This research brief provides the latest annual snapshot of U.S. nursing assistants employed in nursing homes, including key demographics and a variety of wage and employment trends. This year’s research found that 581,000 nursing assistants support older people and people with disabilities in nursing homes. Nursing assistants are injured more than three times more frequently than the typical American worker, and earn a median hourly wage of $13.38 and a median annual income of $22,200.
Key Takeaways
The number of nursing assistants employed in nursing homes in the U.S. declined from just over 599,000 in 2008 to 581,000 in 2018.
Nursing assistants earn a median hourly wage of $13.38 and a median annual income of $22,200.
Nursing homes will need to fill nearly 680,000 nursing assistant job openings between 2016 and 2026.
