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If you’re thinking about leveling up in your certified nursing career, you are in the right spot! As a certified nursing assistant, you are the backbone of patient care. It’s equally important that you are well compensated for the work that you do, so if you are interested in leading salary conversations with confidence, keep reading because we created this guide for you!

How much money do certified nursing assistants (CNAs) make?

The median annual pay for United States based CNAs is $38,200¹, and the top 10% of CNAs earned more than $48,780¹. However, this is not the full picture - there are a couple factors that influence pay like your specialty, location, years of experience and type of work setting. In fact, the type of degree earned can also influence pay!

Let’s dive into how these factors influence compensation 💰

Highest Paying Nursing Settings¹

Nursing is incredibly fulfilling, but it's also important to ensure you're being compensated fairly for your hard work. Are you earning what you deserve?

Depending on your experience and the setting you work in, salaries can vary widely. Glassdoor reports that CNAs can earn between $39,000 and $54,000 annually. This is because the type of nursing setting you work in can play a significant role in determining your pay, as some are in higher demand than others.

As of May 2023¹ the highest paying nursing settings for CNAs include:

States with a $40k+ average salary¹

Another way to earn more money as a CNA is to work in certain cities or states with higher average salaries. Cost of living compares costs of basic expenses like housing, transportation, food, childcare and utilities in different locations². The higher the cost of living index number, the more expensive the state is!

Working as a CNA in Wisconsin, North Dakota and Minnesota, you can earn more than the national average with cost of living scores less than 100!

States with High Pay and Low COL for CNAs

Source: BLS 2023 and World Population Review

Top Paying CNA Specialties

CNA salaries can also increase with a combination of specialized education, experience and certifications. Here are some top paying CNA specialties and nationwide average salaries⁵⁶

Top 5 States with the Most Projected Jobs 2022 - 2032

Where should you move to maximize their earning potential as a CNA?

Looking at the projected job growth¹⁴ over the next 10 years by state can highlight areas with a high demand for CNAs, which often leads to more job opportunities and higher salaries.Here are the top 5 states with the highest projected job growth:

Future Outlook

Though we can’t see the future, we can use existing data to help make informed decisions! Whether you’re a student or have experience under your belt, here are some trends in the field you can expect in the coming years:

💰 CNAs Are In Demand¹⁵

The high demand for CNAs are driving fast growth of salaries. This profession has rapidly evolved in the past decade¹ - the salary jumped $24,890 annually in 2013 to $38,200 in 2023. By 2030, all baby boomers will be 65 or older which means the demand for CNAs will drastically increase. Many facilities offering care for aging and elderly populations in retirement home, home health, hospitals hospice care and nursing homes will need to hire more CNAs! Safe to say we can expect more growth for CNA salaries¹⁶ .

☀️ Consider Continuing in Nursing

In the next decade, the job market for LPNs and LVNs are expected to grow 3%¹⁷, CNAs are expected to grow 4%¹ and registered nurse field is expected to grow over 6%¹⁸. However, the BLS predicts a 40% growth over the next decade for specialties as a nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife and nurse practitioner¹⁹. If you’re considering getting a master’s degree in nursing, it might may be a great educational investment! Check out this article for more information on online MSN programs.

📈 Major Cities Have Better Pay for CNAs²⁰

If you’re a new or experienced CNA interested in working in a city, check out our job posts in these metropolitan cities! As of 2023, San Francisco (CA), San Jose (CA) and Salem (OR) were the top 3 highest paying metropolitan cities for CNAs. We pulled salary data from 2021 and 2022, and as you can see the salary for each has only increased by almost a $10,000 jump!

Salary transparency is not always the easiest topic, we hope this guide makes the conversation less daunting.

🔍 Good luck on the job hunt, you got this!! Find your match with Pickle.

_SOURCES

Highest Paying Nursing Settings1

States with a $40k+ average salary1

Top Paying CNA Specialties

Top 5 States with the Most Projected Jobs 2022 - 2032

Highest Paying Nursing Settings¹

States with a $40k+ average salary¹