CNA Jobs in San Diego, CA: Pay and Who's Hiring
In San Diego, the May 2025 median is about $48.1K, 14% over the U.S. median. The wage is the nursing-assistant series, which is the national wage data for this work. The U.S. median in that series is about $42.3K. The California median is about $47.6K, and this metro is within 3 percent of that figure. The 25th percentile in San Diego is about $46.7K. The 75th percentile in San Diego is about $51.6K.
Pay
The median is the middle of nursing assistants already employed, not a starting wage. The 25th is the lower quarter of that group. The 75th is what the upper quarter already earns. The label on the table is the nursing-assistant series, which is the wage for this work.
| Percentile | Metro | CA | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th | $46,710 | $45,850 | $37,260 |
| Median | $48,070 | $47,630 | $42,260 |
| 75th | $51,600 | $54,800 | $47,220 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Wages are the Nursing Assistants series, SOC 31-1131.
Hiring difficulty and demand
Who's hiring
San Diego is outside the provider extract, so employer names are not listed.
License and training
Nursing homes in Medicare or Medicaid use aides from a state-approved program who are on the state registry. The federal floor is at least 75 clock hours, with at least 16 of those hours supervised by an RN or LPN. States may require more hours than that floor. Hospitals and home health can use a different rule, so read the state registry before you rely on the federal floor.
Sources: 42 CFR 483.152, nurse aide training 42 CFR 483.156, nurse aide registry
The work
A typical round is bathing, transfers, feeding, vital signs, and a note about what you actually saw. The call light does not wait for the round to finish. You report what changed in the person. You do not write the nursing assessment.
In a nursing home the same people are there tomorrow, so a missed change becomes the next shift's problem. In home health the tasks are the same ones, in the person's house, one visit at a time. The nurse still decides what the visit was for.
The work is physical, and it is also a record. A transfer that went badly has to be said out loud and written down. An aide who only looks busy will not last on a unit that already knows its residents.
Nearby metros
- Riverside, CA · 79 miles
- El Centro, CA · 92 miles
- Los Angeles, CA · 111 miles
- Oxnard, CA · 153 miles
Related roles
- Medical Assistant jobs in San Diego
- Pharmacy Technician jobs in San Diego
- Phlebotomist jobs in San Diego
- Registered Nurse jobs in San Diego
One manager hiring: Hire a CNA in San Diego.
Nursing Assistants hiring pages Hiring difficulty for Nursing Assistants in San Diego
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Questions
What do CNAs earn in San Diego, CA?
In San Diego, the May 2025 median is about $48.1K, 14% over the U.S. median. The wage is the nursing-assistant series, which is the national wage data for this work. The U.S. median in that series is about $42.3K. The California median is about $47.6K, and this metro is within 3 percent of that figure. The 25th percentile in San Diego is about $46.7K. The 75th percentile in San Diego is about $51.6K.
Who hires CNAs in San Diego?
Nursing homes, home health agencies, and hospitals do most of the hiring for CNAs. Any names listed are campuses on file, not open postings. An aide in San Diego can change buildings without leaving this metro. A single building in San Diego is hiring against the other buildings in this metro. The aide you want can pick up hours down the hall or across town.
How hard is it to fill CNAs jobs in San Diego?
The published hiring-difficulty score for nursing assistants in San Diego is 7.3. This page shows a score only when San Diego already has one on the hiring grid. National employment of nursing assistants is projected to change 2.6% from 2025 to 2035. That projection describes the country, not San Diego. Annual openings in the same national projection are about 196.2 thousand. A missing score does not take the wage table off this page.
Which other metros are near San Diego for this role?
The nearest listed metro is Riverside, CA, and its page uses that metro's own May 2025 nursing-assistant wage. A city other than San Diego needs the wage from its own page. Miles on the nearby list are the distance between the city points, not a drive time. San Diego has about a third fewer of these workers than a typical metro. The May 2025 employment count for nursing assistants in San Diego is 9,670. A blank employment count means BLS did not publish one for San Diego.
What training do CNAs need in San Diego, CA?
CNAs in San Diego follow the California note on this page. There is no separate city license. Nursing homes in Medicare or Medicaid use aides from a state-approved program who are on the state registry. The federal floor is at least 75 clock hours, with at least 16 of those hours supervised by an RN or LPN. States may require more hours than that floor. Hospitals and home health in California can use a different rule, so read the registry before you rely on the federal floor alone.