Walk through any nursing home in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul metro, and the math is visible on the staffing board. Shifts short-covered. Floaters pulled from units they weren't scheduled for. A charge nurse double-charting at midnight.
Minnesota's CNA and LPN shortage isn't a news flash. What's new is the trajectory: the numbers are getting worse, the demographic pressure is just getting started, and the workforce pipeline that was supposed to catch up hasn't. If you work in long-term care, run an assisted living community, or are a CNA or LPN weighing your options in the Twin Cities job market, the numbers here matter to you directly.
The Numbers Behind the Shortage
A 2024 survey by the Long-Term Care Imperative — a partnership of Minnesota's two major senior care associations — found roughly 17,000 open positions statewide in licensed practical nursing, registered nursing, direct care, and dietary roles. That's approximately 20% of the entire long-term care workforce sitting vacant at any given time.
The national picture for LPNs specifically is darker. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects that LPN supply will meet only 80% of demand by 2027, falling to 72% by 2032 and 64% by 2037. In raw numbers, that's a projected shortfall of 302,440 full-time equivalent LPNs nationally by 2037. Minnesota won't be an outlier.
For CNAs, the picture on paper looks slightly better, but the experience on the floor tells a different story. Minnesota's long-term care facilities saw a 17% decline in daily resident counts between 2019 and 2024 — not because fewer people needed care, but because facilities couldn't staff enough beds to serve them. The number of licensed nursing home beds dropped by more than 4,300 in that same period.
With the oldest Baby Boomers turning 80 in the next few years, the demand curve is about to bend sharply upward — into a workforce that's shrinking relative to need.
What's Actually Driving the Gap
The shortage didn't arrive from a single cause. Several structural problems landed at the same time and reinforced each other.
An Aging Workforce Leaving the Field
More than 50% of registered nurses nationally are over 50. The CNA and LPN workforce skews similarly. The HRSA projects more than one million nurses will retire by 2030. In Minnesota, retirements are pulling out experienced clinicians faster than training programs produce new ones — and long-term care facilities compete for the same limited pool of new graduates as hospitals, clinics, and outpatient centers, which generally offer higher wages and more predictable schedules.
Wages That Didn't Keep Pace
Minnesota CNAs earn $21.75 per hour on average, according to 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That's meaningful pay, but it competes against warehouse work, food delivery, and retail jobs that offer comparable hourly rates with fewer physical demands and lower emotional weight. LPNs in Minnesota average $61,270 annually — slightly below the national average of $62,340.
Minnesota's legislature created the Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board, which set new minimum wages: CNAs at $22.50 per hour starting in 2026, rising to $24.00 in 2027. LPNs will earn a minimum of $27.00 in 2026, reaching $28.50 in 2027. These increases are necessary. They're also arriving amid thin margins for many facilities.
Burnout and Turnover Feeding on Themselves
Post-pandemic burnout didn't end when the emergency declarations did. Long-term care workers rate their burnout at 3.5 out of 5 on average. High turnover costs facilities more money to recruit, which leaves less to invest in retention, which drives more turnover. At some Minnesota facilities, more than half the "staff" on any given night are casual or occasional workers filling spots vacated by people who left the profession entirely.
A Growing Senior Population with No Matching Workforce Growth
The number of Minnesotans needing nursing home care is projected to grow by more than 20% between 2025 and 2035 — an increase of more than 4,600 people requiring nursing facility placement. That growth curve runs directly into a workforce pipeline that isn't growing at anything close to that rate.
What This Means for Twin Cities Facilities
About 70% of Minnesota care centers are limiting the number of residents they can serve because they can't staff the beds. Nearly 20% of all long-term care shifts in the state are filled only through overtime or temporary staff. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized minimum staffing rules in April 2024, phasing in over several years, requiring 3.48 hours per resident per day of total direct nursing care — adding compliance pressure to facilities already stretching thin.
The practical risk for facilities running short-staffed isn't only regulatory. Stretched staff make more medication errors. Residents go longer between check-ins. Injuries happen. Families complain. Surveyors cite.
What's Not the Solution
Posting open positions on Indeed and hoping works sometimes — less often than it did three years ago. The pool of available CNAs and LPNs who are actively job-seeking, unplaced, and not already picking up shifts elsewhere is thinner than facilities tend to assume. Signing bonuses attract applicants. They don't retain the ones who burn out in month four because the floor is still understaffed.
What This Means for CNAs and LPNs in the Twin Cities
If you're a CNA or LPN working in the Twin Cities, you're operating in one of the strongest job markets for your credentials that Minnesota has seen in a generation. Demand is structurally high and will stay that way. The long-term care sector alone has thousands of open positions. Hospital systems, outpatient clinics, senior living communities, and schools all need you — and they're competing for a smaller pool of available clinicians than any of them would prefer.
