Nursing assistants

Detailed Occupation

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2021 Workforce

1.4M

Average Age

39.4

Average Salary

$28,286

Average Male Salary

$33,649

Average Female Salary

$27,610

About

Nursing assistants are most often employed by the Nursing Care Facilities industry. The average yearly wage for Nursing assistants was $28,286 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Nursing assistants are Jamaica, Hollis & St. Albans PUMA, NY, Canarsie & Flatlands PUMA, NY, and Wakefield, Williamsbridge & Woodlawn PUMA, NY. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Nursing assistants are Wakefield, Williamsbridge & Woodlawn PUMA, NY, Lauderhill & Lauderdale Lakes Cities PUMA, FL, and Brockton City, Stoughton & Avon Towns PUMA, MA.

Healthcare Support Occupations Service Occupations

Employment and salary information for the Nursing assistants workforce. Nursing assistants workforce in 2021 was 1,401,589 people, of which 88.8% were women and 11.2% were men. Nursing assistants are paid most in Morristown Town, Madison & Florham Park Boroughs PUMA, NJ but are relatively concentrated in Wakefield, Williamsbridge & Woodlawn PUMA, NY.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

156,863

Male Workforce

± 9.72k

1,244,726

Female Workforce

± 27.3k

The Nursing assistants workforce in 2021 was 1,401,589 people (88.8% women and 11.2% men). This implies an average annual growth of −4.65% between 2018 (1,469,926) and 2021 (1,401,589).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were District of Columbia ($44,271), California ($35,046), and Hawaii ($34,651).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$28,286

AVERAGE WAGE

#469 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Nursing assistants earned an average of $28,286, $31,309 less than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Nursing assistants in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.334

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Nursing assistants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.334, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. 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 Pharmaceutical & medicine manufacturing ($100,927).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

1.4M

2021 Workforce

± 28,930

−2.23%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.97%

This graphic shows the share of Nursing assistants employed by various industries. Nursing Care Facilities employs the largest share of Nursing assistants at 46.8%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 35.9% and Home health care services with 17.3%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Nursing assistants in the US. The workforce of Nursing assistants in 2021 was 1,401,589 people, with 88.8% woman, and 11.2% men. The average age of male Nursing assistants in the workforce is 37.8 and of female Nursing assistants is 39.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Nursing assistants is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Nursing assistants in 2021 was 1,401,589 people, with 88.8% woman, and 11.2% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 20 to 24 years (218,867 people), 25 to 29 years (186,402 people), and 30 to 34 years (153,796 people). Among them they concentrated 39.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 14.8% of Nursing assistants workers were Hispanic and 85.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (72.7%), Puerto Rican (16.8)%, and Dominican (10.4)%

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

Races

In 2021, 48.8% of the Nursing assistants workforce were White, of which 89.1% were women and 10.9% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Black (34.5%) and Two or More Races (5.36%).

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 2021 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 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Health (34,587 people), Business (17,154 people), and Biology (12,012 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 Some college (504,795 people), High School or Equivalent (482,773 people), and Associates Degree (155,970 people).

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