What are the main factors that influence a Certified Nursing Aide's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change a Certified Nursing Aide's salary?

A Certified Nursing Aide's salary grows with experience: starting around $34,202 for beginners, reaching about $35,505 at mid-level, and approach $36,350 for experts.

What are the highest paying states for a Certified Nursing Aide?

Certified Nursing Aide salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Certified Nursing Aide roles are District of Columbia $39,623, California $39,473, Massachusetts $38,947. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Certified Nursing Aide roles make?

Salaries for Certified Nursing Aide level roles vary by specialization: Hospice Nursing Aide: $43,785; Outpatient Surgery Nursing Aide: $41,086; Certified Medicine Aide: $38,378; Certified Medication Aide: $38,148; Restorative Nursing Aide: $36,102.

How do different companies affect a Certified Nursing Aide's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Certified Nursing Aide roles. Large, established industry leaders like Kpmg Us LLP ($114,295) and Warner Bros Discovery ($114,096) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $88,138.

Certified Nursing Aide Salary in the United States

How much does a Certified Nursing Aide make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Certified Nursing Aide in the United States is $35,787 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $17.

However, a Certified Nursing Aide's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $39,658
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $32,774 to $37,813
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $30,031

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Certified Nursing Aide Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$37,813	$3,151	$727	$18
Average	$35,787	$2,982	$688	$17
25th Percentile	$32,774	$2,731	$630	$16

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Key Factors That Influence Certified Nursing Aide Salaries

A Certified Nursing Aide's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Certified Nursing Aide Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Certified Nursing Aide's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $34,202
Early Career (1-2 years): $34,307
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $35,505
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $36,293
Expert (over 8 years): $36,350

Levels	Salary
Entry Level Certified Nursing Aide	$34,202
Intermediate Level Certified Nursing Aide	$34,307
Senior Level Certified Nursing Aide	$35,505
Specialist Level Certified Nursing Aide	$36,293
Expert Level Certified Nursing Aide	$36,350

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Certified Nursing Aide Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Certified Nursing Aides. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $39,623.
California: $39,473.
Massachusetts: $38,947.

District of Columbia $39,623 California $39,473 Massachusetts $38,947 Washington $38,804 New Jersey $38,789 Alaska $38,739 Connecticut $38,245 New York $38,045

Hawaii $37,404 Rhode Island $37,104 Maryland $36,900 Minnesota $36,621 Colorado $36,513 Illinois $36,477 Oregon $36,341 Delaware $36,241

New Hampshire $36,178 Virginia $36,037 Pennsylvania $35,626 Nevada $35,418 North Dakota $35,350 Michigan $35,243 Wisconsin $35,203 Vermont $35,125

Texas $34,906 Maine $34,892 Arizona $34,871 Ohio $34,846 Georgia $34,516 Indiana $34,352 Wyoming $34,320 Utah $34,269

Iowa $34,248 Kansas $34,076 Louisiana $34,026 North Carolina $34,008 Missouri $34,001 Florida $33,861 Montana $33,786 Nebraska $33,715

Kentucky $33,675 South Carolina $33,532 Tennessee $33,443 Idaho $33,407 New Mexico $33,146 Oklahoma $33,088 Alabama $32,877 South Dakota $32,523

Arkansas $32,330 West Virginia $32,226 Mississippi $31,915

Top Paying Cities for Certified Nursing Aides

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $45,138
San Francisco: $44,694
Oakland: $43,703

