Nurse Salaries by State

States with the highest nurse’s assistant salaries

On this page, we are going to take an in-depth look at some of the general salary trends of the CNA industry.  In particular, we will look at the states which have the highest and lowest median wages, and the states which have the highest and lowest demand for this sort of labor.  We hope that by paying attention to these two critical factors, you will be able to locate the geographical area of the country that best appeals to you.

The Highest Paying States

The first set of data we will examine is which states offer the best rates and a brief examination of the reasons why:

1. Alaska – $16.68 – Alaska tops the chart of highest paying wages for CNAs due to geographical and population factors.  Life is obviously more difficult in an extreme environment, leading to lower populations overall, and a greater emphasis placed on trained skills.  The skillset of a CNA particularly lends itself to being well-received in a hostile environment as well, which likely explains why Alaska pays far more than any other state for CNA labor.
2.  New York – $15.30 – Next on our list is New York.  While New York obviously doesn’t suffer from the same set of problems Alaska does, qualified CNAs are indeed in short supply here.  With such a large population, this is the primary factor in driving up CNA salaries in New York.
3. Nevada – $15.20 – Nevada makes the list because of the sustained population boom they have been experiencing for the past decade.  The supply of CNA labor simply can’t match the astronomically rising demand, leading to skyrocketing wages in this state as a result.
4. Connecticut – $14.91 – Just behind Nevada is Connecticut.  At first blush, it may seem confusing as to how Connecticut has ended up on this list, but when you consider that it is one of the wealthiest states per capita, you realize that people are willing to pay premiums for truly essential services, such as medical care, above and beyond more base considerations of population or climate, such as those faced by New York and Alaska, respectively.
5. Hawaii – $14.47 – The final entry on our top CNA salary list by state is Hawaii, which has high rates for most of the same reasons the first entry, Alaska, does.  While life in Hawaii may not be quite as rough as it is up north, it is considerably isolated, and has a very low population as well.

States With the Most Jobs

Now we are going to take a look at the five states which have the most CNA jobs:

1.  California – 107,950
2. New York – 101,650
3. Texas – 94,120
4. Florida – 86.980
5. Ohio – 75,180

States With the Fastest Growing Job Prospects

And the five states which are adding the largest number of new CNA jobs on an annual basis:

1. California – 3,900
2. Florida – 3,580
3. New York – 2,330
4. Ohio – 1,990
5. North Carolina – 1,940

CNA Salary Conclusions

So what do all these numbers mean, and what should you take away from this examination of CNA salary data if you are a prospective student?

Basically, what you need to keep in mind are current and future demographic trends.  When we looked at which states paid the highest wages, those that headed the list almost always had a certain combination of factors which made the local environment great.  This could be a combination of low population, poor demographics, rough living conditions, or any one of a large number of factors.  Almost always, you will end up making some sort of tradeoff, but it is entirely possible to dramatically increase the wage you will be paid for your work if you are willing to relocate to these areas which feature higher demand for your skill.

The next factor to keep in mind is that the states which have the most jobs in the industry (and to a lesser extent, the states which are adding new jobs in the industry the fastest) are likely the safest places to begin a new career.  While they may not offer the stellar wages that some other areas feature, they do present a certain level of comfort simply due to the fact that there are many different employers around, making it relatively easy to secure work.