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Patient care technician training by state

278 patient care technician programs in 38 states and 2 territories, with costs, results and funding that can make them free

Which schools offer WIOA-approved patient care technician training?

254 schools offer these programs, and each state on this page approved its programs for workforce funding. Pick a state on the map or compare them belowCompare the states below, then open one to see each program with its price and how past students did.

What does a patient care technician do, and how do you become one?

The federal job guide has no separate profile for patient care technicians; the closest is nursing assistants, who give basic care and help patients with daily activities. Nursing assistants often complete a state-approved program and pass the state's competency exam, which puts them on the state registry that nursing home work requires.1

PR2VI1
Approved programsup to 12 to 34 to 9more than 9

How much does patient care technician training cost?

Most patient care technician programs approved for WIOA funding cost $2,678 to $4,744 if you pay yourself. Prices also differ by state: most cost $1,410 to $7,395 in Tennessee and $4,238 to $5,396 in South Carolina.

That is the price of the whole program as the school reports it. If you qualify, WIOA funding can pay part or all of it, depending on local limits (who qualifies). The figures cover only programs approved for WIOA funding; other schools and programs may cost more or less.

Compare patient care technician training by state: cost, pay and results

Patient care technician training by state
StateProgramsMost costEarned a year, estimatedWorking 6 months laterFinished
Alabama7$2,800 to $4,722Not enough dataLeft out91%
Arizona3Too few figures to show
Arkansas7$2,680 to $4,022about $26,80076%87%
California2Too few figures to show
Colorado1Too few figures to show
Connecticut17$2,821 to $4,078Not enough dataNot enough dataNot enough data
Delaware3Too few figures to show
Florida23$1,951 to $4,025about $20,90071%84%
Georgia25$2,800 to $4,500about $24,50079%82%
Hawaii1Too few figures to show
Idaho1Not enough dataNot reportedLeft outNot enough data
Illinois19Left outNot enough dataNot enough dataLeft out
Indiana4Too few figures to show
Iowa1Too few figures to show
Kansas1Too few figures to show
Kentucky2Too few figures to show
Louisiana19$3,035 to $4,916Not enough dataLeft outLeft out
Maine1Too few figures to show
Maryland3Too few figures to show
Massachusetts1Too few figures to show
Michigan17$3,050 to $5,035Not enough dataNot enough dataNot enough data
Missouri16$2,450 to $3,849Not enough dataNot enough dataNot enough data
Montana2Too few figures to show
Nebraska2Too few figures to show
Nevada2Too few figures to show
New Hampshire3Not enough dataNot enough dataLeft outNot enough data
New Jersey13$3,099 to $3,900Not reportedNot reportedNot reported
North Carolina3Too few figures to show
Ohio11$1,358 to $5,525Not enough dataNot enough dataNot enough data
Pennsylvania5$3,255 to $4,000Not enough dataLeft outNot enough data
Puerto Rico2Not enough dataNot enough dataLeft outLeft out
Rhode Island1Too few figures to show
South Carolina6$4,238 to $5,396Not enough dataNot enough data60%
Tennessee5$1,410 to $7,395Not reportedNot reportedNot enough data
Texas34$2,540 to $7,700about $21,50073%88%
US Virgin Islands1Too few figures to show
Vermont1Too few figures to show
Virginia9$3,150 to $4,260Not enough dataNot enough dataNot enough data
Washington3Too few figures to show
Wyoming1Not enough dataNot enough dataLeft outNot enough data

Each figure is the middle program in that state. Yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. Only programs approved for workforce funding are counted; other schools may offer patient care technician training too. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).How these figures are made

Patient care technician certification: what the 278 programs are

By kind, the 278 programs approved for WIOA funding are patient care technician course (237 programs) and patient care technician with nursing assistant (CNA) training (41 programs).

Across the US, 75 of the 278 programs take students without a high school diploma, 169 ask for a diploma or equivalent, 33 ask for earlier courses first and 1 asks for an associate degree.

Is there free patient care technician training in the US?

Does WIOA pay for job training? Who qualifies and how to apply

Other training by state

Approved programs per field across every state. Each opens that field's comparison by state.

Where the patient care technician program numbers by state come from

Which patient care technician programs are counted?

Programs each state approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), from the US Department of Labor's file for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025), covering programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).6 Schools that never applied for approval are missing.

What the figures for each state mean

Each figure is the middle program among those that report it: half did better, half did worse. Prices are what most programs cost if you pay yourself (the middle half). Earnings are for the second quarter after students left, times four. Where a figure is missing, the table says why: "Not reported", "Left out" or "Not enough data" (what each means).

Sources for the facts about patient care technician training

Show the 6 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nursing Assistants and Orderlies
  2. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  3. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  4. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  5. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  6. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List