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

Richland holds the single largest employer of Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) staff in the Tri-Cities: Kadlec Regional Medical Center at 888 Swift Boulevard, which Providence's location page describes as home to the region's only Level III neonatal intensive care unit and more than 4,000 caregivers and volunteers, and which listed 270 licensed beds in its 2019 certificate of need application to the Department of Health (DOH). The city also has Lourdes Counseling Center, a behavioral health hospital, plus skilled nursing facilities, assisted living in the Queensgate and Horn Rapids areas, and licensed adult family homes. Indeed's Richland nursing assistant salary page, updated August 28, 2026 from 33 posted salaries, shows an average of about $22.32 per hour with a posted range of roughly $17.97 to $27.73, the highest average among the three cities. All figures here are approximate.

Employers by setting in and around Richland

Kadlec's size is why Richland's average tops the Tri-Cities: a hospital that large runs float pools, patient care technician tracks, and unit-based nursing assistant roles at hospital rates and differentials. The rest of the local market looks like Kennewick's and Pasco's.

How Richland pay stacks up

1. Floor: Washington's 2026 minimum wage is $17.13 per hour. Richland has no local minimum above it, and Indeed's low end of $17.97 shows that adult family home and agency roles sit just above the floor.
2. Assisted living: roles open to both Home Care Aides and NA-Cs pull the rate below the nursing assistant average.
3. Skilled nursing: near the Richland average of about $22.32 per hour, plus evening, night, and weekend differentials of roughly $1.50 to $4.
4. Kadlec and other hospitals: toward the top of the range, up to about $27.73 in Indeed's posted data, plus differentials.
5. Statewide: Indeed's August 2026 Washington average is about $23.62, and BLS OEWS lists the Seattle-metro healthcare support mean at about $25.96 (May 2025). Richland is the Tri-Cities market closest to those figures.

The shift-differential arithmetic that turns a base rate into a paycheck is worked out in CNA salary in Washington State.

What Kadlec and other Richland employers verify

• Registry 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 both exam parts. Hospitals typically require the NA-C before the first shift.
• Background check. The DOH runs a name-based statewide check; hospitals add their own, and assisted living and adult family homes run DSHS checks. Richland draws workers from the Hanford site and from Oregon and Idaho, so recent out-of-state residents should expect a possible fingerprint check. What each check covers is in the Washington CNA background check.
• BLS CPR, required by Kadlec and nearly every facility.
• TB screening and immunizations, with hospital-specific vaccination requirements.
• Medication assistant endorsement for medication aide roles in assisted living, maintained with 8 hours of medication-specific continuing education and 250 documented hours per cycle.

A job-search sequence for a Richland graduate

• In the last two weeks of training: apply to Tri-Cities skilled nursing facilities as a NAR with the Certificate of Completion.
• When the $100 skills pass is recorded: register for the $55 Credentia knowledge test; Part 2 cannot be scheduled before Part 1.
• After the knowledge pass: file the DOH application, then apply to Kadlec's float pool and nursing assistant postings and to Lourdes Counseling Center.
• When the NA-C shows on the registry: notify your employer so scope and pay update.
• After 6 to 12 months: reapply to Kadlec unit positions that listed an experience preference; that preference is an employer habit, not a state rule.

The four-month deadline for NAR hires is explained in the NAR four-month rule in Washington.

Getting to Richland employers by bus

Ben Franklin Transit's routes and schedules page, as published in September 2026, lists two Richland hubs, the Knight Street Transit Center and the Queensgate Transit Center, plus Richland routes 20, 25, 26, 123, 170, and 225 and West Richland routes 10 and 20. Connector routes 123 and 170 link Richland with Kennewick's Three Rivers Transit Center and Pasco's 22nd Avenue Transit Center. Kadlec on Swift Boulevard sits in central Richland's medical district; check the current route map for the stop nearest the hospital. Route 47 serves Trios Southridge for a Richland NA-C working in Kennewick.

Adult family home and agency work in West Richland, Horn Rapids, and the Badger Mountain subdivisions is a car job.

Richland against the region

Richland's premium over Kennewick is about $1.34 per hour on these figures, which matters over a year of full-time shifts and is a reason Kennewick and Pasco graduates cross the river. Someone who has not trained yet can compare Columbia Basin College's Richland program with a 4-week course in CNA classes near Richland, WA.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Richland? Indeed's August 2026 average is about $22.32 per hour, with postings from roughly $17.97 to $27.73. Kadlec sits at the top and adult family homes near the $17.13 minimum. All approximate.

What is the biggest CNA employer in Richland? Kadlec Regional Medical Center, the Tri-Cities' largest hospital, with 270 licensed beds in its 2019 certificate of need filing and more than 4,000 caregivers and volunteers per Providence.

Can I work at Kadlec before I pass the exam? Hospitals generally require the NA-C first. Skilled nursing facilities hire NARs with 4 months to certify.

Is Lourdes Counseling Center a CNA employer? It is a behavioral health hospital in Richland that staffs nursing assistant and technician roles; duties differ from medical-surgical units.

Can I reach Kadlec by bus? Ben Franklin Transit's Richland routes and the Knight Street and Queensgate transit centers cover central Richland; confirm the nearest stop on the current map.

Does Richland pay more than Kennewick? On Indeed's posting data, yes, by about $1.34 per hour on average, largely because of Kadlec.

Openings by setting statewide are in CNA jobs in Washington. Richland Home Care Aides can reach hospital and skilled nursing rates through the 40-hour HCA to CNA bridge.