The national average pay for certified nurse aides (also known as certified nursing assistants) in continuing care retirement / life plan communities increased 2.33% to $13.20 an hour in 2016, according to the “Continuing Care Retirement Community Salary & Benefits Report 2016-2017” issued by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service in cooperation with LeadingAge.

That amount compares with the 2.3% increase in wages and salaries for civilian workers providing healthcare and social assistance in nursing and residential care facilities for the 12 months ending in March, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Ninety-five percent of CCRCs employ CNAs, according to the report.

Certification pays, according to the HCS report. The national average hourly rate for lead CNAs increased 2.05% to $15.37 in 2016, whereas the hourly rate for noncertified NAs increased 1.5% to $11.09. The national average for additional shift pay for CNAs was $1.28 for weekends, $0.84 for the second shift and $0.99 for the third shift. Noncertified NA shift pay was slightly lower, at $1.01 for weekends, $0.79 for second shift and $0.97 for the third shift.

Almost 14% (13.78%) of participating CCRCs reported paying the cost of certification for their CNAs, and 43.9% reported that they pay a premium for CNAs who already are certified.

The 19th annual study includes responses from 536 CCRCs and provides compensation data on more than 86,900 employees, covering 46 management and 53 nonmanagement positions. Findings are reported according to revenue size, total unit size, geographic region, state and core-based statistical areas. The report also includes data on 17 types of fringe benefits, turnover rates by department and projected salary increases by department for 2016 to 2017.