Nursing Assistants Salary in California (2024)

The median nursing assistants salary in California is $46,420/year, based on May 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). That is 17.4% above the national median of $39,530.

Wage table

Annual and hourly wages, Nursing Assistants in California — May 2024 OEWS
MetricAmount
Annual mean$48,790
Annual median$46,420
10th percentile$39,220
25th percentile$44,350
75th percentile$50,540
90th percentile$59,540
Hourly median$22.32/hr
Employment (state)102,380

What the numbers mean

The gap between the 10th and 90th percentile is wide: the highest-paid 10% of nursing assistants in California earn about 1.5× what the lowest-paid 10% earn. That spread usually reflects differences in experience, employer type, and local cost of living within the state — the median is a more representative figure than the mean for a "typical" salary, since a small number of very high earners can pull the mean upward.

Higher-paying states for Nursing Assistants

See the full Nursing Assistants salary by state ranking for all 54 states with available data.

Frequently asked questions

Is nursing assistants pay in California above the national average?

The median nursing assistants salary in California is $46,420/year, which is 17.4% above the national median of $39,530/year (May 2024 BLS OEWS data).

What is the median nursing assistants salary in California?

$46,420/year, based on May 2024 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.

How much do the highest-paid nursing assistants in California earn?

The 90th percentile nursing assistants in California earns $59,540/year or more, compared to $39,220/year or less for the 10th percentile.

Which states pay nursing assistants more than California?

District of Columbia pays more ($46,860/year median), along with 3 other states listed below.