Nursing Assistants
With 102,380 professionals, Nursing Assistants is a significant occupation in the U.S. workforce. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Health Care and Social Assistance.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Nursing Assistants workforce.
Employment Over Time
102,380 Workforce in 2023
The Nursing Assistants workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Nursing Assistants.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$50,177 Average Wage
In 2023, Nursing Assistants earned an average of $50,177.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Nursing Assistants.
Salary distribution for Nursing Assistants.
Employment Growth Projections
0.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
415,373 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 2.0%
423,524 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 4.0%
This occupation is projected to grow at 0.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Nursing Assistants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Nursing Assistants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Nursing Assistants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Nursing Assistants.
Wage Trends by Industry
1.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Nursing Assistants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Nursing Assistants.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 96,750 employees, $50,237 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Nursing Assistants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 31,810 employees, $49,441 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 9,790 employees, $49,354 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 9,040 employees, $46,588 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 8,100 employees, $48,566 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 6,240 employees, $55,028 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 5,410 employees, $49,745 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 4,910 employees, $59,844 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 3,800 employees, $65,661 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 3,600 employees, $44,387 avg wage
- Stockton-Lodi MSA: 2,310 employees, $47,483 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Nursing Assistants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Nursing Assistants in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Nursing Assistants in 2023 was 102,380 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Nursing Assistants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Nursing Assistants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Nursing Assistants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Nursing Assistants in 2023 were Business Administration, Health Sciences, Biology.
Common majors for Nursing Assistants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Nursing Assistants workers.
Education level distribution for Nursing Assistants.
Skills
Nursing Assistants need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Active Listening, Monitoring, Coordination.
Required skills for Nursing Assistants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Nursing Assistants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Nursing Assistants include Customer and Personal Service, Administration and Management, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Medicine and Dentistry.
Knowledge areas required for Nursing Assistants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Nursing Assistants include Problem Sensitivity, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Near Vision, Speech Recognition.
Required abilities for Nursing Assistants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Nursing Assistants.
Daily Activities
Nursing Assistants spend their time on activities such as Assisting and Caring for Others, Getting Information, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.
Most important work activities for Nursing Assistants.
About
Nursing Assistants
The average yearly wage for Nursing Assistants was $50,177 in 2023.
SOC Code
31-1131 - Nursing Assistants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Nursing Assistants reports an average salary of $50,177.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 102,380 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 0.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.