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Job outlook for professional nursing assistants in the United States
Are professional nursing assistant jobs in demand?
Professional nursing assistant job and salary trends over time
Professional nursing assistant jobs over time
Professional nursing assistant job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 102 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 64 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 205 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 127 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 128 | 0.00% |
Average professional nursing assistant salary over time
Professional nursing assistant salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $44,336 | $21.32 | +5.2% |
| 2024 | $42,131 | $20.26 | --4.3% |
| 2023 | $44,011 | $21.16 | +3.7% |
| 2022 | $42,438 | $20.40 | +3.5% |
| 2021 | $41,004 | $19.71 | +3.4% |
Professional nursing assistant jobs by state
Most common states for professional nursing assistants
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 699 | 52% |
| 2 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 2,578 | 46% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 612 | 46% |
| 4 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 321 | 42% |
| 5 | Delaware | 961,939 | 356 | 37% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,447 | 36% |
| 7 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 368 | 35% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 199 | 32% |
| 9 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 538 | 30% |
| 10 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 265 | 30% |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 3,602 | 28% |
| 12 | Iowa | 3,145,711 | 882 | 28% |
| 13 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,563 | 27% |
| 14 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 723 | 25% |
| 15 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 474 | 25% |
| 16 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 1,615 | 24% |
| 17 | North Carolina | 10,273,419 | 2,343 | 23% |
| 18 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,362 | 23% |
| 19 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,312 | 23% |
| 20 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 241 | 23% |
Most common cities for professional nursing assistants
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hartford | 2 | 2% | $55,680 |
| 2 | East Lansing | 1 | 2% | $48,654 |
| 3 | Lakewood | 1 | 2% | $53,810 |
| 4 | Muncie | 1 | 1% | $43,728 |
| 5 | New York | 2 | 0% | $57,702 |
Professional Nursing Assistant job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of professional nursing assistant experts
Spokane Community College
Merrimack College
Bellevue College
Endicott College
Jean Schlittenhart
NAC Program DirectorSpokane Community College
NAC Program
What skills stand out on Professional Nursing Assistant resumes?
Jean Schlittenhart: Nurses' aids are the foundation of nursing and medical practice as they are the professionals' eyes, ears, and hands. The nurses' aid is a very trusted position as they care for the largest and most vulnerable group of people in the United States: Aged and Disabled. They have been educated to treat people with respect, respect their wishes and provide very personal care cheerfully and with skill. Upon graduation and State certification, they can provide at least 22 skills that relate to vital signs, personal care, transfers, and providing feeding support. They are educated to identify health risks, emergency situations and provide rehabilitation and restorative care under the direction of a nurse or other therapist.
Comora Sarah
Assistant Clinical ProfessorMerrimack College
Nursing Department
What skills stand out on Professional Nursing Assistant resumes?
Comora Sarah: Experience in the industry, Dementia training, BLS certification
What soft skills should all Professional Nursing Assistants possess?
Comora Sarah: Ability to effectively communicate with all patients and interdisciplinary team members, willing to be flexible with shifts and scheduling, a team player with a great work ethic.
What skills will help Professional Nursing Assistants earn the most?
Comora Sarah: CNA are paid differently across the industry and in different settings. From an education and training perspective in CNA onboarding, it is more beneficial to an organization to hire candidates that have demonstrated the soft set of skills mentioned. The theory is that in the position of Certified Nursing Assistant, hard skills can be taught, and competency can be achieved after hire if you have the right candidate for your organization and team.
What skills stand out on Professional Nursing Assistant resumes?
Marina Orobinskaia: Experience, good program attended.
What's a good job out of college for Professional Nursing Assistants?
Bethany Nasser Ph.D.: Nursing as there is always a need. As a nurse you can be at the bedside, in a hospital, home care, educator, travel nurse and there are so many roles. It is the best career as most nurses work three 12-hour shifts and it is a great career to have a family.