CNA Jobs in Kennewick, WA: Employers, Settings, and Starting Pay

Kennewick is the largest of the three Tri-Cities, and a Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) living there works in a single labor market that spans Benton and Franklin counties. The city's own hospital is Trios Southridge at 3810 Plaza Way, per the Trios Health locations page. Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland and Lourdes Medical Center in Pasco are each a short drive over the Columbia or Yakima river bridges. Between them sit skilled nursing facilities such as Life Care Center of Kennewick and Regency Canyon Lakes, assisted living and memory care in Southridge and along Clearwater Avenue, and licensed adult family homes across the city. Indeed's Kennewick nursing assistant salary page, updated September 11, 2026 from 217 posted salaries, shows an average of about $20.98 per hour with a posted range of roughly $17.56 to $25.06. All wage figures in this article are approximate.

Where the jobs are, by setting

Skilled nursing is the volume market for a new graduate. Hospitals in the Tri-Cities post fewer nursing assistant openings than the Puget Sound systems do, and those postings often carry a preference for 6 to 12 months of experience, which is a hiring habit rather than a regulation.

Pay in Kennewick, from the floor up

1. State minimum. Kennewick uses the statewide 2026 minimum wage of $17.13 per hour with no local supplement. Adult family home and agency caregiver roles sit closest to this line, and the low end of Indeed's Kennewick range ($17.56) confirms it.
2. Assisted living and memory care. Postings open to both HCAs and NA-Cs, which keeps the rate under the nursing assistant average.
3. Skilled nursing. Around the Kennewick average of about $20.98 per hour, with evening, night, and weekend differentials of roughly $1.50 to $4 per hour on top.
4. Hospitals. At or above the top of the Kennewick range, around $25 per hour for experienced staff, plus differentials.

Two comparisons matter for a Kennewick job seeker. First, Richland's Indeed figure (about $22.32 per hour, August 2026, 33 salaries) runs higher than Kennewick's, so a job across the river can pay more for the same work. Second, the Washington average is about $23.62 per hour and Puget Sound hospitals run above that, which is why some Tri-Cities graduates take a first job on the west side. Both moves are covered in CNA salary in Washington State.

What Kennewick employers verify before the first shift

• Credential status on the DOH Provider Credential Search: an active NA-C, or NAR status for a nursing facility hire who then has 4 months from hire to complete training and pass the exam.
• Background check. The DOH runs a name-based statewide check on every applicant; assisted living and adult family homes also run DSHS checks, and hospitals add their own. Someone who has lived in Oregon or Idaho recently, common in the Tri-Cities, may need a fingerprint check. Details are in the Washington CNA background check.
• BLS CPR, required by all three hospital systems and most facilities.
• TB test and immunization records.
• Medication assistant endorsement for medication aide roles in assisted living, which requires 8 hours of medication-specific continuing education and 250 documented hours per cycle to keep.

Job-search sequence for a Kennewick graduate

• During training: apply to Kennewick skilled nursing facilities with the Certificate of Completion and NAR confirmation. Facilities that hire NARs will schedule you before the exam.
• After the $100 skills pass is recorded: register with Credentia for the $55 knowledge test; Part 2 cannot be booked earlier.
• After the knowledge pass: file the DOH application and apply to Trios Southridge, Kadlec, and Lourdes float pools.
• Once the NA-C shows on the registry: tell your employer so your scope and pay update; consider Richland postings if the rate is higher.
• After 6 to 12 months: reapply to hospital unit roles that listed an experience preference.

If your first job is as a NAR, the deadline is explained in the NAR four-month rule in Washington.

Getting to Kennewick employers by bus

Ben Franklin Transit's routes and schedules page, as published in September 2026, lists the Three Rivers Transit Center and the Dayton Transfer Point in Kennewick, the 22nd Avenue Transit Center in Pasco, and the Knight Street and Queensgate transit centers in Richland. Route 47 serves Trios Southridge. Connector routes 123 and 170 link Kennewick, Pasco, and Richland, which is how a Kennewick NA-C reaches Kadlec or Lourdes without a car. Adult family home and home care work spread across the Tri-Cities and out to Prosser and Benton City is a car job.

Kennewick against the rest of Washington

The Pasco figure rests on a tiny sample and should be read as "roughly the same as Kennewick." The gap between the Tri-Cities and the statewide average is the main reason a Kennewick resident might train and take a first job in Puget Sound, then return home with experience, which is what the 4-week course in Federal Way described in CNA classes near Kennewick, WA is for.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Kennewick? Indeed's September 2026 posting average is about $20.98 per hour, with a range of roughly $17.56 to $25.06. Hospitals sit at the top and adult family homes near the $17.13 state minimum. All figures are approximate.

Which hospital is in Kennewick? Trios Southridge, at 3810 Plaza Way, with an emergency room and birth center on campus per the Trios Health page. Kadlec is in Richland and Lourdes in Pasco.

Can I work in Kennewick before passing the NA-C exam? Yes, if a skilled nursing facility hires you as a Nursing Assistant-Registered; you then have 4 months from hire to certify. Hospitals usually want the NA-C first.

Do Richland jobs pay more than Kennewick jobs? Indeed's figures suggest so (about $22.32 versus $20.98 per hour), driven partly by Kadlec, the region's largest hospital.

Can I reach Tri-Cities hospitals by bus? Yes. Ben Franklin Transit route 47 serves Trios Southridge, and routes 123 and 170 connect the three cities.

Is a Federal Way training certificate accepted by Kennewick employers? Yes. The NA-C is a DOH credential valid statewide; employers check the registry, not the school.

Statewide openings by setting are in CNA jobs in Washington. Kennewick Home Care Aides who want hospital and skilled nursing access can convert their credential through the HCA to CNA bridge.