Certified Nursing Assistant pay in California
Median hourly pay in California · BLS May 2025
$22.90
an hour · $47,630 a year
- 10th
- $19.28
- 25th
- $22.04
- Median
- $22.90
- 75th
- $26.35
- 90th
- $29.38
Hourly pay range: 10th percentile $19.28/hr, median $22.90/hr, 90th percentile $29.38/hr.
Employed in CA
110,060
BLS estimate
Vs. U.S. median
+$2.58
U.S. median $20.32/hr
Licensing for nursing assistants in California
California Department of Public Health, Healthcare Professional Certification and Training Section. Board, lookup and requirements
Certified Nursing Assistant pay by California metro area
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim43,090 jobs$22.78/hr
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont11,790 jobs$26.96/hr
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario9,940 jobs$22.32/hr
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad9,670 jobs$23.11/hr
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom5,650 jobs$22.84/hr
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara5,350 jobs$27.33/hr
- Fresno3,880 jobs$21.50/hr
- Stockton-Lodi2,560 jobs$22.37/hr
- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura2,070 jobs$22.50/hr
- Bakersfield-Delano1,720 jobs$22.18/hr
- Visalia1,530 jobs$22.51/hr
- Modesto1,500 jobs$22.38/hr
- Santa Rosa-Petaluma1,250 jobs$23.67/hr
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara1,090 jobs$22.66/hr
- Salinas1,070 jobs$23.50/hr
- Vallejo940 jobs$23.51/hr
- Chico790 jobs$22.30/hr
- Redding760 jobs$21.58/hr
- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles610 jobs$22.52/hr
- Yuba City520 jobs$22.18/hr
- Merced500 jobs$21.51/hr
- Napa460 jobs$24.21/hr
- Santa Cruz-Watsonville440 jobs$23.05/hr
- Hanford-Corcoran290 jobs$22.11/hr
- El Centro240 jobs$21.48/hr
Metropolitan statistical areas as defined by BLS, sorted by number of jobs.
Sources
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025: California, Nursing assistants (SOC 31-1131), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
Checked against these sources on Oct 1, 2026.
Medians cover wage and salary workers (not the self-employed) and don't include benefits. Use them as a baseline, not a quote.