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

CNA jobs in Seattle pay about $23.80 per hour on average in job postings (Indeed, August 2026), slightly above the Washington average of about $23.62, and the city's hospital-heavy market gives Nursing Assistant-Certified (NA-C) holders more employer types than most metros. The main hospital systems are UW Medicine (including Harborview), Swedish, Providence, and Virginia Mason, alongside Kaiser Permanente Washington clinics, skilled nursing facilities, home health agencies, hospice, and hundreds of licensed adult family homes inside the city. Hospitals usually want experience or a current NA-C; skilled nursing and adult family homes hire new graduates and, in nursing facilities, Nursing Assistant-Registered (NAR) students who must certify within 4 months of hire.

Seattle's main employers for nursing assistants

Hospital jobs cluster on First Hill and in the University District, where the largest systems have their main campuses. Reaching First Hill or the University District from South King County is a direct 1 Line ride, which is one reason Federal Way and Kent graduates apply to Seattle hospitals.

Settings compared: pay, pace, and hiring

• Hospitals pay at the top of the local range, add shift differentials, and often require an active NA-C plus BLS CPR. Many list a preference for prior experience (commonly 6 to 12 months, a typical range), though float pools and night shifts open earlier to new graduates.
• Skilled nursing facilities hire the most new graduates and are where the 40 clinical hours of training are usually completed. Resident loads are higher than in hospitals, and the state's 4-month NAR rule applies to nursing facilities specifically.
• Adult family homes are licensed residences of up to a handful of residents. Pay is usually lower than hospital pay, but the setting is quieter, schedules are flexible, and many homes hire before certification for HCA-scope duties.
• Home health and hospice pay per visit or per hour with travel between clients; a car is usually required.

Shift differentials of roughly $1.50 to $4 per hour for evenings, nights, and weekends apply across settings. Seattle also enforces a city minimum wage above the 2026 state minimum of $17.13 per hour, which raises the floor for adult family home and agency roles inside the city.

What Seattle CNAs earn

Three data points frame the range:

1. Job postings (Indeed, August 2026): Seattle about $23.80 per hour; Washington about $23.62; Everett about $24.89; Kirkland about $23.73.
2. BLS OEWS (May 2025): Seattle-metro mean for healthcare support occupations $25.96 per hour, against $19.62 nationally. This group is broader than nursing assistants alone.
3. Earlier BLS nursing assistant figures: roughly $20 to $21 per hour in Washington versus about $17.40 nationally, which shows how far local pay has moved.

Treat these as approximate. A new graduate in a skilled nursing facility should expect to start below the posting average; an experienced hospital NA-C on nights with differentials can exceed it. The statewide picture by setting and county is in CNA salary in Washington State.

What you need before you apply

A Seattle hospital recruiter will check your status on the registry before an interview. If your name differs across documents, fix it with the DOH first; see the Washington CNA registry for how the lookup works. Candidates who want to work while finishing training should read working as a CNA before certification in Washington.

A hiring sequence that works in Seattle

1. Apply to skilled nursing facilities and adult family homes in the final week of training. Many hire on a Certificate of Completion plus NAR status.
2. Register for the $55 Credentia knowledge test the day your $100 skills pass is recorded. Hospitals will not interview without an active credential.
3. Submit the DOH application immediately after the knowledge pass, and check the Provider Credential Search until the NA-C appears.
4. Apply to hospital float pools and night shifts first. They open to less experienced candidates more often than day-shift unit positions.
5. Use the first 6 to 12 months in skilled nursing as the experience line most hospital postings ask for, then reapply.

Commuting to Seattle jobs from South King County

Many Seattle CNAs live south of the city because housing is cheaper. The 1 Line runs from Federal Way Downtown Station to Westlake in about 56 minutes and to SeaTac/Airport in about 16 minutes, with stops at Kent Des Moines and Star Lake, so a 12-hour hospital shift on First Hill or in the University District is reachable without driving. Night-shift workers should check the first and last train times, which Sound Transit publishes by station. Graduates of Huduma CNA Programs in Federal Way commonly split their applications between Seattle hospitals and South King County facilities, a pattern described in where Federal Way CNA graduates work.

Scope of practice and what Seattle employers expect

An NA-C in Washington works under a licensed nurse and provides personal care, mobility assistance, vital signs, and documentation. Medication administration requires a separate medication assistant endorsement (8 hours of medication-specific continuing education plus 250 documented employment hours per renewal cycle). Nurse delegation lets an RN delegate specific tasks in community settings such as adult family homes. Hospitals generally keep NA-Cs within basic care and vital signs, while adult family homes rely on delegation more. The boundaries are in the Washington CNA scope of practice.

Frequently asked questions

How much do CNAs make in Seattle? About $23.80 per hour in postings (Indeed, August 2026), with hospital and night-shift roles higher and adult family homes lower. Figures are approximate.

Can a new CNA get hired at a Seattle hospital? Sometimes, usually into float pools or night shifts. Most unit postings ask for 6 to 12 months of experience, which skilled nursing facilities provide.

Can I work in Seattle as a NAR before passing the exam? Yes, in facilities that hire NARs. A nursing facility must see you complete training and pass the exam within 4 months of hire.

Do Seattle CNAs need continuing education to renew? No. A standard NA-C renews annually on the holder's birthday with no CE, unless it carries the medication assistant endorsement.

Is there a demand for CNAs in Seattle in 2026? Check the career pages of the systems listed above and the DSHS adult family home locator; the Seattle posting average sitting above the state average is one market signal, and BLS puts Seattle-metro healthcare support pay well above the national mean.

For the statewide view of openings by setting, read CNA jobs in Washington. If you are still choosing a program, the 4-week CNA Traditional course at Huduma CNA Programs is one light rail ride from the Seattle hospitals listed above.