CNA Jobs in the US: Pay, Shifts and How to Get Free Training (2026)
Certified nursing assistant jobs in the US: what CNAs do, where they work, May 2025 BLS pay, shifts and how nursing homes can cover your training.
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Step 1 of 3: Job overview
Nursing assistants in the US earned a median of $42,260 a year in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can qualify in a few weeks, and federal rules can stop a nursing home that hires you from charging you for the training. Below is what the job is really like, and the next page shows exactly what you need to qualify.
Where would you like to work? Pick one, and we'll show you the requirements next.
Where would you like to work?
🩺 What a CNA actually does
A certified nursing assistant, or CNA, gives hands-on daily care to people who can't fully look after themselves. You work under the direction of registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs).
A normal day often includes tasks like these:
- Helping patients or residents bathe, dress, use the toilet and eat
- Turning people in bed and helping them move from bed to chair
- Checking vital signs such as blood pressure and temperature
- Noticing changes in someone's health or mood and telling the nurse
- Keeping rooms clean and safe, and changing bed linens
It's practical, personal work. You often spend more time with patients than anyone else on the care team, and in many nursing homes CNAs give most of the day-to-day care.
🏥 Where CNAs work
Most nursing assistants work in nursing homes and hospitals. Here's how BLS breaks down where nursing assistants worked in 2025:
| Workplace | Share of jobs |
|---|---|
| Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing) | 36% |
| Hospitals | 32% |
| Retirement communities and assisted living | 11% |
| Home health care services | 5% |
| Government | 3% |
Each setting feels different. Nursing homes mean caring for the same residents over months or years. Hospitals move faster, with patients coming and going. Home health means visiting people in their own homes.
Want to know if you meet the age, training and background check rules? It takes a minute to check.
💰 How much CNAs earn
These are the latest national figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, for May 2025. The rate offered near you may be higher or lower.
| BLS figure (May 2025) | Pay |
|---|---|
| Median pay, nursing assistants | $42,260 a year |
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $33,940 a year |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $51,980 a year |
| Median hourly pay, nursing assistants and orderlies combined | $20.13 an hour |
Pay also depends on where you work. BLS lists these median yearly wages by setting:
- Government: $47,050
- Nursing care facilities: $43,000
- Hospitals: $42,310
- Retirement communities and assisted living: $39,490
- Home health care services: $38,040
Night, weekend and holiday shifts sometimes pay extra, but that depends on the employer. Always check the rate listed on the job ad.
🕒 Shifts and schedules
Patients need care around the clock, so CNA work happens on every shift. BLS says most nursing assistants work full time, some work part time, and many work nights, weekends and holidays.
- Day shift: busiest time, with baths, meals and appointments
- Evening shift: dinner, evening care and getting people ready for bed
- Night shift: quieter, with regular checks and turning patients
- Part-time or as-needed: some employers offer flexible or per diem shifts
Because shifts run all day and night, CNA work can fit around school, family or a second job.
Next up: the training hours, the state exam and the checks every CNA needs.
🎓 How you become a CNA
You can't just apply as a CNA; you get certified first. The good news is it's one of the fastest ways into health care. Federal rules for nursing homes set the basic path:
- Finish a state-approved training program of at least 75 hours, with at least 16 hours of supervised hands-on practice
- Pass your state's competency exam, with a written or oral test and a skills test
- Get listed on your state's nurse aide registry, which employers check before you start
Many states ask for more than 75 hours, so check your state's rules. Training is offered by nursing homes, community colleges and technical schools.
Free training is a real option. Federal rules say a nursing home can't charge you for training if it employs you or has offered you a job when the course starts. If you pay yourself and get hired by a nursing home within 12 months of finishing, you may be able to get part or all of the cost back.
🙋 Who this job suits
- You're patient, kind and calm when things get busy
- You want a fast start in health care without years of school
- You don't mind physical work, like lifting and helping people move
- You'd like a first step toward nursing, such as LPN or RN later
It's a hard job too. BLS notes that nursing assistants have one of the highest rates of injury and illness of any job, often from lifting and moving patients. Good training on safe lifting matters.
Curious whether you'd qualify? The requirements page lays it all out in plain English.
✅ What to expect next
Most people follow the same order: find a state-approved program (ideally one paid for by an employer), finish the training, pass the exam, get on the registry, then apply for jobs. Some nursing homes hire trainees and let them work while they finish the program.
On the next page: the age and education rules, the background check, the exact training and exam steps, the mistakes that slow people down and answers to common questions.
🔥 Other jobs hiring now
Want to compare a few options before you commit to training? These jobs are open to beginners in many areas.
Disclaimer: This is an independent information website. We are not a nursing home, hospital, training school or state agency, we are not an employer or recruiter, and we do not hire anyone, train anyone or collect applications. Pay, training rules and registry steps change and vary by state, so always check with your state nurse aide registry and the employer or school before you sign up. Never pay anyone who promises you a job.