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RN, LPN, and CNA Pay Benchmarks: Is Your Rate Above the Median?
The official BLS pay percentiles for nurses and aides, state medians for eight high-demand states, and live posted per-diem rates, with a four-step method to benchmark your own hourly rate.
Updated July 25, 2026 · live AllShifts shift data
Two numbers, two different questions
"What do nurses make?" has an official answer and a market answer, and they are not the same number. The official answer is the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025 is the current release), which covers every employed RN, LPN, and CNA in the country: staff, agency, new grads, and 30-year veterans, across every setting. The market answer is what facilities are paying for a shift this week, which you can read straight off the shift cards in a per-diem app. This page puts both side by side so you can benchmark the rate you are actually earning, and every posted rate shown is a real, live number from the AllShifts app, not an estimate.
The national pay ladder
Percentiles tell you where a rate sits, not just what the average is. If your hourly rate is at the 25th percentile, three out of four people doing your job earn more than you. Here is the full ladder from the May 2025 BLS data, in hourly terms:
| Role | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Mean |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RN | $38.62 | $46.90 | $54.02 | $48.76 |
| LPN | $28.37 | $30.96 | $36.55 | $32.24 |
| CNA | $17.91 | $20.32 | $22.70 | $20.53 |
Two readings worth pausing on. First, the gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is wide: about $15.40/hr for RNs and $8.18/hr for LPNs. Where you work, what setting you work in, and how you sell your experience move you along that range. Second, the mean sits above the median for every role, which means high earners pull the average up; the median is the honest midpoint.
How to benchmark your rate in four steps
- Start from your state median, not the national one. State medians run from the low teens to the high twenties for CNAs and from the high $30s to the low $50s for RNs. The table below has the current medians for eight high-demand states.
- Adjust for your setting. OEWS medians blend hospitals, nursing homes, home health, clinics, and schools. Hospital rates usually sit above the blended median; long-term care and home health often sit below it for RNs but at or above it for CNAs. Your real benchmark is your state median bent up or down by your setting.
- Compare against your base rate, without differentials. BLS wage figures exclude overtime premiums. If your night or weekend differential is what carries your paycheck, benchmark your base rate first, then count the differential as upside.
- Then look at what shifts near you actually pay. The median is a rearview mirror (the survey is from May 2025). Posted per-diem rates are the price of nursing labor in your city this week. If posted rates near you are well above your current rate, that is information you can use, whether you pick up shifts or negotiate.
State medians where per-diem demand is highest
These are the eight states with the most open slots on AllShifts right now, with the BLS May 2025 median hourly wage for each role:
| State | RN median | LPN median | CNA median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | $38.57 | $27.63 | $14.67 |
| Maryland | $47.98 | $35.89 | $20.79 |
| Massachusetts | $50.27 | $38.57 | $22.44 |
| New Jersey | $51.20 | $36.13 | $22.52 |
| New York | $52.62 | $32.30 | $23.36 |
| Pennsylvania | $46.36 | $30.74 | $21.44 |
| Tennessee | $39.18 | $28.31 | $18.27 |
| Wisconsin | $45.93 | $30.65 | $21.70 |
The market check: BLS median vs what shifts pay right now
Here is the same comparison done for you: the largest open per-diem market in each of those states, the rate actually posted on the shift cards today, and the BLS state median for that role. Click any city for the live market page:
| Market | Role | Posted per-diem rate | BLS state median | Open slots |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Knoxville, TN | CNA | $18.24/hr | $18.27/hr | 324 |
| Altoona, PA | CNA | $22.50/hr | $21.44/hr | 298 |
| New Orleans, LA | RN | $48.30-$49.68/hr | $38.57/hr | 172 |
| Rising Sun, MD | GNA | $20.70-$22.08/hr | $20.79/hr | 166 |
| Township Of Carneys Point, NJ | CNA | $19.50-$25.00/hr | $22.52/hr | 151 |
| Boston, MA | RN | $53.69-$57.84/hr | $50.27/hr | 102 |
| Fond Du Lac, WI | CNA | $23.46-$24.84/hr | $21.70/hr | 101 |
| Huntington, NY | CNA | $26.80-$28.14/hr | $23.36/hr | 79 |
The pattern is not a coincidence. Most posted per-diem rates sit at or above the state median, because facilities post shifts when they are short staffed and price them to fill. But it is not a law of nature either: in a market where supply is deep, a posted rate can sit right at the median. That is exactly why benchmarking beats guessing. (Maryland GNA shifts are counted against the CNA median: GNA is Maryland's legacy geriatric nursing assistant title, now CNA-I, and holders are certified nursing assistants; see the GNA vs CNA guide.)
If your rate is below the median
- Confirm the comparison is fair. Same state, same setting, base rate against base rate. A below-median rate in a low-cost rural county can be a fine deal; the same rate in a metro usually is not.
- Bring numbers, not feelings, to the conversation. "BLS puts the state median at $30.74 and open shifts in this city are posting above that" is a negotiation; "I feel underpaid" is not. Print the percentile table, know your years and certifications, and ask what it takes to move.
- Let the market bid on you directly. Per-diem shifts are the fastest way to find out what your hours are worth, because you see the rate on every card before you book. Some nurses use that as income, some use it as leverage, and some use it to test a market before switching jobs. All three work.
- Re-benchmark once a year. OEWS refreshes every spring. A rate that beat the median two years ago can quietly slide under it after a couple of market-wide raises you did not get.
Common questions
Is the BLS median what I should be earning?
No, it is the midpoint of everyone in the occupation statewide, from first-year to 30th-year, across every setting. Use it as a floor for orientation, then adjust for your setting, shift, and experience. The percentile ladder matters more than any single number.
Why do per-diem rates usually beat the staff median?
Facilities post per-diem shifts when they are short, and the rate has to clear the market that day. Per-diem also trades away guaranteed hours and paid time off, and part of that trade shows up in the hourly rate. It is a real premium, but it prices flexibility in both directions.
Do these posted rates include the agency's cut?
The rates on AllShifts shift cards are what you earn per hour, not a bill rate. What you see on the card is the all-in hourly number your pay is computed from, before taxes like any wage. Nothing is deducted from it for fees, and instant pay sends 100% of your net pay after each verified shift, 7 days a week, at no cost.
My state is not in the table. Where do I find my median?
The BLS publishes OEWS medians for every state and most metro areas (search "OEWS" plus your state and role). The four-step method works the same everywhere: state median, setting adjustment, base-rate comparison, then a live market check.
Where do the posted rates on this page come from?
Every posted rate is a real, current rate from a live AllShifts market page, refreshed daily. Download the AllShifts app (iPhone / Android), create a free profile, and every shift card shows the hourly rate before you book. There are 6,884 open CNA, LPN, and RN slots across 33 states right now, and you choose W-2 or 1099 when you onboard.
BLS figures are hourly wage estimates from the OEWS May 2025 release (occupations 29-1141, 29-2061, 31-1131) and describe all employed workers in each occupation, not job offers. Posted rates are live AllShifts shift data for July 2026 and change daily.
Pay figures on this page come from shifts currently posted in the AllShifts app and change daily. AllShifts is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.