Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
31-1131 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. Excludes “Home Health Aides” (31-1121), “Personal Care Aides” (31-1122), “Orderlies” (31-1132), and “Psychiatric Aides” (31-1133).
National estimates for Nursing Assistants
Industry profile for Nursing Assistants
Geographic profile for Nursing Assistants
National estimates for Nursing Assistants:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Nursing Assistants:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,314,830 |
0.5 % |
$ 15.99 |
$ 33,250 |
0.2 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Nursing Assistants:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 11.48 |
$ 13.89 |
$ 14.57 |
$ 17.87 |
$ 21.27 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 23,880 |
$ 28,900 |
$ 30,310 |
$ 37,170 |
$ 44,240 |
Industry profile for Nursing Assistants:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Nursing Assistants are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Nursing Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Nursing Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
471,160 |
33.48 |
$ 15.43 |
$ 32,090 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
386,510 |
6.91 |
$ 16.92 |
$ 35,190 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
140,850 |
15.80 |
$ 15.15 |
$ 31,520 |
| Home Health Care Services |
83,560 |
5.52 |
$ 14.39 |
$ 29,930 |
| Employment Services |
38,910 |
1.12 |
$ 16.83 |
$ 35,000 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Nursing Assistants:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) |
471,160 |
33.48 |
$ 15.43 |
$ 32,090 |
| Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly |
140,850 |
15.80 |
$ 15.15 |
$ 31,520 |
| Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals |
26,100 |
9.67 |
$ 17.02 |
$ 35,400 |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals |
386,510 |
6.91 |
$ 16.92 |
$ 35,190 |
| Home Health Care Services |
83,560 |
5.52 |
$ 14.39 |
$ 29,930 |
Top paying industries for Nursing Assistants:
Geographic profile for Nursing Assistants:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Nursing Assistants are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Nursing Assistants, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Nursing Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| California |
94,450 |
5.71 |
0.61 |
$ 19.12 |
$ 39,760 |
| New York |
85,490 |
9.86 |
1.06 |
$ 19.56 |
$ 40,680 |
| Florida |
83,010 |
9.65 |
1.03 |
$ 14.35 |
$ 29,840 |
| Texas |
71,700 |
5.86 |
0.63 |
$ 14.72 |
$ 30,620 |
| Pennsylvania |
68,180 |
12.21 |
1.31 |
$ 16.44 |
$ 34,190 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nursing Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| North Dakota |
7,790 |
19.71 |
2.11 |
$ 17.34 |
$ 36,070 |
| Rhode Island |
8,320 |
18.18 |
1.95 |
$ 17.12 |
$ 35,610 |
| Kansas |
21,750 |
16.24 |
1.74 |
$ 14.30 |
$ 29,730 |
| South Dakota |
6,590 |
15.64 |
1.68 |
$ 14.26 |
$ 29,660 |
| Iowa |
22,070 |
14.86 |
1.59 |
$ 15.60 |
$ 32,440 |
Top paying states for Nursing Assistants:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Alaska |
1,760 |
5.94 |
0.64 |
$ 20.71 |
$ 43,080 |
| New York |
85,490 |
9.86 |
1.06 |
$ 19.56 |
$ 40,680 |
| California |
94,450 |
5.71 |
0.61 |
$ 19.12 |
$ 39,760 |
| District of Columbia |
3,140 |
4.74 |
0.51 |
$ 18.94 |
$ 39,390 |
| Oregon |
12,460 |
6.82 |
0.73 |
$ 18.67 |
$ 38,830 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Nursing Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
81,890 |
9.44 |
1.01 |
$ 20.17 |
$ 41,940 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI |
39,130 |
9.24 |
0.99 |
$ 16.53 |
$ 34,390 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
38,030 |
6.65 |
0.71 |
$ 18.60 |
$ 38,690 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD |
31,280 |
11.78 |
1.26 |
$ 17.14 |
$ 35,650 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH |
26,580 |
10.28 |
1.10 |
$ 18.69 |
$ 38,880 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
22,390 |
9.13 |
0.98 |
$ 14.42 |
$ 30,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
21,990 |
7.50 |
0.80 |
$ 17.06 |
$ 35,490 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
19,050 |
7.36 |
0.79 |
$ 16.13 |
$ 33,540 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
18,530 |
5.16 |
0.55 |
$ 15.57 |
$ 32,380 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI |
16,990 |
9.43 |
1.01 |
$ 16.37 |
$ 34,040 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nursing Assistants:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Goldsboro, NC |
1,390 |
35.14 |
3.77 |
$ 14.36 |
$ 29,880 |
| Bismarck, ND |
2,180 |
31.39 |
3.36 |
$ 17.38 |
$ 36,140 |
| Hot Springs, AR |
870 |
24.03 |
2.57 |
$ 12.93 |
$ 26,890 |
| Rome, GA |
910 |
23.44 |
2.51 |
$ 13.32 |
$ 27,710 |
| Grand Forks, ND-MN |
1,100 |
22.74 |
2.44 |
$ 16.76 |
$ 34,850 |
| Greenville, NC |
1,700 |
22.54 |
2.42 |
$ 13.98 |
$ 29,080 |
| Bloomsburg-Berwick, PA |
860 |
21.90 |
2.35 |
$ 14.83 |
$ 30,850 |
| Homosassa Springs, FL |
640 |
20.15 |
2.16 |
$ 12.99 |
$ 27,020 |
| Topeka, KS |
2,090 |
19.61 |
2.10 |
$ 14.34 |
$ 29,830 |
| Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC |
2,840 |
19.36 |
2.07 |
$ 14.07 |
$ 29,260 |
United States Department of Labor
