SalaryExplorer

SOC 31-1131 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Nursing Assistants — Wausau

Wausau, WI · 10 metro areas compared

$43,660 /year
$20.99per hour
710jobs in area
+3.3%vs US median

The median wage for Nursing Assistants in Wausau, WI is $43,660 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$37,15025TH$38,790MEDIAN$43,66075TH$45,76090TH$48,000

How pay has moved

$47,125$26,3352019202020212022202320242025$43,660
$30,040 in 2019 to $43,660 in 2025, +45.3% 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 Wausau, WI.

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 Wausau, WI is $43,660 per year, close to the national median of $42,260 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $37,150 at the tenth percentile to more than $48,000 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $38,790 to $45,760.

Employment stands at 710, or 10.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Sheboygan leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $47,050. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 212th of 268 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Wausau, WI · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$37,150−12.1%
25th$38,790−8.2%
Median (50th)$43,660+3.3%
75th$45,760+8.3%
90th$48,000+13.6%
Mean$43,050+1.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Wisconsin

Median annual wage for Nursing Assistants, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Sheboygan$47,050520
2Kenosha$46,220710
3Racine$45,710620
4Milwaukee$45,6907,880
5Madison$45,2603,420
6Appleton$44,760980
7Oshkosh$44,590900
8Fond du Lac$44,490520
9La Crosse$43,5101,250
10Green Bay$43,4501,700

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Wausau run 7.3% below the national average, so the median of $43,660 goes as far as $47,098 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 11.4% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$43,660as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.7US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$47,098US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $43,660 a year, 3.3% above the national median.
  • Published pay spans $37,150 to $48,000 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 710 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Sheboygan, at $47,050.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Nursing Assistants in Wausau, WI?

The median annual wage is $43,660, or $20.99 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 Wausau, WI is 3.3% 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 Wausau, WI earns more than $48,000 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $37,150 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 Sheboygan, at $47,050 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 710 jobs in this occupation in Wausau, WI. 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.

Nursing Assistants Salary in Wausau, WI (2025): $43,660 Median | Salary Explorer