Nursing Assistants salary in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Official BLS OEWS May 2025 pay for Nursing Assistants in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — and the estimated take-home pay on the median wage under 2026 California tax rules.
The figures
The median Nursing Assistants in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earns $48,070 a year ($23.11 an hour), according to the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates (full citation in Sources). The middle half of Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn between $46,710 and $51,600 a year. At the ends of the distribution, the lowest-paid 10 percent earn $40,420 or less and the top 10 percent earn $60,510 or more. BLS estimates 9,670 Nursing Assistants jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area — 6.285 of every 1,000 jobs in the area, a location quotient of 0.67 (well below the national concentration). That is 0.7% of all Nursing Assistants employment in the United States (1,448,910 jobs nationally). By employment, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA is the #23 largest of the 25 covered metro areas for Nursing Assistants. In aggregate, Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn about $0.48 billion a year (BLS employment multiplied by the mean wage). At the mean wage, the engine's take-home is $40,571.06 a year, so the aggregate take-home of San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Nursing Assistants is about $0.39 billion. BLS reports a relative standard error of 1.7% for this employment estimate. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #6 of the 25 metro areas covered on this site for Nursing Assistants. By employment, Nursing Assistants is the #27 largest of the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Placed against the national distribution for Nursing Assistants, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $48,070 falls above the national 75th percentile of $47,220. Across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median is $58,690 a year — Nursing Assistants pay is 18.1% below the area's overall median.
Wages in detail
| Wage level | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Mean | $23.93 | $49,780 |
| 10th percentile | $19.43 | $40,420 |
| 25th percentile | $22.46 | $46,710 |
| Median (50th percentile) | $23.11 | $48,070 |
| 75th percentile | $24.81 | $51,600 |
| 90th percentile | $29.09 | $60,510 |
What the wage distribution says
The top 10 percent of Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA earn 1.5 times what the bottom 10 percent earn ($60,510 against $40,420). The middle half spans $4,890 — from $46,710 to $51,600. Hourly, the 90th percentile ($29.09) is 1.50 times the 10th ($19.43). In the upper half of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA distribution, the 75th percentile wage of $51,600 takes home $41,900.44 and the 90th percentile wage of $60,510 takes home $48,409.34 — $6,508.90 more net for $8,910 more gross. Against the median take-home of $39,308.26, the top decile keeps 1.23 times as much. The mean wage of $49,780 sits 3.6% above the median: higher-paid Nursing Assistants pull the average up in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. Among the 30 covered occupations in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA, Nursing Assistants ranks #18 by median pay. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage ladder of covered occupations, Nursing Assistants sits between Customer Service Representatives at $48,730 and Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators at $47,350. Nursing Assistants accounts for 0.6% of all employment in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. The average covered metro employs 21,090 Nursing Assistants; San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA employs 0.5 times that.
Take-home pay on the median wage in California
Single filer, no dependents, no pre-tax contributions, paid biweekly, a full year of W-2 wages in California; city and local taxes are not included:
| Gross pay (annual) | $48,070.00 |
|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $3,588.40 |
| Social Security (FICA) | $2,980.34 |
| Medicare (FICA) | $697.01 |
| California income tax | $871.10 |
| California SDI (State Disability Insurance) | $624.91 |
| Total deductions | $8,761.74 |
| Net pay (annual) | $39,308.26 |
| Net pay per biweekly paycheck | $1,511.86 |
| Total deduction rate | 18.23% of gross |
At the median, $39,308.26 of the $48,070 gross is kept ($1,511.86 per paycheck) — a deduction rate of 18.23%. The deduction rate moves with pay: 16.95% at the 10th percentile, 18.03% at the 25th percentile, 18.80% at the 75th percentile, 20.00% at the 90th percentile. Between the 25th and 75th percentile wages, annual take-home rises by $3,612.88 on a gross rise of $4,890.
The same engine at the other published points of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA wage distribution:
| Wage point | Net per year | Net per paycheck | Deduction rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile ($40,420) | $33,566.92 | $1,291.04 | 16.95% |
| 25th percentile ($46,710) | $38,287.56 | $1,472.60 | 18.03% |
| Median ($48,070) | $39,308.26 | $1,511.86 | 18.23% |
| 75th percentile ($51,600) | $41,900.44 | $1,611.56 | 18.80% |
| 90th percentile ($60,510) | $48,409.34 | $1,861.90 | 20.00% |
Across the published distribution, take-home pay runs from $33,566.92 a year at the 10th percentile to $48,409.34 at the 90th — a spread of $14,842.42 of net pay inside one occupation and one metro area.
For scale: across all occupations, the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median wage of $58,690 takes home $47,079.96 a year ($1,810.77 per paycheck, deduction rate 19.78%). The Nursing Assistants median take-home of $39,308.26 sits $7,771.70 (below that area-wide figure.
Run your own numbers
Your own withholding depends on your Form W-4, your benefits and your other income — run your exact figures through the calculator:
Against the national median
Nationally, the median Nursing Assistants earns $42,260 a year ($20.32 an hour). The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $48,070 is $5,810 (13.7%) above the national median.
The means rank the area the same way: $49,780 a year in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA against $42,700 nationally, a gap of $7,080 (16.6%).
Set against the whole local market, the Nursing Assistants 90th percentile of $60,510 is 40% of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA all-occupations 90th percentile ($152,580), and its 10th percentile of $40,420 is 112% of the area-wide 10th ($36,250).
| Median annual | Median hourly | Mean annual | |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $48,070 | $23.11 | $49,780 |
| United States | $42,260 | $20.32 | $42,700 |
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$48,070 a year ($23.11 an hour), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates. The mean is $49,780 a year. Ranked by median pay, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA stands #6 of the 25 covered metro areas for this occupation.
What is the take-home pay on $48,070 in California?
About $39,308.26 a year ($1,511.86 per biweekly paycheck) for a single filer with no dependents and no pre-tax contributions, under 2026 rules — a total deduction rate of 18.23% of gross. At the 75th percentile wage of $51,600, take-home is $41,900.44.
How does pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA compare with the national median for Nursing Assistants?
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA median of $48,070 is $5,810 (13.7%) above the national median of $42,260 a year. At the top of the distribution, the local 90th percentile is $60,510, against a national 90th percentile of $51,980.
How much do the top 10% of Nursing Assistants earn in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
$60,510 a year or more ($29.09 an hour or more), per the BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates.
What is the take-home pay at the 90th percentile for Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
On $60,510 a year, the engine gives a take-home of $48,409.34 a year ($1,861.90 per biweekly paycheck) in California under the same assumptions — a deduction rate of 20.00%.
How many Nursing Assistants jobs are there in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
BLS estimates 9,670 Nursing Assistants jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area — 6.285 of every 1,000 jobs in the area.
How concentrated are Nursing Assistants jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
The location quotient is 0.67 — well below the national concentration. A quotient of 1.0 means the occupation's share of local employment equals its national share.
How much does take-home pay vary for Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
From $33,566.92 a year at the 10th percentile wage ($40,420) to $48,409.34 at the 90th ($60,510), under the same single-filer assumptions in California.
What is the total wage bill for Nursing Assistants in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA?
About $0.48 billion a year — the BLS employment estimate of 9,670 multiplied by the mean wage of $49,780.
Sources and method
Wage data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates (released May 15, 2026), retrieved October 27, 2026 — bls.gov/oes. OEWS figures are survey estimates for May 2025, not job offers. Take-home pay is computed by this site's paycheck engine with 2026 federal and state rules; the method, and what the engine does not model, is documented in the paycheck methodology guide. Estimates only — not tax advice.