Where the highest nursing salaries are
The BLS reports that the following states rank at the top of the CNA pay scale:
- Alaska              $16.45 hourly mean wage
- Nevada       $15.08 hourly mean wage
- New York     $15.01 hourly mean wage
- Hawaii              $14.91 hourly mean wage
- Connecticut    $14.71 hourly mean wage
PayScale reports that CNAs earn the highest hourly rates (as high as $16 to $17 per hour) in these five cities: St. Paul, Minn.; Seattle; Washington, DC; San Francisco; and Boston. Several more California cities come close behind.
The BLS state rankings don’t include any of these cities, which seems to indicate that while working in a large metropolis will most certainly mean bigger bucks for you, you can head to a small state (like Connecticut) or a remote state (like Alaska or Hawaii) and still earn a good salary.
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