San Jose, CA $45,138

San Francisco, CA $44,694

Oakland, CA $43,703

New York, NY $41,473

Queens Village, NY $41,205

Paramus, NJ $40,919

Passaic, NJ $40,883

Bergenfield, NJ $40,847

Stamford, CT $40,793

Huntington, NY $40,758

Newark, NJ $40,525

Bridgeport, CT $40,453

New Brunswick, NJ $40,335

Vallejo, CA $40,260

Middlesex, NJ $40,239

Somerset, NJ $40,206

Petaluma, CA $40,124

Santa Cruz, CA $39,985

Boston, MA $39,913

Monterey, CA $39,734

Fairbanks, AK $39,709

Los Angeles, CA $39,641

Washington, DC $39,623

Seattle, WA $39,559

Santa Rosa, CA $39,552

Juneau, AK $39,448

Orange, CA $39,330

Anchorage, AK $39,265

Anaheim, CA $39,240

Santa Ana, CA $39,187

Nassau, NY $39,165

Long Beach, CA $39,151

Danbury, CT $39,140

Santa Maria, CA $39,018

Everett, WA $39,011

Bremerton, WA $38,836

Trenton, NJ $38,768

Sacramento, CA $38,754

San Diego, CA $38,736

Brockton, MA $38,721

Tacoma, WA $38,707

Santa Barbara, CA $38,657

Lowell, MA $38,514

New Suffolk, NY $38,499

Nashua, NH $38,456

Lompoc, CA $38,399

Ventura, CA $38,363

Stockton, CA $38,353

New Haven, CT $38,281

Atlantic City, NJ $38,188

Hartford, CT $38,109

Modesto, CA $38,091

Poughkeepsie, NY $38,013

New Britain, CT $37,995

Olympia, WA $37,945

Kennewick, WA $37,945

New London, CT $37,938

Norwich, CT $37,927

Lawrence, MA $37,909

Bakersfield, CA $37,809

Riverside, CA $37,759

New Bedford, MA $37,759

Richland, WA $37,723

Portsmouth, NH $37,694

Vineland, NJ $37,687

San Bernardino, CA $37,658

Boulder, CO $37,558

Worcester, MA $37,530

Portland, OR $37,497

Saint Paul, MN $37,454

Minneapolis, MN $37,454

Philadelphia, PA $37,404

Honolulu, HI $37,215

Springfield, MA $37,089

Providence, RI $37,086

Chicago, IL $36,982

Bellingham, WA $36,939

Baltimore, MD $36,900

Chico, CA $36,810

Wilmington, DE $36,749

Pittsfield, MA $36,714

Manchester, NH $36,646

Spokane, WA $36,488

Denver, CO $36,485

Albany, NY $36,316

Troy, NY $36,302

Schenectady, NY $36,227

Burlington, VT $36,148

Portland, ME $36,023

Salem, OR $35,994

Yakima, WA $35,987

Ann Arbor, MI $35,976

Rochester, MN $35,876

Fresno, CA $35,858

Reno, NV $35,858

Milwaukee, WI $35,826

Detroit, MI $35,790

Allentown, PA $35,780

Carson City, NV $35,776

Houston, TX $35,722

Colorado Springs, CO $35,719

Syracuse, NY $35,701

Eugene, OR $35,633

Bismarck, ND $35,590

Gary, IN $35,590

Galveston, TX $35,590

Springfield, OR $35,561

Medford, OR $35,475

Fort Collins, CO $35,461

Austin, TX $35,433

Mesa, AZ $35,357

Phoenix, AZ $35,350

Dallas, TX $35,339

Reading, PA $35,318

Saint Cloud, MN $35,304

Concord, NH $35,271

Madison, WI $35,257

Utica, NY $35,161

Raleigh, NC $35,132

Las Vegas, NV $35,128

Rochester, NY $35,103

Des Moines, IA $35,100

Atlanta, GA $35,042

Battle Creek, MI $35,032

Salt Lake City, UT $35,021

Lancaster, PA $34,967

Champaign, IL $34,960

Harrisburg, PA $34,917

Durham, NC $34,885

Kansas City, MO $34,881

Kansas City, KS $34,874

Fort Worth, TX $34,871

Boca Raton, FL $34,856

Cleveland, OH $34,853

Columbus, OH $34,846

Pittsburgh, PA $34,842

Richmond, VA $34,828

Indianapolis, IN $34,821

Cincinnati, OH $34,774

Petersburg, VA $34,720

Billings, MT $34,642

Lansing, MI $34,642

Huntsville, AL $34,642

Lebanon, PA $34,638

Dayton, OH $34,634

Pueblo, CO $34,634

Appleton, WI $34,624

Buffalo, NY $34,609

Racine, WI $34,592

Charlotte, NC $34,588

Saint Louis, MO $34,577

Springfield, IL $34,563

Elkhart, IN $34,556

York, PA $34,556

Gastonia, NC $34,552

Benton Harbor, MI $34,552

Beaumont, TX $34,531

Lorain, OH $34,524

Toledo, OH $34,509

Binghamton, NY $34,491

Rock Hill, SC $34,488

Rockford, IL $34,470

Fargo, ND $34,452

Elyria, OH $34,452

Flagstaff, AZ $34,427

Fort Lauderdale, FL $34,405

Miami, FL $34,384

