How much do certified nursing assistants make in 2026?
Certified nursing assistants earn a national median of $42,260 a year ($20.32 an hour) per BLS OEWS May 2025 (SOC 31-1131). The bottom 10% earn about $33,940 and the top 10% reach $51,980 — the tightest band of any large healthcare occupation, because the role is hourly, state-certified to a common standard and staffed to fixed ratios. Setting is the main lever: hospitals and government facilities pay above skilled nursing and residential care, and specialty units such as operating-room support, telemetry and dialysis pay above general floors. Shift differentials and overtime move real annual earnings more than any credential does. Employment is projected to grow 2.3% through 2034, but with roughly 204,100 openings a year, one of the largest replacement pools in the economy. → Full certified nursing assistant career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $42,260 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Certified Nursing Assistants earn a national median $42,260/yr ($20.32/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-1131); the P10 to P90 range is $33,940 to $51,980.
- The CNA band is the tightest in large-scale healthcare — $33,940 to $51,980 — because certification is standardised and staffing is ratio-driven.
- Hospitals and government employers pay above skilled nursing and residential care, and specialty unit assignments pay above general floors.
- Growth is only 2.3% through 2034, but roughly 204,100 openings a year make this one of the largest replacement pools anywhere, which is real leverage when changing employers.
US Certified Nursing Assistant Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do certified nursing assistants earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 31-1131; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 31-1131, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a certified nursing assistant earn at each career stage?
CNA certification is a single state credential, so the stages below follow setting and specialty assignment rather than a credential ladder. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 31-1131.
By State
Which states pay certified nursing assistants the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. CNA certification is state-specific with its own training-hour minimums and registry, and reciprocity between states is common but not automatic, so a move requires a registry transfer application.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($48,600), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
certified nursing assistant pay by state — all 3 state guides
By Metro
Which cities pay certified nursing assistants the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by the published metro index for that state. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a certified nursing assistant’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does certified nursing assistant pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Certified Nursing Assistants sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify certified nursing assistant wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a certified nursing assistant actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Certified Nursing Assistant Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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