CNA in Illinois: Registry, Training, Certification & Salary Guide 2026 June

Illinois has one of the largest certified nursing assistant workforces in the Midwest — over 95,000 active CNAs according to the state health department's latest count. If you're planning to join them, you'll need to understand how the Illinois CNA registry works, what training the state actually requires, and what kind of pay you can realistically expect. None of it's complicated, but the steps matter.

The Illinois CNA registration process runs through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH). Every CNA working in the state must appear on this registry before they can legally provide care in a nursing facility. Your name stays on the registry for two years at a time, and you'll need to renew before it lapses — miss that deadline, and you're starting the certification process over from scratch. That's not a minor headache.

What draws people to this career in Illinois specifically? Location helps. Chicago alone has hundreds of long-term care facilities, and downstate communities are chronically short-staffed. The demand isn't theoretical — it's visible in job boards every single week. Pay varies wildly depending on where you work, your shift, and whether you're in a hospital or a nursing home. We'll break all of that down below.

If you're already working toward certification or thinking about switching from another state, you'll want to know the reciprocity rules too. Illinois does accept out-of-state CNAs under certain conditions, but it's not automatic. And if you're interested in earning more, roles like cna salary illinois — specifically restorative CNA positions — tend to pay above the baseline. Worth exploring once you're certified.

Before you can sit for the state competency exam, you need to complete an approved training program. That's the law. Illinois requires a minimum of 120 hours of instruction — 40 hours of classroom theory and 80 hours of supervised clinical practice in a healthcare setting. Most programs finish in 8 to 12 weeks, though some accelerated options compress it into 4 or 5.

The Illinois CNA registration happens after you pass both parts of the state exam: the written (or oral) knowledge test and the clinical skills demonstration. You don't get to pick which skills you perform — the evaluator selects them randomly from a list of 21 possible tasks. Hand washing, vital signs, catheter care, repositioning — any of them could come up. Study all of them.

Want to practice before exam day? A CNA practice test Illinois candidate would typically use covers the same content areas as the real written portion. You can find free practice questions right here on this site — they're matched to the Illinois exam blueprint, not generic nationwide content. The questions test infection control, resident rights, communication, nutrition, and basic nursing procedures. Take several rounds before your test date.

If you're looking for clinical experience in a hospital setting, check out cna jobs springfield il — Springfield's Memorial Health System and HSHS St. John's both hire new CNAs regularly. Rural hospitals tend to have shorter wait times for open positions compared to Chicago-area facilities.

Money talks. So let's talk about CNA salary Illinois numbers without the vague generalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts Illinois CNA median pay at $36,200 per year — that's roughly $17.40 an hour. But median means half earn more and half earn less, and the spread is significant.

How much does a CNA make in Illinois depends on three main variables: geography, employer type, and shift. Chicago-area CNAs in hospital settings can earn $20 to $23 per hour. Downstate nursing homes? More like $15 to $17. Night shift and weekend differentials add $1 to $3 per hour in most facilities — that's real money over a full year.

Staffing agencies are another option. Travel CNA assignments in Illinois typically pay $22 to $28 per hour, though you're giving up benefits and stability. Some CNAs cycle between agency work in summer (higher pay, flexible scheduling) and permanent positions in winter (health insurance, PTO). It's a strategy that works if you don't mind the transitions.

Entry-level CNAs — fresh out of training, no experience — start at the lower end. After 12 to 18 months, most see a bump of $1.50 to $2.50 per hour. Specialty roles pay more. CNA pay in Illinois at hospitals runs higher than nursing home pay across every region of the state, with the gap widest in the Chicago metro area. If you want the top of the range, get hospital experience early.

The Illinois CNA state exam practice test content mirrors what you'll face on the actual competency evaluation. Two parts. The written test has 60 multiple-choice questions — you need at least 70% to pass. Most candidates finish in 45 to 60 minutes, though you're given up to 90. The clinical skills test requires you to demonstrate five randomly selected tasks from the 21-skill checklist in front of an evaluator. Mess up a critical step on any one skill, and you fail that skill entirely.

CNA certification Illinois candidates need to pass both sections within three attempts. After three failures, you'll need to retake the entire training program before testing again. That's an IDPH rule, not a testing center policy — no exceptions. The exam is administered by Credentia (formerly Pearson VUE) at testing sites across the state. Chicago, Springfield, Rockford, Peoria — most metro areas have at least one site.