Duluth, MN $34,327

Bangor, ME $34,280

Cedar Rapids, IA $34,241

Louisville, KY $34,223

Grand Rapids, MI $34,216

Hialeah, FL $34,212

Casper, WY $34,162

Scranton, PA $34,119

New Orleans, LA $34,108

Virginia Beach, VA $34,105

Akron, OH $34,087

Peoria, IL $34,040

Sarasota, FL $34,033

Green Bay, WI $34,008

Baton Rouge, LA $33,990

Charleston, SC $33,983

Nashville, TN $33,972

Jamestown, NY $33,965

Davenport, IA $33,965

Tucson, AZ $33,947

Cheyenne, WY $33,937

Saint Petersburg, FL $33,926

Tampa, FL $33,919

Omaha, NE $33,912

Port Arthur, TX $33,897

Evansville, IN $33,897

Bradenton, FL $33,883

Santa Fe, NM $33,819

Orlando, FL $33,783

Clearwater, FL $33,743

Canton, OH $33,668

La Crosse, WI $33,668

Grand Forks, ND $33,657

Albuquerque, NM $33,647

Tulsa, OK $33,647

Newport News, VA $33,643

High Point, NC $33,632

Ogden, UT $33,618

Corpus Christi, TX $33,589

Laramie, WY $33,568

Norfolk, VA $33,568

Rock Island, IL $33,547

Saginaw, MI $33,539

Jacksonville, FL $33,536

Salisbury, NC $33,529

Memphis, TN $33,521

Moline, IL $33,504

Fort Myers, FL $33,493

Waterloo, IA $33,446

Spartanburg, SC $33,411

Lincoln, NE $33,393

Fort Wayne, IN $33,386

Birmingham, AL $33,346

Cedar Falls, IA $33,339

Provo, UT $33,335

Springfield, OH $33,332

San Antonio, TX $33,325

Greensboro, NC $33,310

South Bend, IN $33,307

Winston Salem, NC $33,303

Boise, ID $33,292

Savannah, GA $33,267

Muskegon, MI $33,203

Lima, OH $33,160

Lake Charles, LA $33,146

Anderson, IN $33,139

Lexington, KY $33,128

Augusta, GA $33,117

Greenville, SC $33,117

Wichita, KS $33,085

Tuscaloosa, AL $33,085

Columbia, SC $33,053

Bloomington, IN $32,963

Roanoke, VA $32,942

Asheville, NC $32,895

Knoxville, TN $32,834

Shreveport, LA $32,831

Wilmington, NC $32,784

Frankfort, KY $32,716

Oklahoma City, OK $32,691

Chillicothe, OH $32,677

Longview, TX $32,673

Topeka, KS $32,663

Mobile, AL $32,609

Terre Haute, IN $32,595

Erie, PA $32,591

Altoona, PA $32,573

Melbourne, FL $32,562

Amarillo, TX $32,548

Killeen, TX $32,537

Fayetteville, AR $32,509

Sioux Falls, SD $32,484

Chattanooga, TN $32,462

Idaho Falls, ID $32,459

Gainesville, FL $32,383

Portsmouth, OH $32,366

Little Rock, AR $32,358

Lynchburg, VA $32,358

Lafayette, LA $32,344

Youngstown, OH $32,344

Temple, TX $32,330

Daytona Beach, FL $32,323

Clarksville, TN $32,319

Pensacola, FL $32,315

Hopkinsville, KY $32,208

Charleston, WV $32,205

Florence, SC $32,187

Sioux City, IA $32,165

Macon, GA $32,061

Tallahassee, FL $32,058

Fayetteville, NC $32,051

Waco, TX $32,044

Wichita Falls, TX $32,044

Pine Bluff, AR $32,029

Vincennes, IN $31,961

Lubbock, TX $31,947

Great Falls, MT $31,925

Alamogordo, NM $31,922

Abilene, TX $31,893

Rapid City, SD $31,847

Monroe, LA $31,847

Albany, GA $31,825

Huntington, WV $31,822

Jackson, MS $31,818

Greenville, MS $31,814

Parkersburg, WV $31,779

Montgomery, AL $31,772

Johnstown, PA $31,764

Springfield, MO $31,736

Biloxi, MS $31,718

Sumter, SC $31,643

Columbus, GA $31,639

Twin Falls, ID $31,618

Pascagoula, MS $31,571

Kingsport, TN $31,478

Gulfport, MS $31,467

Alexandria, LA $31,349

Fort Smith, AR $31,260

El Paso, TX $31,163

Helena, MT $31,117

Las Cruces, NM $31,002

Harlingen, TX $30,902

Pocatello, ID $30,870

Florence, AL $30,859

Brownsville, TX $30,852

Dothan, AL $30,795

Mcallen, TX $30,777

Columbus, MS $30,512

Altus, OK $30,347

Lawton, OK $30,279

Pierre, SD $30,150

What Skills Can Increase a Certified Nursing Aide's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Commitment (Mentioned in 3.53% Job Postings): An agreement or pledge to do something in the future a commitment to improve conditions at the prison especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date.