That leverage is real. The question is whether you're using it well.
Per Diem Work as a Strategy, Not a Stopgap
Per diem nursing through a staffing agency used to mean taking whatever shift nobody else wanted at a facility you'd never visited. That's changed. The best agencies run ongoing relationships with a stable roster of facilities, which means per diem clinicians work the same units repeatedly, get to know the residents, and build continuity of care while maintaining flexibility in their schedule.
For a CNA or LPN who values flexibility, per diem work through a local staffing agency can pay more per hour than a permanent position, let you choose your days, and eliminate the workplace politics that come with being embedded in a single facility's culture.
What to Look For in a Staffing Agency
Not all healthcare staffing agencies operate the same way. When evaluating where to sign on as a per diem or contract clinician, a few things matter most:
Local knowledge. A national platform that assigns you to facilities sight unseen is different from a locally operated agency whose staff know the specific units, DONs, and culture at the facilities they service. Local relationships mean better matches and faster problem-solving when scheduling conflicts come up.
Credentialing support. Keeping your license, certifications, and CPR current takes time and money. The best agencies track your renewal dates and help you stay compliant without making it your burden to chase down paperwork.
Consistent work availability. An agency with strong facility relationships can offer consistent hours. One with a thin client roster leaves you scrambling for shifts at the last minute.
How they treat you when problems come up. Every clinician eventually has a shift where something goes wrong. An agency that has your back and communicates clearly — rather than ghosting you or reflexively siding with the facility — is worth staying with.
How Staffing Agencies Are Bridging the Gap
Local healthcare staffing agencies can't solve the structural workforce shortage. No agency can train more nurses faster or change the demographic math of an aging workforce. What the best agencies do is move available clinicians to where they're needed quickly, reliably, and with enough continuity to deliver real care rather than just warm-body coverage.
Interim HealthCare Staffing of Minneapolis works with senior living and assisted living communities across the Twin Cities and Southern Minnesota, providing RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and medical assistants on per-diem and contract bases. Our clinicians are locally based, pre-credentialed, and familiar with the specific demands of community-based care settings.
The difference between agencies matters most when a facility calls at 10 pm for a shift starting at 7 am. Speed, reliability, and pre-screened clinical competence are what make that call productive — not a list of names pulled from a national database.
The Road Ahead
Minnesota's CNA and LPN shortage won't resolve in the next few years. Demographic demand is increasing. The workforce pipeline is insufficient. New wage standards will help retain some workers while straining some facility budgets. International recruitment is filling some gaps but can't scale fast enough on its own.
The facilities that navigate this best will stop treating staffing as a reactive problem. Developing ongoing agency partnerships, investing in retention, and building a culture that experienced CNAs and LPNs want to return to are all levers that compound over time.
For clinicians, the moment to use your market leverage is now. Whether that means negotiating better terms with a current employer, picking up per-diem shifts to explore what other facilities feel like, or shifting to a staffing model that gives you more control — the Twin Cities job market is working in your favor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a CNA shortage in the Twin Cities?
Yes. Minnesota's long-term care sector has roughly 17,000 open positions statewide for CNAs, LPNs, RNs, and direct care workers — about 20% of the total workforce. The Twin Cities metro faces the same pressure, compounded by competition from hospital systems and outpatient clinics.
Why are there so few CNAs and LPNs in Minnesota?
Several factors converge: an aging workforce retiring faster than new clinicians enter, wages that historically didn't compete well with other industries, burnout accelerated by pandemic conditions, and demographic demand growing as Minnesota's senior population expands. LPN supply nationally is projected to meet only 64% of demand by 2037.
How can assisted living communities in Minnesota fill CNA and LPN shifts?
The most effective short-term solution is partnering with a local healthcare staffing agency that maintains a bench of pre-credentialed CNAs and LPNs. Agencies like Interim HealthCare Staffing of Minneapolis provide per-diem and contract coverage with vetted clinicians already familiar with long-term care environments.
What does a CNA earn in Minnesota?
Minnesota CNAs earn $21.75 per hour on average, according to 2024 Bureau of Labor Statistics data. New Minnesota nursing home wage standards raise the minimum for CNAs to $22.50 per hour in 2026, increasing to $24.00 in 2027.
Is per diem nursing work a good option for CNAs and LPNs in Minneapolis?
For many clinicians, yes. Per diem work through a reputable local staffing agency typically pays competitive hourly rates, provides schedule flexibility, and exposes you to multiple care environments. The key is finding an agency with strong local facility relationships that can offer consistent work rather than sporadic last-minute shifts.