Nursing Assistant

What the Numbers Say About Nursing Assistant

Federal agencies employ 14,923 people in the Nursing Assistant occupation (OPM code 621), accounting for 0.7% of the total federal civilian workforce of 2,289,472 for the March 2025 reporting window. Headcount in this occupation moved down by -2.9% versus the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.

The average salary for Nursing Assistant is $54,440 per year, placing it 50.5% below the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 2.6% from the prior period, a broad shift as locality pay tables and grade-level adjustments moved through the workforce. Average length of service in this role is 7.2 years, a comparatively short average tenure, which can reflect faster turnover, a competitive private-sector alternative, or a newer program still building up its workforce.

Code 6, the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, is where the federal government classifies Nursing Assistant alongside 44 related occupations. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Nursing Assistant postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Within the Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group family, Nursing Assistant ranks #7 of 45 by headcount, accounting for 4.2% of the family's combined 356,984 employees. Its average salary ranks in the bottom half (2nd percentile) of pay among Medical, Hospital, Dental, and Public Health Group occupations.