Nursing Aide Earnings

The median annual wage for nursing assistants was $25,100 in May 2014. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,790, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $36,170.

The median annual wage for orderlies was $24,650 in May 2014. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $18,110, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $37,710.

In May 2014, the median annual wages for nursing assistants in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

• Government: $30,200
• Hospitals; state, local, and private: 27,360
• Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities): 24,120
• Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly: 23,650
• Home healthcare services: 23,080

In May 2014, the median annual wages for orderlies in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

• Government: $29,260
• Ambulatory healthcare services: 26,040
• Hospitals; state, local, and private: 25,000
• Nursing care facilities (skilled nursing facilities): 21,250
• Continuing care retirement communities and assisted living facilities for the elderly: 20,500

Most nursing assistants and orderlies work full time. Because nursing homes and hospitals provide care at all hours, nursing aides and orderlies may need to work nights, weekends, and holidays.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2016-17 Edition