Nursing assistants
SOC Code: 31-1131
Nursing assistants carries a 23% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $39,530 and +2.3% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 1,441,500 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 23% AI exposure, Nursing assistants sits 14 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 11% of them. It ranks among the more AI-resilient roles in the dataset.
Career outlook score
48/100
Nursing assistants, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $39,530
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +2.3%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) A 23% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Nursing assistants in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Associate / award entry with a named growth shelf
Entry credential Associate / award covers 99 of 832 occupations; BLS places this one in Average (378/832). Mid-credential standing - thicker than graduate shelves, thinner than HS-dominated mass.
Where Nursing assistants sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Nursing assistants sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
23% Among the lowest lower than 89% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Nursing assistants vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Nursing assistants is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Nursing assistants's Medium automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 31-1131) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Nursing assistants be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Nursing assistants. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- 2. Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
- 3. Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- 4. Position or hold patients in position for surgical preparation.
- 5. Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
- 6. Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
- 7. Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
- 8. Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
- 9. Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
- 10. Undress, wash, and dress patients who are unable to do so for themselves.
Key Skills Required
- Service Orientation
- Active Listening
- Social Perceptiveness
- Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Coordination
- Active Learning
- Judgment and Decision Making
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- Administration and Management
- English Language
- Public Safety and Security
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Education and Training
- Therapy and Counseling
- Psychology
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Personnel and Human Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Nursing assistants?
Nursing assistants has an AI exposure score of 23%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Nursing assistants?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Nursing assistants is projected to grow by 2.3% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 1,441,500 workers.
What skills are needed for Nursing assistants?
Key skills for Nursing assistants include Service Orientation, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, and others. Typical entry-level education is Postsecondary nondegree award.
How much do Nursing assistants earn?
The median annual wage for Nursing assistants is $39,530, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Nursing assistants?
The typical entry-level education for Nursing assistants is Postsecondary nondegree award. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Nursing assistants?
Nursing assistants roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Nursing assistants: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (23% here).
- Automotive service technicians and mechanics · AI exposure 23%
- Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers · AI exposure 23%
- Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers · AI exposure 23%
- Helpers--carpenters · AI exposure 23%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.3% here).
- Agricultural workers, all other · growth +2.3%
- Concierges · growth +2.3%
- First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers · growth +2.3%
- Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers · growth +2.3%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 7 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Nursing assistants' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Nursing assistants side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).