The median CNA in the United States earns about $20.32 an hour, or roughly $42,260 a year for a full-time schedule. That figure barely captures the real spread in pay, which stretches from about $37,260 at the 25th percentile to $47,220 at the 75th percentile.
Facility type and employment arrangement matter as much as geography. A hospital-based CNA in California often out-earns a home health aide in the South doing similar clinical work, and travel or per diem assignments routinely push hourly pay well beyond staff rates.
For many CNAs, the gap between base wages and actual take-home pay is shaped by shift differentials, weekend premiums, and staffing shortages. CNA certification is inexpensive and fast, but the financial payoff depends heavily on where and how you choose to work , and how it compares with RN Salary - What to Expect for those who advance into registered nursing.
How Much Do CNAs Make in 2026?
Understanding CNA pay starts with the most recent federal data available. The figures below are drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2025 occupational survey, and actual 2026 wages are likely a touch higher as healthcare facilities continue competing for qualified aides.
Median Salary Broken Down
The BLS reports a median annual salary of $42,260 for certified nursing assistants nationwide. Here is what that translates to in every pay format you might encounter on a job listing:
- Annual: $42,260
- Monthly: approximately $3,522
- Biweekly: approximately $1,625
- Hourly: approximately $20.32
These figures represent the midpoint, meaning half of all CNAs earn more and half earn less.
The Realistic Earnings Spread
Most CNAs fall within the 25th-to-75th percentile band, which stretches from about $37,260 to $47,220 per year. Where you land in that range depends on your state, facility type, experience level, and whether you pick up premium shifts. If you are just starting out, budgeting around the lower quartile gives you a conservative baseline. CNAs who have been on the floor for several years, hold specialty certifications, or work in higher-cost regions often reach the upper quartile or beyond.
Job Availability at a Glance
Pay matters more when jobs are plentiful, and nursing assistant positions remain widely available. The BLS counted roughly 1,448,910 CNA jobs across the country in its latest data release. That large employment base reflects steady demand in hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and home health agencies.
Where CNAs Sit Among Aide Roles
The BLS groups nursing assistants within a broader category that also includes home health aides, personal care aides, orderlies, and psychiatric aides. That combined group totals nearly 5.8 million workers but carries a lower median salary of about $37,070 per year. Nursing assistants sit well above that combined median, earning roughly $5,000 more annually. The gap reflects the clinical responsibilities and CNA certification requirements that set CNAs apart from unlicensed aide roles.
Keep these national benchmarks in mind as a starting point. Your actual paycheck will shift based on geography, employer, and schedule, all of which are explored in the sections that follow.
National CNA Wage Distribution at a Glance
CNA pay varies widely depending on where you work, the type of facility, and your level of experience. The spread between the 25th and 75th percentiles reflects these differences: CNAs in higher-cost states or specialized hospital settings tend to earn near the top of the range, while those in rural areas or basic long-term care facilities often fall closer to the lower end. The mean salary of $42,700 sits slightly above the median, suggesting that a subset of well-compensated positions pulls the average upward.
CNA Salary by State
CNA pay varies significantly depending on where you work. According to the most recent Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025 data), states on the West Coast and in the Northeast tend to offer the highest annual wages for nursing assistants. Below are the 25 highest paying states for CNAs, ranked by mean annual salary.
