SalaryExplorer

SOC 31-1131 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Nursing Assistants — Syracuse

Syracuse, NY · 10 metro areas compared

$42,940 /year
$20.65per hour
3,120jobs in area
+1.6%vs US median

The median wage for Nursing Assistants in Syracuse, NY is $42,940 per year, close to the national median of $42,260 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $42,26010TH$37,810MEDIAN$42,94075TH$47,96090TH$50,420

How pay has moved

$46,165$26,8152019202020212022202320242025$42,940
$30,040 in 2019 to $42,940 in 2025, +42.9% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+2.3%
Openings per year
204,100
Typical entry-level education
Postsecondary nondegree award

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Syracuse, NY.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Nursing Assistants in Syracuse, NY is $42,940 per year, close to the national median of $42,260 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $37,810 at the tenth percentile to more than $50,420 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $39,140 to $47,960.

Employment stands at 3,120, or 10.4 jobs per thousand held locally. New York leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $49,270. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 439th of 518 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Syracuse, NY · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,810−10.5%
25th$39,140−7.4%
Median (50th)$42,940+1.6%
75th$47,960+13.5%
90th$50,420+19.3%
Mean$44,320+4.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in New York

Median annual wage for Nursing Assistants, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1New York$49,27079,480
2Kiryas Joel$45,7302,380
3Ithaca$45,640470
4Kingston$44,710540
5Binghamton$44,4101,310
6Utica$43,5601,590
7Albany$40,1604,200
8Rochester$40,0505,130
9Buffalo$39,7905,230
10Watertown$38,320470

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Syracuse run 4.3% below the national average, so the median of $42,940 goes as far as $44,869 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 6.2% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$42,940as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$44,869US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $42,940 a year, 1.6% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,810 to $50,420 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 3,120 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is New York, at $49,270.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Nursing Assistants in Syracuse, NY?

The median annual wage is $42,940, or $20.65 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $42,260, so pay in Syracuse, NY is 1.6% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Syracuse, NY earns more than $50,420 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,810 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in New York, at $49,270 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 3,120 jobs in this occupation in Syracuse, NY. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.