Long Term Care (Mentioned in 4.69% Job Postings): Long-term care (LTC) is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical needs of people with a chronic illness or disability who cannot care for themselves for long periods. Long term care is focused on individualized and coordinated services that promote independence, maximize patients' quality of life, and meet patients' needs over a period of time. It is common for long-term care to provide custodial and non-skilled care, such as assisting with normal daily tasks like dressing, feeding, using the bathroom. Increasingly, long-term care involves providing a level of medical care that requires the expertise of skilled practitioners to address the multiple chronic conditions associated with older populations. Long-term care can be provided at home, in the community, in assisted living facilities or in nursing homes. Long-term care may be needed by people of any age, although it is a more common need for senior citizens.
Home Care (Mentioned in 2.18% Job Postings): Homecare is health care or supportive care provided by a professional caregiver in the individual home where the patient or client is living, as opposed to care provided in group accommodations like clinics or nursing home.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Commitment	3.53%
Long Term Care	4.69%
Home Care	2.18%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Certified Nursing Aide's salary.

Dialysis: Can increase your salary by up to 14%.
Attention to Detail: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Initiative: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Dialysis	$40,797	14%
Attention to Detail	$37,934	6%
Initiative	$37,576	5%
Collaboration	$37,576	5%
Cardiac	$37,218	4%
Organizational Skills	$37,218	4%

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How Education impacts a Certified Nursing Aide's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Certified Nursing Aides enter the field with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Certified Nursing Aide with a High School Diploma or Technical Certificate is between $35,160 and $37,049).

Certified Nursing Aide Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Certified Nursing Aide

No Diploma 1.7%

High School 78.7%

Associates 11.4%

Bachelors 7.6%

Masters 0.6%

Doctorate 0.0%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	1.7%
High School	78.7%
Associates	11.4%
Bachelors	7.6%
Masters	0.6%
Doctorate	0.0%

view as graph

Certified Nursing Aide Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Certified Nursing Aide's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

$32,774

Average $35,787/year

$37,813

$2,731

Average $2,982/month

$3,151

$630

Average $688/week

$727

$16

Average $17/hour

$18

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$37,813	$3,151	$727	$18
Average	$35,787	$2,982	$688	$17
25th Percentile	$32,774	$2,731	$630	$16

Salaries of jobs related to Certified Nursing Aide

Salary Trends for Certified Nursing Aide

Salaries for a Certified Nursing Aide can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $51,050 in 2023 to around $51,686 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Certified Nursing Aide salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Certified Nursing Aide Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$51,050

2024

$51,860

2025

$51,686

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$51,050
2024	$51,860
2025	$51,686
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Certified Nursing Aide

Social Security

401(k)

Disability

Healthcare

Pension

Time Off (days)

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

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