Nursing Assistants Average Salary in New York
$48,800 average · $48,800 median · BLS OEWS 2025
SOC Code: 31-1131What is this?
This page shows employer-reported wages for Nursing Assistants in New York, drawn from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey — median and mean pay, the full percentile distribution, and the industries that employ this occupation locally. Setting is the main internal lever: hospital-employed support staff earn more than those in nursing facilities or home health, with the gap often 20-30% for equivalent work. Certifications (CNA, CMA, phlebotomy) provide small but real increments. Because the distribution is compressed, the larger pay moves available to workers in this group are upward into the practitioner pipeline rather than sideways within support roles.
How much do Nursing Assistants make in New York?
The average nursing assistants salary in New York is $48,800 per year. That works out to about $23.46 per hour on average. BLS counts roughly 87,990 nursing assistants jobs in New York.
Mean and median are close, so pay is relatively concentrated around $48,800. Entry-level roles (10th percentile) report about $48,800; experienced workers at the 90th percentile report about $48,800 — a 0% spread from bottom to top. Figures are employer-reported wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program — not self-reported survey averages — so they are the right baseline for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
How Healthcare Support Careers Are Structured
Healthcare support occupations — aides, assistants, technicians — are among the fastest-growing jobs in America by sheer headcount, driven by the same demographics as the practitioner group but without the licensure barriers that lift wages there. The result is high demand and modest pay, with the wage distribution compressed into a narrow band.
The wage tables and percentile chart on this page show how nursing assistants pay is distributed in New York specifically — and because state-level wages for the same occupation routinely differ by 30% or more, the local figures here are the ones that matter for offers, raises, and relocation decisions in this market.
What Moves Pay in This Field
Setting is the main internal lever: hospital-employed support staff earn more than those in nursing facilities or home health, with the gap often 20-30% for equivalent work. Certifications (CNA, CMA, phlebotomy) provide small but real increments. Because the distribution is compressed, the larger pay moves available to workers in this group are upward into the practitioner pipeline rather than sideways within support roles.
Entry is fast — weeks to months of training for many roles — which makes these occupations common first steps into healthcare. The strategic value of these jobs is partly their option value: employers frequently fund the next credential (CNA to LPN to RN), turning a modest-wage job into a subsidized path toward the much stronger practitioner distribution.
New to reading wage distributions? Our guide to salary percentiles explains how to place yourself on the chart above, and the negotiation playbook shows how to use these numbers in an actual conversation.
What Do Nursing Assistants Do?
Nursing Assistants positions belong to the healthcare support field. Healthcare support occupations — aides, assistants, technicians — are among the fastest-growing jobs in America by sheer headcount, driven by the same demographics as the practitioner group but without the licensure barriers that lift wages there. The result is high demand and modest pay, with the wage distribution compressed into a narrow band.
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) Code: 31-1131
Nursing Assistants pay in New York
In New York, nursing assistants report a median of $48,800 (about $23.46/hour) across roughly 87,990 jobs. The local pay band runs from about $48,800 at the 10th percentile to $48,800 at the 90th.
Compared with the national distribution, local industry mix and cost of living are the main reasons New York wages for this occupation sit where they do — toggle Regional Price Parity on this page to see purchasing-power-adjusted pay.
What your paycheck is really worth in New York
Prices in New York run 8% above the national average (RPP 107.9). So a nominal salary of $48,800 has the buying power of about $45,218 in national terms.
New York vs. United States for Nursing Assistants
The median nursing assistants salary in New York is $48,800, which is +14.9% above the national median of $42,460 (mean pay is +13.9% above the U.S. mean of $42,834). Among 51 states and D.C. with OEWS data, New York ranks #6 by median wage for this occupation (top tier). New York accounts for about 1.0% of U.S. nursing assistants employment in the latest OEWS release.
See every state ranked for this occupation on the best-paying states page, or compare purchasing power on real wages.
Income reality check
The median salary for Nursing Assistants in New York of $48,800 falls in the Stably paid band of this framework - roughly ~12% of the U.S. population and ~15% of the global population sit in this band.
Illustrative relative standing for education only - this ladder is a simplified framework, not an official Census, BLS, or World Bank statistical series. Salary figures on Wage Atlas come from official BLS OEWS data.
Salary Overview
Salary Distribution & Your Position
Advance Your Career
Ready to level up? Find courses, certifications, and coaching to boost your salary potential.
AI Replacement Risk Analysis
Forward-looking analysis of automation and AI impact
- Knowledge-based work - moderate automation risk
Includes risk scoring, timeline estimates, adaptation strategies, and more
Occupation Report Card
Top Industries for Nursing Assistants
| $44,403 | $44,124 | $21 | 205,790 | |
| $43,853 | $42,381 | $21 | 1,844,300 | |
| $42,310 | $41,290 | $20 | 1,336,230 | |
| $41,987 | $42,118 | $20 | 1,403,150 | |
| $41,250 | $39,370 | $20 | 116,200 |
Related Occupations
SOC: 53-3032 • 81% match | $59,706 | $59,710 | $29 | 10,380,020 |
SOC: 43-3031 • 89% match | $53,616 | $53,560 | $26 | 7,403,130 |
| $46,484 | $45,960 | $22 | 6,560,700 | |
SOC: 31-9092 • 81% match | $46,169 | $46,020 | $22 | 4,505,670 |
| Find Medical Assistants Jobs | ||||
SOC: 53-7062 • 83% match | $42,117 | $42,260 | $20 | 15,269,800 |
SOC: 25-9045 • 82% match | $38,392 | $38,560 | $18 | 10,657,540 |
Related Occupations
Explore similar occupations and career paths:
Nursing Assistants in Other States
Compare salaries for this occupation across different states:
Explore More Data for Nursing Assistants
Career Advancement Strategy
Skills to Develop
Fastest growing skill in marketing technology
High ROI focus drives salary premiums
Data-driven marketing is becoming standard
Essential for senior marketing roles
Required for VP and C-level positions
Explore Similar Careers
Related Metrics
Viewing: Nursing Assistants (SOC: 31-1131)