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Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

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:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Junior Colleges 70 0.01 $ 29.48 $ 61,310
Scientific Research and Development Services 220 0.03 $ 21.43 $ 44,580
Insurance Carriers 30 (7) $ 20.58 $ 42,810
Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) 16,070 0.76 $ 20.12 $ 41,850
Technical and Trade Schools (8) (8) $ 19.36 $ 40,280


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.



Map of employment of nursing assistants by state, May 2021


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


Map of location quotient of nursing assistants by state, May 2021


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


Map of annual mean wages of nursing assistants by state, May 2021


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



Map of employment of nursing assistants by area, May 2021


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


Map of location quotient of nursing assistants by area, May 2021


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


Map of annual mean wages of nursing assistants by area, May 2021


Top paying metropolitan areas for Nursing Assistants:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 4,940 4.63 0.50 $ 22.93 $ 47,690
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 10,220 4.56 0.49 $ 22.84 $ 47,500
Salinas, CA 810 4.79 0.51 $ 21.26 $ 44,210
Fairbanks, AK 190 5.47 0.59 $ 21.10 $ 43,880
Napa, CA 550 7.93 0.85 $ 20.34 $ 42,310
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 81,890 9.44 1.01 $ 20.17 $ 41,940
Anchorage, AK 1,000 6.17 0.66 $ 19.99 $ 41,580
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 310 3.29 0.35 $ 19.74 $ 41,070
Santa Rosa, CA 1,010 5.27 0.57 $ 19.60 $ 40,770
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA 13,850 7.22 0.77 $ 19.51 $ 40,590

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Nursing Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 7,920 21.07 2.26 $ 13.50 $ 28,080
Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 5,120 20.99 2.25 $ 13.90 $ 28,920
Southeast Coastal North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 4,490 18.70 2.00 $ 13.15 $ 27,340
North Northeastern Ohio nonmetropolitan area (noncontiguous) 4,000 12.73 1.36 $ 14.56 $ 30,280
Southeast Iowa nonmetropolitan area 3,470 16.56 1.77 $ 15.52 $ 32,280

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Nursing Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northwest Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 960 25.48 2.73 $ 15.16 $ 31,530
North Arkansas nonmetropolitan area 2,570 22.76 2.44 $ 12.58 $ 26,160
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,340 22.03 2.36 $ 18.04 $ 37,520
Northeast Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,360 21.95 2.35 $ 11.25 $ 23,400
Central Louisiana nonmetropolitan area 1,590 21.59 2.31 $ 11.20 $ 23,300

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Nursing Assistants:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Alaska nonmetropolitan area 570 5.88 0.63 $ 21.84 $ 45,430
North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area 670 6.82 0.73 $ 18.56 $ 38,610
East North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,340 22.03 2.36 $ 18.04 $ 37,520
Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 310 5.46 0.59 $ 18.02 $ 37,480
West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area 1,330 12.54 1.34 $ 18.00 $ 37,440


About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022