# Nursing Assistants

US SOC code 31-1131. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/31-1131

Also called: CNA, Certified nursing assistant, Nurse aide, Nursing aide, Patient care assistant.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **1,448,910** US nursing assistants, with median pay of **$42,260** a year. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nursing_in_the_United_States) of **178,000** from 1946, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for nursing assistants: Electronic health records at the bedside, 2005 to 2018.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 2.6% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-1131&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **13.6%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35.

## Nursing Assistants employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1861
- Latest US employment: 1,448,910 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [11]
- Latest US median pay: $42,260 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [26]
- Outlook: +2.6% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [43]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 33102)
  - Employment, 2020: 337,655. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [13]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$47,600. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [28]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 33102 Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.
- **United Kingdom** (UK SOC 6131)
  - Employment, 2025: 466,000. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [17]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14): employee jobs in SOC 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants, United Kingdom, 2025 (ASHE "number of jobs", thousands x1000; excludes self-employment). Open Government Licence v3.0.
  - Median pay, 2025: £24,761. Source: ONS ASHE 2025 [32]. ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Table 14.7a): median gross annual pay for all employee jobs in SOC 6131 Nursing auxiliaries and assistants, United Kingdom, 2025. Open Government Licence v3.0.
- **Australia** (ANZSCO 4233)
  - Employment, 2025: 116,300. Source: ABS Labour Force Survey March 2026 [18]. ABS Labour Force Survey (Detailed), table EQ08: employed persons in ANZSCO 4233 Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers, national (summed across sex and state/territory), annual average of 4 quarterly estimates.
  - Median pay, 2025: A$83,824. Source: ABS Employee Earnings May 2025 [33]. Annualised (x52) from A$1,612 median weekly earnings. ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025: median pay for full-time non-managerial employees paid at the adult rate, before tax. Surfaced via the Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profile for ANZSCO 4233.

### All 18 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1946 | 178,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Penn Nursing NHHC [1] |
| 1952 | 297,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Penn Nursing NHHC [1] |
| 1980 | 1,175,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1980 [2] |
| 1990 | 1,418,000 | n/a | Decennial Census 1990 [3] |
| 2012 | 1,420,020 | $24,420 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 1,427,830 | $24,890 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 1,427,740 | $25,100 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 1,420,570 | $25,710 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [7] |
| 2016 | 1,443,150 | $26,590 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [8] |
| 2017 | 1,453,670 | $27,520 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [9] |
| 2018 | 1,450,960 | $28,540 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [10] |
| 2019 | 1,419,920 | $29,660 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [11] |
| 2020 | 1,371,050 | $30,850 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [11] |
| 2021 | 1,314,830 | $30,310 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [11] |
| 2022 | 1,310,090 | $35,760 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [11] |
| 2023 | 1,351,760 | $38,200 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [11] |
| 2024 | 1,388,430 | $39,530 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [11] |
| 2025 | 1,448,910 | $42,260 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [11] |

## Sources (80)

### Employment series

1. [Penn Nursing NHHC — History of Nursing in the United States: nursing auxiliaries 1946 (178,000) and 1952 (297,000)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nursing_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia / Penn Nursing NHHC
2. [1980 Census of Population, Supplementary Report PC80-S1-15: Detailed Occupation of the Experienced Civilian Labor Force by Sex for the United States and Regions: 1980 and 1970 (Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1984/demo/pc80-s1-15.html), U.S. Census Bureau
3. [1990 Census of Population CP-S-1-1: Detailed Occupation and Other Characteristics From the EEO File for the United States (511 detailed occupations, incl. Nursing Aides, Orderlies, and Attendants)](https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1992/dec/cp-s-1-1.html), U.S. Census Bureau
4. [BLS OEWS May 2012, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
5. [BLS OEWS May 2013, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. [BLS OEWS May 2014, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
7. [BLS OEWS May 2015, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
8. [BLS OEWS May 2016, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
9. [BLS OEWS May 2017, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
10. [BLS OEWS May 2018, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada
14. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6111, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip)
15. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6141, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
16. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6131, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
17. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6131, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
18. [ABS: Labour Force, Australia, Detailed, table EQ08 (Employed persons by Occupation unit group, ANZSCO 2013), March 2026](https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/labour/employment-and-unemployment/labour-force-australia-detailed/latest-release), Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Wage series

19. [BLS OEWS May 2012, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
20. [BLS OEWS May 2013, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
21. [BLS OEWS May 2014, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [BLS OEWS May 2015, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
23. [BLS OEWS May 2016, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
24. [BLS OEWS May 2017, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
25. [BLS OEWS May 2018, national cross-industry estimates (flat file; SOC 2010 code 31-1014, Nursing Assistants)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
27. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
28. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada
29. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6111, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2002](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2002/2002-table-14.zip), [2006](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2006consistentw_007methodology/2006-table-14.zip), [2010](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2010revised/2010-revised-table-14.zip)
30. ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6141, United Kingdom. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0., Office for National Statistics. Editions: [2011](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2011revisedbasedonsoc2010/2011-revised-table-14.zip), [2015](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2015/table142015revised.zip), [2020](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2020revised/table142020revised.zip)
31. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6131, United Kingdom, 2022. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2022revised/ashetable142022revised.zip), Office for National Statistics
32. [ONS: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14.7a (Annual pay - Gross), 4-digit SOC 6131, United Kingdom, 2025. Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.](https://www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/occupation4digitsoc2010ashetable14/2025provisional/ashetable142025provisional.zip), Office for National Statistics
33. [Jobs and Skills Australia: Nursing Support and Personal Care Workers (ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025)](https://www.jobsandskills.gov.au/data/occupation-and-industry-profiles/occupations/4233-nursing-support-and-personal-care-workers), Jobs and Skills Australia / Australian Bureau of Statistics

