- The employment survey of 2010, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, showed the mean hourly wage paid to the 1.4 million nursing and psychiatric assistants who worked that year was $12.09, and the mean yearly salary was $25,140. The middle wage, or the 50th percentile, was $11.54 an hour, or $24,010 a year.
- Income varies greatly for CNAs from state to state. In 2011, CNAs in Alaska were earning $16.45 an hour, or $34,210 a year, while their counterparts in Mississippi earned $9.46 an hour, or $19,680 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Puerto Rico, which is a non-continental United States territory, had the lowest pay averages for CNAs in 2011, at $8.70 an hour, or $18,100 a year.
- Pay rates fluctuated even between cities. In 2011, CNAs in the Railbelt/southwestern region of Alaska, were earning a mean wage of $17.18 an hour, or $35,740 a year, and in the Suffolk/Nassau area of New York, they were earning $16.90 an hour, or $35,160 a year. At the same time, CNAs in Natchitoches, Louisiana, were earning $8.65 an hour, or $17,990 a year, and those in Albany, Georgia, were earning $8.99 an hour, or $18,700 a year.
- Training programs for CNAs are offered at a variety of places, including community and vocational schools and health care facilities. Applicants must have a high school diploma or the equivalent, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, and may have to pass a health examination and a background check. Each state has its own rules about the standards a CNA must uphold. As advancement is limited in this career field, many leave it to pursue other jobs in the health industry, such as registered nursing, medical assistant and licensed practical nursing.
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