Nursing Assistants Career, Salary and Skills
Nursing Assistants have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $42,260 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 1,448,910. Wage data is published for 438 locations.
Occupation description
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
O*NET code
31-1131.00
Job zone
3
Typical education
High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
Experience
None
National salary and employment
Median annual
$42,260
Hourly median
$20.32
Employment
1,448,910
Data year
2025
National salary distribution
Top skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Service Orientation | 4.00 | 3.88 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.62 | 3.25 |
| Active Listening | 3.62 | 3.00 |
| Monitoring | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Speaking | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Coordination | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Active Learning | 2.88 | 2.75 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 2.88 | 2.50 |
Typical tasks
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
- Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
- Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
- Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
- Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
- Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
Technology
- Apache Spark
- Billing software
- Epic Systems
- FaceTime
- GE Healthcare Centricity EMR
- Health information database software
- Medical condition coding software
- Medical procedure coding software
- Medical record charting software
- MEDITECH software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft Word
Nursing Assistants salary by location
Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.
- Nursing Assistants Salary in CAMedian $47,630 · Employment 110,060
- Nursing Assistants Salary in FLMedian $37,510 · Employment 96,960
- Nursing Assistants Salary in TXMedian $37,500 · Employment 88,680
- Nursing Assistants Salary in NYMedian $48,590 · Employment 87,990
- Nursing Assistants Salary in New York, NYMedian $49,270 · Employment 79,480
- Nursing Assistants Salary in ILMedian $45,960 · Employment 68,640
- Nursing Assistants Salary in PAMedian $44,590 · Employment 67,740
- Nursing Assistants Salary in NCMedian $38,460 · Employment 64,010
- Nursing Assistants Salary in OHMedian $39,010 · Employment 63,280
- Nursing Assistants Salary in Chicago, ILMedian $46,940 · Employment 45,850
- Nursing Assistants Salary in GAMedian $37,680 · Employment 43,440
- Nursing Assistants Salary in MIMedian $39,570 · Employment 43,290
Related careers
- OrderliesNational median $38,290
- Advanced Practice Psychiatric NursesNational median $97,550
- Nurse AnesthetistsNational median $236,590
- Occupational Therapy AidesNational median $39,160
- Occupational Therapy AssistantsNational median $72,300
- Emergency Medicine PhysiciansNational median $335,550
- Clinical Nurse SpecialistsNational median $97,550
- Critical Care NursesNational median $97,550
Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.