15 Highest-Paying States For CNA Graduates – 2024

Written By: Pattie TrumblePattie Trumble, MPP, MPH

Pattie Trumble is a nurse who worked in both California and New York for many years as an emergency room nurse. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, and an Associate Degree in Nursing from the Samuel Merritt Hospital School of Nursing. Read Full Bio »» , MPP, MPH

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) earn comparatively high salaries compared to their uncertified counterparts. By systematizing training requirements for nursing assistants, the NA certification process establishes a set of standards, which have been left unaddressed by individual state statutes or regulations to date. CNAs are more competitive in the employment marketplace, and this drives up their earning potential. CNA salaries also reflect fluctuations in the demand for healthcare services generally, as well as the cost of living and employer attitudes toward professional development. What are the highest-paying states for CNA graduates? Keep reading to find out about the 15 highest-paying states for CNA graduates in 2024.

What is the Average Salary for CNA Graduates in the United States?

On average, throughout all 50 states, certified nursing assistants earn $17.41 an hour, $797 a week, $3,020 a month, or $36,220 annually.

Hourly	$17.41
Weekly	$697
Monthly	$3,020
Annual	$36,220
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)

What are the Highest-Paying States for CNA Graduates?

(Based on the latest average salary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the following are the 15 highest-paying states for CNA graduates in 2024.)

STATE #1: Alaska

In Alaska, certified nursing assistants earn $21.35 an hour, $854 a week, $3,700 a month, or $44,420 annually, 23 percent higher than the national average. The Last Frontier is the highest-paying state for CNA graduates because Alaska currently has a serious shortage of all healthcare workers, including CNAs. That shortage is projected to grow dramatically in the next 10 years. Additionally, Alaska’s cost of living is 17 percent above the national average, so providers must adjust wages upwards to attract and retain certified nursing assistants.

Hourly	$21.35
Weekly	$854
Monthly	$3,700
Annual	$44,420

STATE #2: California

Certified nursing assistants in California average $20.95 an hour, $838 a week, $3,630 a month, or $43,570 annually. Though California is relatively youthful—only 15 percent of Californians are over 65—because of the large size of the Golden State’s population, close to four million people need access to high-quality senior care. Additionally, healthcare providers and organizations throughout the Golden State strongly emphasize professional development, and to attain nursing certification in California, you must meet rigorous academic and clinical requirements. Furthermore, California employers must compensate for the high cost of living in the Golden State, which is 50 percent higher than the national average.

Hourly	$20.95
Weekly	$838
Monthly	$3,630
Annual	$43,570

STATE #3: New York

CNA earnings in New York State come to $20.89 an hour, $836 a week, $3,620 a month, or $43,450 a year. Eighteen percent of the Empire State’s population is older than 65, and more than 40 percent of New Yorkers are affected by chronic health conditions. These individuals utilize skilled nursing centers and long-term care facilities at a high rate, and these are the practice settings where most New York CNAs work. Service providers are willing to pay top salaries to attract high-quality employees who can support the care these patients need. Employers must also pay CNAs salaries commensurate with the Empire State’s cost of living, which is 22 percent above the national average.

Hourly	$20.89
Weekly	$836
Monthly	$3,620
Annual	$43,450

STATE #4: Oregon

In Oregon, healthcare employers offer certified nursing assistants salaries of $20.65 an hour, $826 a week, $3,580 a month, or $42,960 a year. Nineteen percent of the Beaver State’s population is older than 65, and many of these individuals need the types of services CNAs are trained to provide in nursing homes or through home healthcare agencies. Interestingly, in Oregon, many CNAs working in remote or rural areas earn higher salaries than CNAs working in cities due to the challenges of attracting and retaining CNAs in these areas.

Hourly	$20.65
Weekly	$826
Monthly	$3,580
Annual	$42,960

STATE #5: Minnesota

Certified nursing assistants in Minnesota average $20.42 an hour, $817 a week, $3,540 a month, or $42,480 a year. Seventeen percent of Minnesotans are older than 65 now; by 2030, that percentage will grow to 23 percent. CNAs have the skills necessary to meet this group’s demand for services and provide them with outstanding care. In rural areas outside the Twin Cities, another factor comes into play with home healthcare agencies: CNAs must drive to visit their patients, which makes their jobs a lot tougher, particularly in winter. Employers are willing to pay more to retain skilled CNAs.

Hourly	$20.42
Weekly	$817
Monthly	$3,540
Annual	$42,480

STATE #6: Washington

Washington State pays its certified nursing assistants $20.40 an hour, $816 a week, $3,540 a month, or $42,430 a year. CNAs in the Evergreen State are represented by the Service Employees International Union, a proactive labor organization that has worked successfully to secure better wages for CNAs throughout Washington State. Additionally, healthcare services like nursing homes and home healthcare aimed at the 17 percent of Washington’s population over 65 are an increasingly competitive market. When healthcare employers vie for the same pool of skilled CNAs, salaries rise.

Hourly	$20.40
Weekly	$816
Monthly	$3,540
Annual	$42,430

STATE #7: Massachusetts

Massachusetts, another of the highest-paying states for CNA graduates, offers certified nursing assistants earnings of $19.90 hourly, $796 weekly, $3,450 monthly, or $41,390 annually. Eighteen percent of the Bay State’s residents are older than 65, a figure that will increase to 21 percent by 2030. Nursing care facilities and home healthcare agencies compete with one another to employ the most qualified CNAs who can provide skilled care to this population. Life in Massachusetts is also 28 percent more expensive than it is throughout the U.S. as a whole, and CNAs in the Bay State must be paid enough to afford to continue living there.