| State | Total Employment | Mean Annual Salary | 25th Percentile | Median Salary | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | 30,270 | $52,230 | $46,980 | $49,180 | $57,930 |
| Oregon | 14,800 | $52,160 | $47,480 | $49,830 | $59,080 |
| California | 110,060 | $50,190 | $45,850 | $47,630 | $54,800 |
| New Hampshire | 7,810 | $49,290 | $44,890 | $47,870 | $54,400 |
| Alaska | 2,060 | $48,920 | $45,120 | $46,370 | $52,240 |
| New York | 87,990 | $48,800 | $43,760 | $48,590 | $51,980 |
| District of Columbia | 3,490 | $47,930 | $42,400 | $47,700 | $51,850 |
| Massachusetts | 38,130 | $47,700 | $44,340 | $46,680 | $49,800 |
| Maine | 8,540 | $47,510 | $44,200 | $47,070 | $50,190 |
| Colorado | 22,240 | $47,400 | $44,550 | $47,380 | $49,920 |
| Vermont | 3,030 | $46,850 | $40,850 | $47,130 | $48,940 |
| New Jersey | 32,400 | $46,810 | $43,950 | $46,830 | $48,760 |
| Rhode Island | 10,220 | $46,360 | $44,760 | $46,440 | $47,460 |
| Minnesota | 29,120 | $46,030 | $40,340 | $46,680 | $49,330 |
| Hawaii | 5,050 | $45,710 | $40,060 | $45,350 | $50,440 |
| Connecticut | 21,380 | $45,440 | $41,900 | $44,790 | $47,180 |
| Illinois | 68,640 | $45,230 | $39,420 | $45,960 | $48,380 |
| Nevada | 8,100 | $44,900 | $39,100 | $45,490 | $47,990 |
| Arizona | 20,320 | $44,820 | $38,320 | $44,780 | $46,630 |
| Wisconsin | 28,370 | $44,600 | $39,580 | $45,130 | $47,320 |
| Pennsylvania | 67,740 | $43,960 | $39,270 | $44,590 | $46,850 |
| North Dakota | 6,840 | $43,330 | $36,410 | $45,820 | $47,950 |
| Maryland | 27,720 | $43,310 | $38,400 | $43,240 | $45,760 |
| Delaware | 5,530 | $42,290 | $38,490 | $42,030 | $45,210 |
| Virginia | 40,580 | $42,160 | $37,020 | $43,200 | $46,930 |
Highest-Paying Cities and Metro Areas for CNAs
Location plays a major role in CNA compensation. The table below ranks the top-paying metropolitan areas in the United States by median annual salary, based on the most recent Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Several of these metros also employ tens of thousands of nursing assistants, reflecting both strong demand and competitive wages.
| Metro Area | Total Employment | 25th Percentile | Median Salary | 75th Percentile | Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, WA | 16,530 | $48,110 | $51,990 | $59,950 | $55,220 |
| New York, Newark, Jersey City, NY/NJ | 79,480 | $47,430 | $49,270 | $55,170 | $50,810 |
| Minneapolis, St. Paul, Bloomington, MN/WI | 14,590 | $44,600 | $48,020 | $50,210 | $47,640 |
| Boston, Cambridge, Newton, MA/NH | 26,130 | $44,940 | $47,590 | $50,060 | $48,730 |
| Los Angeles, Long Beach, Anaheim, CA | 43,090 | $46,030 | $47,380 | $50,360 | $49,700 |
| Chicago, Naperville, Elgin, IL/IN | 45,850 | $42,940 | $46,940 | $49,060 | $46,610 |
| Philadelphia, Camden, Wilmington, PA/NJ/DE/MD | 30,680 | $43,370 | $46,220 | $47,560 | $45,820 |
| Washington, Arlington, Alexandria, DC/VA/MD/WV | 25,520 | $39,020 | $45,730 | $48,980 | $45,130 |
| Detroit, Warren, Dearborn, MI | 17,300 | $38,650 | $39,900 | $45,060 | $41,980 |
| Atlanta, Sandy Springs, Roswell, GA | 23,260 | $37,320 | $39,350 | $44,700 | $40,570 |
| St. Louis, MO/IL | 14,620 | $37,180 | $39,110 | $44,630 | $40,720 |
| Dallas, Fort Worth, Arlington, TX | 23,420 | $37,370 | $38,530 | $45,190 | $40,700 |
| Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, FL | 23,490 | $36,240 | $38,010 | $44,160 | $40,030 |
| Houston, Pasadena, The Woodlands, TX | 19,230 | $36,350 | $37,970 | $46,100 | $40,430 |
| Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, FL | 15,120 | $36,540 | $37,470 | $39,410 | $38,950 |
CNA Pay by Work Setting and Facility Type
Where you work as a CNA has a meaningful impact on your paycheck. Based on the most recent federal wage data, CNAs employed through staffing and employment services agencies earn the highest median annual pay, while home health care services tend to fall at the lower end of the scale. Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing and long term care) employ the largest share of CNAs nationwide, and their median pay now edges slightly above the national figure. Note that reliable national CNA wage data for outpatient clinic settings is not currently published, so that setting is not included below.
