Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$44,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$3,500
7.9% of base
Total target cash
$47,500
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$2,00050th$3,50075th$5,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
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About this role
Nursing Assistant is a professional role within the function in the Healthcare Support job family.
Typical experience: 0 to 3 years at the Analyst / Associate level, per widely used corporate career-level norms (Radford, Mercer, and SHRM career-level frameworks). Actual expectations vary by function, industry, and company size.
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
Top skills:Service OrientationSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningMonitoringSpeakingReading Comprehension
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Nursing Assistant pay by experience level
Entry level$35,000
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$38,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$43,500
Mid-career median pay
Senior$49,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$54,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+2.3%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
204,100
projected openings per year
Growing slower than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Nursing Assistant salary by industry
Nursing and Residential Care Facilities
707,730 workers
$43,500
Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities)
534,270 workers
$44,000
Hospitals
479,330 workers
$45,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
442,820 workers
$45,000
Hospitals, Privately Owned
405,580 workers
$45,000
Continuing Care Retirement Communities and Assisted Living Facilities for the Elderly
161,150 workers
$42,500
Ambulatory Health Care Services
116,200 workers
$42,500
Home Health Care Services
70,770 workers
$41,000
Administrative and Support Services
48,650 workers
$50,000
Employment Services
48,300 workers
$50,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 1.4 million people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
86.9%
White
50.7%
Black or African American
39.3%
Asian
5.3%
Hispanic or Latino
13.4%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $30,850 to $42,260.
+37.0% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$35,000
Early career25th percentile
$38,500
Median50th percentile
$43,500
Experienced75th percentile
$49,000
Top earners90th percentile
$54,000
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
Service OrientationSocial PerceptivenessActive ListeningMonitoringSpeakingReading Comprehension
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Below or near the salary threshold
Entry-level roles paid below the exemption threshold are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$44,000
2027$45,500
2028$47,000
2029$49,000
2030$50,500
2031$52,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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The median market pay for a Nursing Assistant in the United States is about $44,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Nursing Assistant?
Most Nursing Assistant pay falls between about $38,500 (25th percentile) and $49,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $54,000.
What does a Nursing Assistant do?
Core responsibilities include: turn or reposition bedridden patients; and answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
Is pay for Nursing Assistant roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $30,850 in 2020 to $42,260 in 2025, a change of +37% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Nursing Assistant pays 12% below the average across 19 roles in the Healthcare Support job family (family average $50,000).
Need Nursing Assistant pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