Registration for the exam happens through Credentia's online portal. You'll need your training program completion certificate, a valid photo ID, and the exam fee (currently around $100 for both portions). Some training programs include the exam fee in tuition — ask before you enroll. If your employer is sponsoring your training, they'll often cover the exam cost too.

One thing people miss: you must take the exam within 24 months of completing your training program. Wait longer than that, and your training expires. No extensions. Start studying the day you finish clinicals, not the day you feel ready.

CNA jobs Springfield IL are consistently available — Springfield is the state capital and home to two major hospital systems plus dozens of long-term care facilities. Memorial Health and HSHS St. John's Hospital both run CNA training programs and hire graduates directly. Starting pay in Springfield runs $15.50 to $17.50 per hour depending on the facility and shift.

CNA pay in Illinois outside of Chicago varies more than people expect. Champaign-Urbana pays slightly above average thanks to Carle Health and OSF HealthCare competing for staff. Decatur and Bloomington sit closer to the statewide median. The southern third of the state — Carbondale, Marion, Mount Vernon — tends to pay the least, though cost of living is also significantly lower there.

What about benefits? Most full-time CNA positions in Illinois include health insurance, paid time off, and some form of retirement plan. Hospitals generally offer better benefit packages than nursing homes. Unionized facilities — and Illinois has quite a few — often provide higher base pay, guaranteed raises, and stronger job protections. SEIU Healthcare Illinois represents CNAs at numerous facilities across the state.

Night shift is where the money is for many CNAs. Facilities that struggle to fill overnight slots offer shift differentials of $2 to $4 per hour. That's an extra $4,000 to $8,000 annually if you're working full time. Not glamorous hours, but the math works out — especially when you're also attending school during the day.

CNA jobs Rockford IL represent a solid market for new and experienced aides. Rockford is the state's fifth-largest city and home to Mercyhealth, SwedishAmerican (now part of UW Health), and multiple skilled nursing facilities. The healthcare sector is one of Rockford's largest employers. Pay ranges from $16 to $19 per hour depending on the facility, with hospitals at the high end.

When it comes to CNA schools in Illinois, you've got options in every region. Community colleges offer the most affordable route — programs at City Colleges of Chicago, Heartland Community College, and John A. Logan College typically cost $500 to $1,500 including materials. Private vocational schools charge more ($2,000 to $5,000) but sometimes offer faster completion timelines. Red Cross chapters in Illinois also run CNA programs, though availability varies by location.

Employer-sponsored training is the best deal. Facilities desperate for staff — and many are — will pay for your entire training and exam in exchange for a work commitment (usually 12 to 18 months). You earn while you learn, graduate debt-free, and have a guaranteed job waiting. Nursing homes are more likely to offer this than hospitals, which tend to prefer hiring already-certified CNAs.

High school students in Illinois can start CNA training through career and technical education (CTE) programs. Several school districts partner with community colleges to offer dual-credit CNA courses. You can graduate high school with your CNA certification already in hand — that's a massive head start on your healthcare career, and it costs nothing beyond regular school fees.

Let's get specific about the CNA test Illinois format because vague advice doesn't help anyone pass. The written portion covers five content areas: physical care skills (the biggest chunk), psychosocial care, the role of the nurse aide, promotion of function, and resident rights. Questions are scenario-based — you'll read a brief patient situation and choose the best response from four options. Straight memorization won't cut it here.

The salary of a CNA in Illinois breaks down differently when you look at it by experience level. Brand-new CNAs — zero to six months — typically start between $15 and $17 per hour statewide. After a year, that jumps to $17 to $19. CNAs with three to five years of experience earn $19 to $22, especially in hospital or home health settings. The top 10% of earners in Illinois make over $44,000 annually, almost exclusively in Chicago-area hospitals or specialty units.

Home health is a growing segment. Private duty CNA work in Illinois pays $18 to $25 per hour, and you're usually working one-on-one with a single client. The trade-off: no coworkers to help if something goes wrong, and the work can be isolating. Some CNAs prefer it precisely because there's no facility politics. Others find it lonely after a few months. Know yourself before committing.

Overtime rules matter in Illinois. State law requires time-and-a-half after 40 hours per week. Some facilities try to get around this by splitting shifts across pay periods — that's illegal under the Illinois Minimum Wage Law. Know your rights. If you're consistently working 44 to 48 hours, those extra hours should be reflected in your check at 1.5x your base rate.

