Over 1,388,000 nursing assistants were employed in the U.S. as of May 2024 according to data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Approximately 128,860 employed nursing assistants lived in the four-state Southwestern region of the country.  Generally speaking, the region is a poor one for nursing assistant pay, with three states in the region having a nursing assistant annual mean wage level that was below the national average.  This included two states, Oklahoma and Texas, that ranked among the ten worst states in the nation for nursing assistant annual mean wages.   A closer look at BLS data from May 2024 reveals the following about nursing assistant pay in the Southwestern U.S.:

Nursing Assistant Pay in the Southwestern U.S.

State	# Employed	Annual Mean Wages	Wage Rank*
AZ	17,350	$43,060	19th
NM	4,600	$38,320	36th
OK	19,860	$34,900	47th
TX	87,050	$37,010	44th
U.S.	1,388,510	$41,173	-------

(*) annual mean wage ranking among the 50 states and the District of Columbia

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OES. Data extracted on January, 28, 2026