Nursing assistant salary
by state.
Where does the pay differ? Compare the same occupation across 51 retained state/DC markets, then explore the local wage distribution.
Source occupation: Nursing Assistants. Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
Highest published median wages
Among 51 retained markets with exact annual medians. State and DC figures describe each whole market, across employer industries.
Salary by state and DC
Compare published May 2025 wages. Rank uses exact medians among available markets; ties share a rank. The middle half is the 25th–75th percentile, across experience levels.
51 of 51 retained state/DC markets · US median $42,260/year
| Rank | State / DC | Median | Middle half | vs US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $49,830 | $47,480 – $59,080 | +17.9% |
| 2 | Washington | $49,180 | $46,980 – $57,930 | +16.4% |
| 3 | New York | $48,590 | $43,760 – $51,980 | +15.0% |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $47,870 | $44,890 – $54,400 | +13.3% |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $47,700 | $42,400 – $51,850 | +12.9% |
| 6 | California | $47,630 | $45,850 – $54,800 | +12.7% |
| 7 | Colorado | $47,380 | $44,550 – $49,920 | +12.1% |
| 8 | Vermont | $47,130 | $40,850 – $48,940 | +11.5% |
| 9 | Maine | $47,070 | $44,200 – $50,190 | +11.4% |
| 10 | New Jersey | $46,830 | $43,950 – $48,760 | +10.8% |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $46,680 | $44,340 – $49,800 | +10.5% |
| 11 | Minnesota | $46,680 | $40,340 – $49,330 | +10.5% |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $46,440 | $44,760 – $47,460 | +9.9% |
| 14 | Alaska | $46,370 | $45,120 – $52,240 | +9.7% |
| 15 | Illinois | $45,960 | $39,420 – $48,380 | +8.8% |
| 16 | North Dakota | $45,820 | $36,410 – $47,950 | +8.4% |
| 17 | Nevada | $45,490 | $39,100 – $47,990 | +7.6% |
| 18 | Hawaii | $45,350 | $40,060 – $50,440 | +7.3% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | $45,130 | $39,580 – $47,320 | +6.8% |
| 20 | Connecticut | $44,790 | $41,900 – $47,180 | +6.0% |
| 21 | Arizona | $44,780 | $38,320 – $46,630 | +6.0% |
| 22 | Pennsylvania | $44,590 | $39,270 – $46,850 | +5.5% |
| 23 | Maryland | $43,240 | $38,400 – $45,760 | +2.3% |
| 24 | Virginia | $43,200 | $37,020 – $46,930 | +2.2% |
| 25 | Delaware | $42,030 | $38,490 – $45,210 | -0.5% |
| 26 | Montana | $40,900 | $38,040 – $47,550 | -3.2% |
| 27 | Nebraska | $40,000 | $38,030 – $46,410 | -5.3% |
| 28 | Utah | $39,840 | $37,040 – $44,350 | -5.7% |
| 29 | Michigan | $39,570 | $38,160 – $44,910 | -6.4% |
| 30 | New Mexico | $39,390 | $37,310 – $45,410 | -6.8% |
| 31 | Iowa | $39,350 | $37,360 – $45,650 | -6.9% |
| 32 | Wyoming | $39,160 | $37,180 – $47,340 | -7.3% |
| 33 | Ohio | $39,010 | $37,300 – $44,590 | -7.7% |
| 34 | South Dakota | $38,800 | $36,830 – $43,940 | -8.2% |
| 35 | Idaho | $38,650 | $36,300 – $46,250 | -8.5% |
| 36 | North Carolina | $38,460 | $35,950 – $43,850 | -9.0% |
| 37 | Kentucky | $38,370 | $36,150 – $44,120 | -9.2% |
| 38 | Indiana | $38,330 | $37,020 – $44,420 | -9.3% |
| 39 | Kansas | $38,010 | $36,210 – $44,170 | -10.1% |
| 40 | Tennessee | $37,990 | $35,560 – $40,880 | -10.1% |
| 41 | Georgia | $37,680 | $35,490 – $42,980 | -10.8% |
| 41 | Missouri | $37,680 | $35,400 – $41,600 | -10.8% |
| 43 | Florida | $37,510 | $36,040 – $42,310 | -11.2% |
| 44 | Texas | $37,500 | $35,300 – $43,070 | -11.3% |
| 45 | South Carolina | $37,220 | $34,960 – $39,690 | -11.9% |
| 46 | West Virginia | $36,720 | $35,460 – $38,410 | -13.1% |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $35,930 | $32,900 – $38,250 | -15.0% |
| 48 | Arkansas | $34,430 | $30,200 – $36,070 | -18.5% |
| 49 | Alabama | $34,140 | $30,060 – $36,390 | -19.2% |
| 50 | Mississippi | $31,520 | $29,520 – $35,200 | -25.4% |
| 51 | Louisiana | $30,510 | $29,070 – $35,100 | -27.8% |
Unavailable or bounded values are excluded from rankings. State wages are not adjusted for cost of living, taxes, hours, industry mix or seniority. Annual and hourly values are published separately; one is not calculated from the other.
What these numbers mean
The wage reference is May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, distributed through O*NET OnLine. The report compares only the same occupation group, year and native pay unit. Some detailed career profiles share a broader wage group. The group used here is “Nursing Assistants.”
The national median is a published national statistic, not an average of the state medians. Relative differences divide a state's median by that national median. Rankings exclude censored or unavailable medians, keep ties, and do not measure individual workers or current vacancies. No wages are extrapolated to 2026.
Official wage reference · BLS wage definitions · Read this report in Markdown
Occupation text includes the O*NET® 31.0 Database, USDOL/ETA, used under CC BY 4.0. Wages.fyi selected and organized the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. License details.
Cite: Wages.fyi, “Nursing assistant salary by state,” May 2025 wage reference. Canonical report.
Use the comparison
A market reference is a starting point. Inspect local responsibilities and wages, compare written offers, or plan a hiring range with your own assumptions.
Common questions
Which states have the highest nursing assistant wages?
Among the 51 retained state/DC markets with an exact annual median, Oregon ($49,830), Washington ($49,180), New York ($48,590) lead the comparison. These are published May 2025 occupational wages, without cost-of-living or seniority adjustments. DC is a separate market, not a state.
Does the middle-half range show entry-level and senior salaries?
No. The 25th and 75th percentiles describe the distribution of wages for this occupation in that geography. They are not experience bands, job levels, hiring ranges or guaranteed offers.
Is this base salary or total compensation?
Neither label describes OEWS wages precisely. Published wages include regular pay and certain incentives, while excluding overtime premiums and employer benefits. They do not measure a complete salary, bonus and equity package.
Should I move to the market with the highest pay?
Compare housing and other costs, working hours, licensing requirements, local opportunities and the actual job offer. A higher statewide median does not establish higher take-home pay or purchasing power.