Hourly	$19.90
Weekly	$796
Monthly	$3,450
Annual	$41,390

STATE #8: Nevada

Certified nursing assistants in Nevada earn $19.77 an hour, $791 a week, $3,430 a month, or $41,110 annually. While Nevada’s senior citizens aged 65 or above only comprise 17 percent of the state’s population, the Silver State’s growth rate for residents older than 85 is nearly twice that of the rest of the nation. Nursing home and home healthcare employers are willing to offer higher salaries to certified nursing assistants to maintain a skilled workforce. Unionized CNAs represented by the Service Employees International Union earn higher wages than non-unionized CNAs.

Hourly	$19.77
Weekly	$791
Monthly	$3,430
Annual	$41,110

STATE #9: Hawaii

With a cost of living that’s 66 percent higher than the national average, Hawaii is one of the costliest of the 50 states. If the Aloha State weren’t among the best-paying states for CNA graduates, it’s doubtful that most CNAs could afford to live there. Hawaii also has high standards when it comes to certification training protocols for nursing assistants, so healthcare employers know when they are hiring CNAs, they are hiring the best.

Hourly	$19.17
Weekly	$767
Monthly	$3,320
Annual	$39,870

STATE #10: Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s certified nursing assistants make $18.99 an hour, $759 a week, $3,290 a month, or $39,490 a year. The primary driver of the Ocean State’s comparatively high CNA salaries is an aging population: 18 percent of the state’s population is older than 65, and that percentage is projected to increase to 25 percent by 2030. Nearly all of Rhode Island’s population is counted as part of the Greater Providence Metropolitan Area, and CNAs working in urban areas typically earn more than their counterparts working in rural areas.

Hourly	$18.99
Weekly	$759
Monthly	$3,290
Annual	$39,490

STATE #11: New Jersey

In New Jersey, healthcare employers pay certified nursing assistants an average of $18.98 an hour, $759 a week, $3,290 a month, or $39,480 a year. CNAs who work in New Jersey’s northeastern cities and communities, which are counted as part of the New York City Metropolitan Region, make salaries that are significantly higher than CNAs make in other parts of the state, and that serves to drive up the overall average for CNA salaries throughout the state.

Hourly	$18.98
Weekly	$759
Monthly	$3,290
Annual	$39,480

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STATE #12: Colorado

CNA annual earnings in Colorado come to $18.77 an hour, $751 a week, $3,250 a month, or $39,050 a year. Colorado’s comparatively high CNA salaries are due to a demand for services in the healthcare industries like nursing care facilities and home healthcare agencies that chiefly cater to the needs of 16 percent of the Centennial State’s population that’s older than 65. Colorado’s cost of living is also 21 percent higher than the national average. If CNAs didn’t earn as much as they do, they’d have trouble making ends meet in the Centennial State.

Hourly	$18.77
Weekly	$751
Monthly	$3,250
Annual	$39,050

STATE #13: New Hampshire

New Hampshire is on the list of the best-paying states for CNA graduates because nearly one out of every five Granite State residents—20 percent of its population—is older than 65, and this fuels the demand for highly competent nursing assistants in the nursing care facilities and home healthcare agencies that provide a great deal of this population’s healthcare. The cost of living in New Hampshire is only 6 percent higher than the national average, but it’s a factor for CNAs residing in the Greater Boston or Providence Metropolitan Areas where the cost of living is significantly higher.

Hourly	$18.77
Weekly	$751
Monthly	$3,250
Annual	$39,050

STATE #14: Connecticut

Connecticut healthcare employers pay certified nursing assistants $18.40 an hour, $736 a week, $3,190 a month, or $38,280 annually. The Constitution State is another state where these figures may not tell the whole story: Cities and communities along Long Island Sound are counted as part of the Greater New York City Metropolitan Area, which is the metropolitan area where the highest number of nursing assistants (certified and uncertified) are employed, and where nursing assistants make the fourth-highest salary. In other parts of Connecticut, salaries are considerably lower.

Hourly	$18.40
Weekly	$736
Monthly	$3,190
Annual	$38,280

STATE #15: North Dakota

Rounding out the list of the highest-paying states for CNA graduates is North Dakota, where CNAs can anticipate earning $18.37 an hour, $735 a week, $3,180 a month, or $38,200 a year, which is 5 percent more than the average CNA wage throughout the entire U.S. North Dakota’s cost of living, though, is 11 percent less than the U.S. average so this wage has a lot more purchasing power than the wages in many better-paying states.

Hourly	$18.37
Weekly	$735
Monthly	$3,180
Annual	$38,200

My Final Thoughts

This piece has answered the question, “What are the highest-paying states for CNA graduates?” While certified nursing assistant salaries may vary considerably from state to state, in all states, earnings are comparatively low. So, is it worth moving to another state for a salary differential that’s less than $10,000 a year? Only you can answer that question. Some states do have NA certification reciprocity agreements with other states, which may make relocating to one of the 15 highest-paying states for CNA graduates in 2024 easier.