Nursing assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

1.31M

Average Age

39.3

Estimated Job Growth

2.25%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$34,186

Average Male Salary

$40,193

Average Female Salary

$33,385

About

Nursing assistants are most often employed by the Nursing Care Facilities industry. The average yearly wage for Nursing assistants was $34,186 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Nursing assistants are NYC-Queens Community District 12--Jamaica, St. Albans, & Hollis PUMA, NY, NYC-Queens Community District 13--Queens Village, Bellerose, & Rosedale PUMA, NY, and NYC-Brooklyn Community District 18--Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Nursing assistants are Waterbury Town PUMA, CT, Essex County (Southeast)--Newark (West & Southwest) PUMA, NJ, and Broward County (Central)--Lauderhill & Lauderdale Lakes Cities PUMA, FL.

Healthcare Support Occupations Service Occupations

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Nursing assistants workforce. Nursing assistants workforce in 2024 was 1,312,843 people, of which 88.2% were women and 11.8% were men.

Nursing assistants are paid most in Maricopa County--Chandler City (South) PUMA, AZ but are relatively concentrated in Waterbury Town PUMA, CT.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

154,460

Male Workforce

± 9.64k

1,158,383

Female Workforce

± 26.3k

The Nursing assistants workforce in 2024 was 1,312,843 people (88.2% women and 11.8% men). This implies an average annual growth of −10.9% between 2018 (1,473,467) and 2024 (1,312,843).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Nursing assistants.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($64,570), New York ($42,401), and California ($42,341).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$34,186

AVERAGE WAGE

#474 in the ranking (2018)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Nursing assistants earned an average of $34,186, $35,692 less than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Nursing assistants in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2018.

In 2024, Nursing assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.344, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Nursing assistants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Nursing assistants compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Nursing assistants and on wages for those in the field. Nursing Care Facilities is the industry that employs the most Nursing assistants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Nursing assistants, by average wage, is Veterinary services ($59,185).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

1.31M

2024 Workforce

± 28,011

−0.75%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 3.03%

This graphic shows the share of Nursing assistants employed by various industries. Nursing Care Facilities employs the largest share of Nursing assistants at 41%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 36.6% and Home health care services with 11.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Nursing assistants in the US. The workforce of Nursing assistants in 2024 was 1,312,843 people, with 88.2% woman, and 11.8% men. The average age of male Nursing assistants in the workforce is 37.9 and of female Nursing assistants is 39.5, and the most common race/ethnicity for Nursing assistants is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Nursing assistants in 2024 was 1,312,843 people, with 88.2% woman, and 11.8% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 20 to 24 years (214,575 people), 25 to 29 years (160,154 people), and 30 to 34 years (145,471 people). Among them they concentrated 39.6% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 15.5% of Nursing assistants workers were Hispanic and 84.5% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (54.5%), Puerto Rican (11.8)%, and Cuban (5.26)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 43% of the Nursing assistants workforce were White, of which 88.9% were women and 11.1% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (34.2%) and Two or More Races (10.1%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Nursing assistants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Nursing assistants is Health but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Science Technologies.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Nursing assistants in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (39,607 people), Business (17,276 people), and Biology (13,035 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Nursing assistants workers were High School or Equivalent (463,267 people), Some college (454,120 people), and Associates Degree (144,369 people).

The graphic shows the Nursing assistants workforce by gender and educational level.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Nursing Assistants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Nursing Assistants are expected to see a growth of 2.25% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

2.25%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Nursing assistants. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.