| Work Setting | Average Hourly Pay | Average Annual Pay | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employment Services (Staffing Agencies) | ~$22.98 (estimated from annual) | $47,810 | Highest median among all settings; reflects agency and travel placement premiums. BLS reports wages under the staffing firm, not the client facility. |
| Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing, Long Term Care) | $18.62 (2023 mean) | $43,000 | Largest CNA employer, with roughly 459,000 positions as of 2023. Median annual pay sits slightly above the national median of $42,260. |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | $19.64 (2023 mean) | $41,650 | Second largest employer of CNAs. Median annual pay falls just below the national median, though specialty hospitals tend to pay modestly more. |
| Specialty Hospitals | $20.28 (2023 mean) | $42,180 | Includes psychiatric, rehabilitation, and other specialty inpatient facilities. Smaller workforce of about 28,400 CNAs nationally. |
| Home Health Care Services | N/A | $38,040 | Covers CNAs directly employed by home health agencies. Median pay is the lowest among reported settings, roughly $4,200 below the national median. |
Staff CNA vs. Travel and per Diem CNA Pay
A staff CNA is a regular W-2 employee of one facility, working a set schedule with benefits attached. A travel CNA signs a short-term contract, usually 8 to 13 weeks, through a staffing agency and relocates to fill a facility's temporary gap. A per diem (or PRN) CNA has no set schedule at all, picking up shifts as needed, often at more than one facility, with no guarantee of hours week to week. Understanding which category a job posting falls into matters, because the headline pay number means something different in each case.
Travel Pay Looks Bigger Than It Is
Travel CNA packages nationally have run around $1,075 a week in 20261, up from roughly $844 a week in 20231, with postings ranging from about $828 to $1,090 weekly2 and top packages reaching over $1,200.3 That sounds like a big jump over a staff wage, and it often is, with travel pay running somewhere in the neighborhood of a quarter to nearly a third higher than staff pay depending on location and facility.1 But that weekly figure usually bundles a taxed hourly base with non-taxed housing and meal stipends, plus sometimes travel reimbursement or a completion bonus for finishing the contract. Two travel offers with the same weekly total can have very different taxable income depending on how the agency splits base pay from stipends, so it pays to ask for that breakdown before comparing offers.
Per Diem Pays More Per Hour, Guarantees Less
Per diem CNA work tends to pay a real hourly premium over staff wages, commonly landing at $20 an hour or more in nursing home settings4, with rates pushing higher in tight labor markets or for less desirable shifts. The tradeoff is obvious: no PTO, no guaranteed weekly hours, and often no employer-sponsored health coverage or retirement match. A per diem CNA might out-earn a staff CNA hourly and still take home less over a slow month.
Weighing the Real Tradeoff
Staff CNA pay averaged around $21 an hour nationally in 20265, up from about $17 an hour in 20231, and while that's lower than travel or per diem hourly rates, it comes with benefits that carry real dollar value: health insurance, paid time off, shift stability, and sometimes tuition assistance toward an LPN or RN bridge program. Travel CNA demand spiked sharply during the pandemic staffing crunch and has since settled into a steadier, still-elevated market in 2025 and 2026, with agencies continuing to post hundreds of active assignments at any given time.2 For CNAs weighing options, the right choice often comes down to whether flexibility and top-line pay matter more right now than predictability and benefits.
Staff vs. Travel vs. per Diem CNA Pay Comparison
How you choose to work as a CNA directly affects your take-home pay, benefits, and lifestyle. Below is a side-by-side look at the three most common employment arrangements. Keep in mind that travel CNA pay packages frequently include non-taxable housing and meal stipends, which can make advertised rates appear significantly higher than the actual taxable wage.
How Experience and Shift Differentials Affect CNA Wages
When CNA Certification holders compare pay, the real decision is often not just where they work, but when they work and how long they stay. A day-shift position offers predictability, while nights, weekends, and holidays usually pay more. Experience builds base pay over time, but the largest short-term jumps often come from shift choice.
Experience Moves the Needle, but Slowly
Reported entry-level CNA wages vary by data source. Some recent postings put entry-level hourly pay between about $15 and $20, while the 25th to 75th percentile for new CNAs falls in the $16.35 to $22.60 range. At 40 hours per week, $16 per hour equals roughly $33,280 a year, and $20 per hour equals about $41,600. CNAs with one to four years of experience commonly move into the $16 to $17 range, and those with six or more years often reach $18 to $20 or more, depending on region and facility. Over a full year, each additional dollar per hour is worth about $2,080 before overtime.
Shift Differentials Add Up Fast
Evening shift premiums typically run $1 to $2 per hour. Night differentials generally fall between $1 and $3, with some union contracts reaching $4. Weekend premiums often add $1 to $2.50 per hour, and holiday shifts may pay time-and-a-half or double time. Stacking an overnight shift with a weekend premium can raise effective hourly pay by 10% to 15% compared with a Monday to Friday day shift.
