The highest-paying states for nursing assistants (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of nursing assistants in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $38,500, Alaska is the highest paying state for nursing assistants. It is followed by New York (average annual salary $36,610). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of nursing assistants in a specific state, use the links in the table.
| Rank | State | Average Salary i | Entry Level Salary i |
# of Empl. i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $38,500 |
$31,800 | 1,820 |
| 2 | New York | $36,610 |
$25,620 | 91,400 |
| 3 | Hawaii | $34,870 |
$27,170 | 4,800 |
| 4 | Nevada | $34,060 |
$26,480 | 6,660 |
| 5 | North Dakota | $33,980 |
$26,150 | 7,080 |
| 6 | Minnesota | $33,350 |
$26,280 | 31,640 |
| 7 | California | $33,070 |
$25,200 | 99,440 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $32,620 |
$25,770 | 22,150 |
| 9 | Oregon | $32,350 |
$24,370 | 12,880 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $32,310 |
$26,170 | 39,100 |
| 11 | Colorado | $32,000 |
$25,420 | 21,070 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $31,280 |
$25,190 | 7,980 |
| 13 | Washington | $31,220 |
$25,600 | 32,690 |
| 14 | District of Columbia | $31,190 |
$26,650 | 3,500 |
| 15 | Arizona | $30,540 |
$25,300 | 14,750 |
| 16 | Maryland | $30,230 |
$23,080 | 27,980 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $30,080 |
$23,680 | 76,260 |
| 18 | Delaware | $30,020 |
$25,210 | 4,850 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $30,000 |
$24,210 | 10,200 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $29,970 |
$24,250 | 3,310 |
| 21 | Vermont | $29,910 |
$24,410 | 3,040 |
| 22 | Michigan | $29,710 |
$23,240 | 49,760 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $29,470 |
$22,730 | 56,500 |
| 24 | Virgin Islands | $29,280 |
$25,070 | 180 |
| 25 | Wisconsin | $29,240 |
$22,540 | 32,310 |
| 26 | Montana | $28,820 |
$22,240 | 5,760 |
| 27 | Iowa | $28,520 |
$22,330 | 20,890 |
| 28 | Maine | $28,350 |
$22,260 | 9,580 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $28,280 |
$22,250 | 14,580 |
| 30 | Guam | $28,110 |
$20,000 | 330 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $27,890 |
$20,380 | 6,200 |
| 32 | Illinois | $27,860 |
$21,620 | 61,140 |
| 33 | Utah | $27,650 |
$21,450 | 10,680 |
| 34 | Virginia | $27,270 |
$20,520 | 39,320 |
| 35 | Ohio | $27,040 |
$21,240 | 65,860 |
| 36 | Indiana | $26,830 |
$21,240 | 30,220 |
| 37 | Idaho | $26,770 |
$21,050 | 7,300 |
| 38 | South Dakota | $26,300 |
$21,150 | 6,010 |
| 39 | Kentucky | $26,080 |
$20,540 | 24,060 |
| 40 | Florida | $26,020 |
$20,740 | 89,860 |
| 41 | Texas | $25,760 |
$20,360 | 87,750 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $25,680 |
$20,170 | 28,340 |
| 43 | Kansas | $25,670 |
$21,020 | 22,290 |
| 44 | North Carolina | $25,260 |
$18,530 | 63,010 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $25,180 |
$20,570 | 8,330 |
| 46 | Georgia | $24,680 |
$18,860 | 36,780 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $24,610 |
$19,890 | 18,060 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $24,530 |
$20,480 | 17,120 |
| 49 | Missouri | $24,350 |
$18,700 | 38,560 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $24,190 |
$18,710 | 20,950 |
| 51 | Alabama | $23,290 |
$18,230 | 22,590 |
| 52 | Mississippi | $22,480 |
$17,380 | 13,850 |
| 53 | Louisiana | $22,070 |
$17,140 | 20,690 |
| 54 | Puerto Rico | $19,200 |
$16,460 | 360 |