The Illinois State CNA Registry is maintained by IDPH and serves as the official verification database for every certified nursing assistant in the state. Employers are legally required to check this registry before hiring — it confirms your active status, certification date, and whether any findings (abuse, neglect, theft) have been recorded against you. A finding on your record effectively ends your CNA career in Illinois. No appeal process will remove a substantiated finding.

Thinking about the Indiana CNA practice test? If you're near the Illinois-Indiana border — think Danville, Champaign, or the Chicago suburbs bordering northwest Indiana — you might consider working in both states. Indiana recognizes Illinois CNA certification through reciprocity, but you'll need to apply separately to the Indiana State Department of Health. The knowledge tested is similar, though Indiana's clinical skills list differs slightly from Illinois. Practice tests for both states overlap on about 85% of the content.

Reciprocity works in the other direction too. If you trained and certified in Indiana, Missouri, Wisconsin, or Iowa, you can transfer your certification to Illinois without retesting — assuming your registry is current and clear of any findings. The process takes two to six weeks and requires a completed application, proof of current certification, and a background check. No fee for the reciprocity application itself, though the background check costs $40 to $60.

Multi-state CNAs who work border regions often maintain active registrations in two states simultaneously. It's legal, not complicated, and opens up twice as many job opportunities. The only downside is tracking two separate renewal cycles — miss one and you're back to square one in that state.

What about CNA salary Chicago specifically? Chicago CNAs earn more than their downstate counterparts — that's no surprise. Median hourly pay in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area is $18.90, compared to $16.20 statewide. Top earners in Chicago hospitals and rehabilitation centers break $24 per hour. Factor in union contracts at facilities like Rush, Northwestern, and the University of Chicago Medical Center, and total compensation including benefits can exceed $55,000 annually for experienced CNAs.

The CNA pay rate in Illinois also depends on your specialty. Standard long-term care CNA positions pay the least. Restorative CNAs, who work with patients on rehabilitation exercises, earn $1 to $3 more per hour. Hospice CNAs often receive slightly higher pay plus mileage reimbursement for home visits. Acute care CNAs in hospital emergency departments or ICUs command premium rates — $21 to $25 per hour in metro areas — because the work is faster-paced and more demanding.

Cost of living matters. A CNA earning $17 per hour in Quincy keeps more of that money than a CNA earning $20 in Chicago, where rent alone can eat 40% of your paycheck. Run the numbers for your specific city before assuming a higher wage means a better financial outcome. Peoria, Bloomington, and the Quad Cities offer a middle ground — decent pay ($17 to $19/hr) with reasonable housing costs.

Tax considerations for Illinois CNAs: the state has a flat income tax of 4.95%. No city income taxes anywhere in Illinois (unlike some neighboring states). If you're working overtime, your marginal effective tax rate on those extra hours is about 27% when you combine federal and state — still worth it, but don't expect to keep the full time-and-a-half amount.

CNA jobs Peoria IL are worth a closer look if you want a mid-size city with strong healthcare infrastructure. OSF HealthCare and UnityPoint Health both have major facilities in Peoria, and they're perpetually hiring CNAs. Starting pay runs $16 to $18 per hour with standard benefits. The cost of living in Peoria is about 15% below the national average, which stretches your CNA paycheck further than it would in Chicago or even Springfield.

The Illinois CNA exam pass rate hovers around 80% on the first attempt for the written portion and slightly lower for the clinical skills demonstration. That means roughly one in five candidates fails on their first try. The most common reasons? Skipping hand hygiene steps during clinical skills (instant fail on any task), running out of time on the written test, and not reading questions carefully enough. Practice, practice, practice — and time yourself.

Retesting is straightforward but not free. Each attempt costs approximately $25 for the written portion and $75 for the skills portion. You get three attempts total within 24 months of completing your training. After that? Full retraining. Nobody wants that. Invest in preparation upfront — the practice tests on this site are free and mirror the actual exam content closely.

One final note on the Illinois CNA landscape: the state is actively trying to address the CNA shortage through legislation. Recent bills have proposed tuition reimbursement programs, higher Medicaid reimbursement rates for facilities (which would fund higher CNA wages), and streamlined reciprocity for out-of-state CNAs. Whether these pass remains to be seen, but the political momentum is toward making the CNA career more financially viable in Illinois. That's a good sign if you're considering this path.