Overtime and Union Contracts Can Widen the Gap
Overtime pay at time-and-a-half is common in understaffed facilities and adds up quickly. A CNA earning $18 per hour who works five overtime hours each week would collect about $6,600 extra per year before taxes. Unionized CNAs in states like California and New York tend to have structured step increases and stronger shift differentials, which can make the pay gap more predictable, while non-union facilities may offer smaller or less consistent premiums.
Putting It Together: Nights vs. Days
A CNA with three years of experience earning an $18 base rate and working nights with a $2 differential would make about $20 per hour, or $41,600 a year. A brand-new day-shift CNA at the same facility earning $16 per hour would make about $33,280. That is a difference of roughly $8,300 a year before overtime. The tradeoff is real: you earn more for less desirable hours, but the financial return can be substantial early in a CNA career.
CNA Pay Compared to Other Entry-Level Healthcare Roles
Understanding how CNA pay stacks up against similar entry-level healthcare positions can help you decide whether this career path aligns with your financial goals. The figures below, drawn from the 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, compare nursing assistants with the broader category that includes home health aides, personal care aides, orderlies, and psychiatric aides. While CNAs consistently earn above the group average, advancing into higher-paying nursing roles remains one of the strongest reasons to use CNA certification as a career launching pad.
| Role | National Employment | Median Annual Salary | 25th Percentile | 75th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nursing Assistants | 1,448,910 | $42,260 | $37,260 | $47,220 |
| Nursing Assistants, Orderlies, and Psychiatric Aides (combined) | 1,536,870 | $41,970 | $37,210 | $47,230 |
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides; Nursing Assistants, Orderlies, and Psychiatric Aides (broad group) | 5,842,680 | $37,070 | $34,320 | $42,770 |
Is CNA Training Worth It? Salary vs. Certification Cost
The real question is not whether CNA training is expensive, it is how fast the investment pays for itself once a paycheck starts arriving. Compared to most healthcare careers, the answer tends to be reassuring: even at the higher end of the cost spectrum, training expenses are typically recovered within a few months of full-time work.
What Training Actually Costs
CNA classes and programs at community colleges remain the most budget-friendly route, generally running $900 to $1,600 total once fees and supplies are included, over a 6 to 12 week schedule. Private vocational and career schools move faster in some cases (4 to 8 weeks) but charge more, often $500 to $1,500, and some private career schools exceed $3,500. Employer-sponsored programs sit at the low end, frequently $200 to $400 in fees or less, over a similarly compressed 4 to 8 week timeline. Across all formats nationally, total costs span roughly $0 to $4,500 depending on state, provider, and program length, which is itself shaped by each state's minimum training-hour requirement.
Running the Numbers
Against first-year CNA earnings, even a $2,000 program is a modest upfront cost. Most CNAs recover their full training investment within the first two to three months on the job, and employer-sponsored trainees recover it almost immediately since fees are minimal. The math holds even in states with longer, more clinically intensive programs, since additional training hours often translate into stronger job readiness and faster hiring.
Ways to Reduce or Eliminate the Cost
- Employer-sponsored training: Many nursing homes and long-term care facilities cover training costs if you commit to working for them for six to twelve months after certification.
- Workforce development funding: No-cost CNA programs funded through WIOA or local workforce boards can cover full tuition for eligible applicants.
- State-specific incentives: Some states run targeted programs, such as California's Caring4Cal, offering free training or completion incentives worth up to a few thousand dollars, with eligibility varying by provider.
A Stepping Stone, Not an End Point
CNA certification is often the first rung on a longer ladder. Many CNAs work while pursuing LPN or RN programs, and a growing number of employers offer tuition assistance specifically to support that transition. Viewed this way, CNA training is not just a low-cost entry point into healthcare, it is frequently the most affordable way to test the profession before committing to a longer nursing degree.
CNA Career Outlook and Job Growth Through 2034
America's aging population continues to drive sustained demand for certified nursing assistants. With roughly 204,100 openings projected each year through 2034, CNAs remain essential to the healthcare workforce, and opportunities should be widely available for those who complete training and certification.
Frequently Asked Questions About CNA Pay
Below are straightforward answers to the questions prospective and current CNAs ask most often. Where possible, figures reflect the most recent federal wage data available (May 2025 estimates) and industry averages reported through 2026.