CNA Jobs in Des Moines, WA: Employers, Settings, and Starting Pay

CNA jobs in Des Moines, WA look different from a hospital town's. The city has no hospital, but it has two of South King County's larger continuing-care campuses, Wesley Des Moines and Judson Park, each with skilled nursing and assisted living on one site, plus assisted living communities and licensed adult family homes spread across the waterfront neighborhoods and the Pacific Highway corridor. Hospital work is minutes away: St. Francis Hospital in Federal Way to the south, Highline Medical Center in Burien to the north, and Seattle's hospitals by the 1 Line from Kent Des Moines Station. Indeed job-posting data (August 2026) puts the Washington nursing assistant average at about $23.62 per hour and Seattle at about $23.80; Des Moines is not reported separately. Nursing facilities hire Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) students under the 4-month rule; hospitals want an active Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C).

The two campuses that anchor Des Moines

Continuing-care campuses hire nursing assistants across several levels of care at one address, which is why they matter more to a Des Moines job search than any single nursing home would.

A nursing assistant who starts on a campus skilled nursing unit as a NAR can move to rehab, memory care, or hospice work on the same campus without changing employers, and the licensed nursing facility on site is the kind of place where the 4-month NAR clock applies. Campuses like these also run internal training at times; ask about it, but verify that any program is on the WABON approved list before relying on it for the credential.

The rest of the Des Moines market

• Assisted living and memory care. Several communities in the city hire NA-Cs and HCAs for personal care and medication assistance under nurse delegation.
• Adult family homes. Washington licenses thousands statewide, and the residential streets between Marine View Drive and Pacific Highway have many. Small resident counts, flexible hours, and pay generally nearer the wage floor.
• Home care agencies. Serve clients across South King County; an NA-C is often hired at the HCA rate unless the role needs nursing assistant scope.
• Clinics and urgent care along Pacific Highway and near the airport. Some hire nursing assistants as medical or patient care assistants; read the posting for the credential it actually requires.

The scope difference between facility work and community work under delegation is spelled out in Washington CNA scope of practice.

Hospitals within reach

Times are approximate and based on King County Metro and Sound Transit published information as of September 2026. Hospitals generally list 6 to 12 months of experience as a preference, which is why most Des Moines graduates spend a first year on a campus or in a facility and then move north or south.

Pay in Des Moines

All figures are approximate. Campus skilled nursing units and hospital float pools with differentials sit at or above the average; adult family homes and agency work sit closer to the floor. One local wrinkle: Seattle and some other cities in the region set local minimum wages above the state figure, so a role over a city line can carry a different floor; check the city where the employer is located. Setting-by-setting numbers are in CNA salary in Washington State.

What Des Moines employers verify

1. DOH Provider Credential Search for an active NA-C, or NAR for nursing-facility work before the exam.
2. Background check. The DOH runs a name-based statewide check at application; campuses, facilities, and adult family homes run their own DSHS checks.
3. BLS CPR, standard at campuses and hospitals.
4. TB test and immunizations; the clinical file from training usually covers these.
5. Photo ID matching the credential name.

A credential that expired while you were out of the field has to be reactivated before any of these checks pass; the rule is a late-fee reactivation under three years and generally retraining at three years or more. The steps are in reinstating an expired CNA license in Washington.

A job-search order for Des Moines

• During weeks 3 and 4 of training: apply as a NAR to the Wesley and Judson Park skilled nursing units and to nursing facilities in Federal Way, Kent, and Burien. Bring the Certificate of Completion.
• On the skills pass: register the same day for the $55 Credentia knowledge test.
• On the knowledge pass: file the DOH application and apply to St. Francis and Highline Medical Center float pools.
• When the NA-C is active: if Seattle hospital pay is the goal, apply north; Kent Des Moines Station is the boarding point.
• After 6 to 12 months (typical range): hospital unit roles that listed an experience preference.

What a NAR may and may not do during that first stretch is in nursing assistant registered (NAR) in Washington.

If you have not trained yet

Des Moines residents are one RapidRide A Line or 1 Line ride from the 4-week, 108-hour CNA Traditional program at Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way, which administers the skills test on site. Anyone already holding an active Washington HCA credential can take the 40-hour HCA to CNA bridge instead. Routes and program comparisons, including Highline College, are in CNA classes near Des Moines, WA.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Des Moines, WA? Indeed does not report Des Moines separately. The Washington average is about $23.62 per hour and Seattle about $23.80 (August 2026); campus skilled nursing and hospital shifts with differentials run at or above that, adult family homes below.

Which Des Moines employers hire new CNAs? The skilled nursing units at Wesley Des Moines and Judson Park, other assisted living communities, and adult family homes. Many take NARs before certification.

Is there a hospital in Des Moines? No. St. Francis in Federal Way and Highline Medical Center in Burien are the nearest, each a short drive or bus ride.

Can I reach Seattle hospital jobs from Des Moines without a car? Yes. The 1 Line from Kent Des Moines Station, next to Highline College, reaches downtown Seattle in under an hour.

Does Des Moines have its own minimum wage? No; it uses the 2026 Washington minimum of $17.13 per hour. Some neighboring cities set higher local minimums for certain employers.

The statewide picture, setting by setting, is in CNA jobs in Washington.