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CNA classes in California
California has 35 accredited campuses awarding cna credentials. If you finish and work as a nursing assistant in California, expect to start around $40,110–$45,850 and reach a median of $47,630 with experience; the top quarter earn $54,800 or more (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025, California). Graduates of these California programs — every graduate, whatever job they took — earned a median of $32,369 in their first year, against $22,196 nationally; that is the figure used to rank campuses below.
What nursing assistants earn in California
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; 110,060 employed in California. National median: $42,260.
Campuses in California, ranked by what their graduates earned
Cities: AlhambraAnaheimArtesiaBlytheChula VistaClovisConcordEscondidoFresnoGilroyLa PuenteLos AngelesMercedModestoOrovillePalm SpringsParamountPowayRancho CucamongaReedleyRiversideSacramentoSalinasSan BernardinoSan Luis ObispoSanta ClaraSanta ClaritaSanta MariaSanta RosaSylmarVisalia
| Campus | City | Type | Grads / yr | Earnings, yr 1 | Program debt | Completion | Cost / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angeles College | Los Angeles | for-profit college | 7 | $49,836 | $20,000 | not reported | $33,854 |
| Institute of Technology | Clovis | for-profit career college | 46 | $45,324 | $16,719 | 74% | $29,228 |
| Clovis Adult Education | Clovis | Public community college | 67 | $44,088 | not reported | 68% | not reported |
| Summit College | San Bernardino | for-profit career college | 29 | $38,590 | $17,492 | 62% | $33,244 |
| California Nurses Educational Institute | Palm Springs | for-profit career college | 50 | $35,854 | $20,000 | 81% | $28,452 |
| Charles A Jones Career and Education Center | Sacramento | Public technical college | 41 | $32,369 | $9,496 | 65% | $21,579 |
| Healthcare Career College | Paramount | for-profit career college | 16 | $27,584 | $20,000 | 71% | $18,873 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education | La Puente | Public community college | 40 | $27,484 | not reported | 77% | $9,138 |
| Platt College-Anaheim | Anaheim | for-profit college | 16 | $24,173 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Platt College-Los Angeles | Alhambra | for-profit college | 14 | $24,173 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Riverside City College | Riverside | Public community college | 141 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Central Coast College | Salinas | for-profit career college | 108 | not reported | not reported | 67% | $30,966 |
| Butte College | Oroville | Public community college | 100 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | Public community college | 97 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| College of the Sequoias | Visalia | Public community college | 81 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Mission College | Santa Clara | Public community college | 81 | not reported | not reported | 39% | not reported |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa | Public community college | 72 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Merced College | Merced | Public community college | 68 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| Mt. Diablo Adult Education-Mt. Diablo USD | Concord | Public community college | 40 | not reported | not reported | 81% | $14,341 |
| Allan Hancock College | Santa Maria | Public community college | 31 | not reported | not reported | 26% | not reported |
| Escondido Adult School | Escondido | Public community college | 27 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Gavilan College | Gilroy | Public community college | 22 | not reported | not reported | 43% | not reported |
| Angeles Institute | Artesia | for-profit career college | 21 | not reported | $17,783 | 47% | $31,664 |
| Riverside County Office of Education-School of Career Education | Riverside | Public technical college | 21 | not reported | not reported | 82% | $26,764 |
| Palo Verde College | Blythe | Public community college | 20 | not reported | not reported | 31% | not reported |
| Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | Los Angeles | Public community college | 15 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Poway Adult School | Poway | Public community college | 14 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Chaffey College | Rancho Cucamonga | Public community college | 13 | not reported | not reported | 36% | not reported |
| American River College | Sacramento | Public community college | 8 | not reported | not reported | 37% | not reported |
| Reedley College | Reedley | Public community college | 5 | not reported | not reported | 42% | not reported |
| Los Angeles Mission College | Sylmar | Public community college | 3 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Agape College of Business and Science | Fresno | non-profit college | 2 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | Public community college | 2 | not reported | not reported | 45% | not reported |
| Cuesta College | San Luis Obispo | Public community college | 1 | not reported | not reported | 48% | not reported |
| Modesto Junior College | Modesto | Public college | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported |
Earnings are median wages and self-employment income reported to the IRS (W-2 and Schedule SE) for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled, measured in the calendar year after finishing. They are pay only: health insurance, retirement contributions and other benefits are not included.
Ranked by median earnings of this program's graduates one year after completion (College Scorecard field-of-study, Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) 2022-23 Completions survey; College Scorecard June 2026; Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs (DAPIP), September 2026); campuses without a reported figure follow, by credentials awarded. "Program debt" is the median federal loan debt for graduates of this program at this campus. Completion is the campus-wide 150%-of-time rate. "Not reported" means the federal file suppresses the value for privacy.