $40,000 | $37,090 | $48,980 | $33,380 | $37,046 |
| Utah | 12,260 | $39,840 | $34,870 | $47,080 | $33,103 | $33,484 |
| Michigan | 43,290 | $39,570 | $36,830 | $46,740 | $32,544 | $33,823 |
| New Mexico | 4,750 | $39,390 | $34,110 | $48,340 | $33,103 | $35,899 |
| Iowa | 22,670 | $39,350 | $35,620 | $47,980 | $32,954 | $37,550 |
| Wyoming | 2,830 | $39,160 | $33,390 | $49,610 | $33,645 | $36,298 |
| Ohio | 63,280 | $39,010 | $35,060 | $46,570 | $32,902 | $35,465 |
| South Dakota | 6,860 | $38,800 | $31,110 | $46,100 | $33,356 | $37,654 |
| Idaho | 7,910 | $38,650 | $28,380 | $47,430 | $32,295 | $33,819 |
| North Carolina | 64,010 | $38,460 | $30,260 | $47,080 | $32,057 | $33,985 |
| Kentucky | 23,410 | $38,370 | $30,390 | $46,450 | $31,785 | $35,254 |
| Indiana | 33,640 | $38,330 | $35,390 | $46,890 | $31,877 | $34,155 |
| Kansas | 24,610 | $38,010 | $32,180 | $46,980 | $31,400 | $34,862 |
| Tennessee | 27,040 | $37,990 | $31,110 | $44,660 | $32,705 | $35,599 |
| Georgia | 43,440 | $37,680 | $30,300 | $47,310 | $31,324 | $32,530 |
| Missouri | 34,050 | $37,680 | $31,350 | $45,260 | $31,622 | $34,820 |
| Florida | 96,960 | $37,510 | $34,350 | $46,790 | $32,319 | $31,252 |
| Texas | 88,680 | $37,500 | $30,620 | $47,500 | $32,311 | $33,291 |
| Virgin Islands | 110 | $37,240 | $32,560 | $44,920 | — | — |
| South Carolina | 21,760 | $37,220 | $30,460 | $44,760 | $31,644 | $33,754 |
| West Virginia | 9,390 | $36,720 | $31,060 | $45,290 | $30,745 | $34,353 |
| Oklahoma | 19,410 | $35,930 | $29,630 | $42,870 | $29,978 | $34,127 |
| Arkansas | 17,260 | $34,430 | $28,840 | $39,020 | $29,058 | $33,424 |
| Alabama | 25,250 | $34,140 | $28,330 | $38,680 | $28,244 | $31,798 |
| Mississippi | 14,200 | $31,520 | $27,050 | $38,290 | $26,978 | $31,025 |
| Louisiana | 20,690 | $30,510 | $27,980 | $37,390 | $26,166 | $29,664 |
| Puerto Rico | 430 | $22,850 | $21,840 | $45,450 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 31-1131. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.