### Tool eras

34. [Elite Learning — A History of Nursing, Part 3: The American Civil War (hospital attendant roles and duties)](https://www.elitelearning.com/resource-center/nursing/a-history-of-nursing-part-3-the-american-civil-war/), Elite Learning
35. [Penn Nursing NHHC — History of Nursing in the United States: postwar nursing auxiliary expansion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nursing_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia / Penn Nursing NHHC
36. [CNA Training Help — OBRA requirements and history (75-hour minimum, state exam, registry, January 1990 effective date)](https://cnatraininghelp.com/cna-study-guide/obra/), CNA Training Help
37. [Nursing Home Reform Act Wikipedia — OBRA 1987, Federal Nursing Home Reform Act provisions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_Home_Reform_Act), Wikipedia
38. [O\*NET 31-1131.00 — Technology Skills: electronic health record software (Epic, MEDITECH listed as hot technologies)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/hot_tech/31-1131.00), O\*NET / BLS
39. [Commure Ambient for Nursing in Epic Rover — November 17, 2025 launch announcement](https://www.commure.com/blog/introducing-commure-ambient-for-nursing-in-epic-rover), Commure
40. [Aiva Nurse Assistant — 81% reduction in documentation lag time, Cedars-Sinai pilot 2025](https://www.aivahealth.com/blog/elevating-workflow-in-epic-aivas-ambient-documentation-for-nurses), Aiva Health
41. [VirtuSense VSTAlert — 98% detection accuracy, 75-85% fall reduction in SNFs, 31-65 second early alert](https://www.virtusense.ai/solutions/snf-3), VirtuSense
42. [McKinsey — Ushering in the next era of frontline nursing with AI (~10% of nursing activities automatable)](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/ushering-in-the-next-era-of-frontline-nursing-with-ai), McKinsey

### Forecasts and exposure studies

43. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 31-1131 Nursing assistants (2025: 1,505.9 thousand; 2035: 1,544.9 thousand; +2.6%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=31-1131&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
44. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 31-1131.00, human-rated β 0.136)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

45. [HISTORY.com — "How the US Civil War Inspired Women to Enter Nursing" (Dorothea Dix appointment)](https://www.history.com/articles/nursing-women-civil-war), HISTORY
46. [Penn Nursing NHHC — History of Nursing in the United States: WWI aide program debate (Delano vs. Nutting/Goodrich)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nursing_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia / Penn Nursing NHHC
47. [Lynden Health Ed — History of CNAs: Medicare and Medicaid 1965 and nursing home expansion](https://lyndenhealthed.org/the-history-of-cnas/), Lynden Health Education
48. [CNA Training Help — OBRA history and requirements (75-hour minimum, state competency exam, January 1990 deadline)](https://cnatraininghelp.com/cna-study-guide/obra/), CNA Training Help
49. [PMC 8441262 — The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Long-Term Care Workforce (223,700 workers lost, 14.1% decline)](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8441262/), PMC / Journal of the American Geriatrics Society

### Predecessors & successors

50. [Elite Learning — A History of Nursing, Part 3: The American Civil War (attendants and orderlies as precursors)](https://www.elitelearning.com/resource-center/nursing/a-history-of-nursing-part-3-the-american-civil-war/), Elite Learning
51. [Penn Nursing NHHC — History of Nursing in the United States: postwar nursing auxiliary demographics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_nursing_in_the_United_States), Wikipedia / Penn Nursing NHHC
52. [SHC Cares — CNA Career Outlook 2025: CNA-to-LPN advancement path, median wages, and tuition assistance](https://shccares.com/blog/nursing-resources/certified-nursing-assistant-cna-career-outlook-for-2025/), SHC Cares

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3, Nursing Assistants (31-1131.00): tasks, work activities, technology skills](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/31-1131.00), accessed 2026-06-03
- [BLS OOH 2024-2034, Nursing Assistants and Orderlies: 1.4M employed, +2% growth, $39,530 median wage](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/nursing-assistants.htm), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Eloundou et al. 2024, GPTs are GPTs (Science): LLM task-exposure framework](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-03
- [McKinsey, AI in frontline nursing: ~10% of nursing activities automatable, admin tasks dominate](https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/healthcare/our-insights/ushering-in-the-next-era-of-frontline-nursing-with-ai), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Commure Ambient for Nursing, shift handoff and repetitive charting automation, Nov 2025](https://www.commure.com/blog/introducing-commure-ambient-for-nursing-in-epic-rover), accessed 2026-06-03
- [Aiva Nurse Assistant, 81% reduction in documentation lag time, Cedars-Sinai pilot 2025](https://www.aivahealth.com/blog/elevating-workflow-in-epic-aivas-ambient-documentation-for-nurses), accessed 2026-06-03
- [VirtuSense VSTAlert, 98% accuracy, 31-65 second early alert, 75-85% fall reduction in SNFs](https://www.virtusense.ai/solutions/snf-3), accessed 2026-06-03
- [JMIR 2025, AI in nursing: multicenter evaluation in fall risk assessment](https://www.jmir.org/2025/1/e71034/), accessed 2026-06-03

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.