Travel Nurse salary
A travel nurse earns about $117,000 a year — roughly $56.25/hour, with most earning between $94,990 and $125,980. This is an estimate — a starting point, not an exact figure.
Travel Nurse — U.S. national
Specialty estimateMedian annual pay
$117,000
Hourly
$56.25/hr
- Typical range
- $94,990–$125,980
- What most nurses earn
- High end
- $169,150
- Top earners
- Entry level
- $82,540
- Newer nurses
What affects this pay
- Contract demand and season
- Stipends (housing, meals) vs taxable base
- Crisis vs standard rates
- Specialty (ICU, ER, OR)
- Assignment location
About Travel Nurses
What they do
Travel nurses take short-term assignments (often 13 weeks) at hospitals facing staffing gaps, usually in a specialty they already know, and relocate for the length of the contract.
How to become a Travel Nurse
Travel nurses are experienced RNs — most agencies require at least one to two years in a specialty — who hold a multi-state (eNLC) or relevant state license and work through a staffing agency.
What drives the pay
Public wage data doesn’t track travel nurses separately, and advertised "pay packages" combine taxable wages with non-taxable housing and meal stipends. Figures here are based on registered nurse pay; real take-home varies sharply by season, location, and crisis demand, so treat them as a rough guide.
Travel Nurse pay by state
Where this role tends to pay the most.
| State | Annual pay | vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|
| California | $161,460 | +38% vs national |
| Hawaii | $140,400 | +20% vs national |
| Alaska | $138,060 | +18% vs national |
| Oregon | $138,060 | +18% vs national |
| Washington | $138,060 | +18% vs national |
| Massachusetts | $134,550 | +15% vs national |
| New York | $132,210 | +13% vs national |
| District of Columbia | $131,040 | +12% vs national |
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Travel Nurse salary FAQ
- Are travel nurse salaries the same as staff nurse wages?
- No. Advertised travel "pay packages" combine a taxable hourly wage with non-taxable stipends for housing and meals, and they swing sharply with contract demand and season. Travel pay isn't measured as a separate role, so our travel figure is a specialty estimate that starts from registered-nurse pay — not a guaranteed wage, and not directly comparable to a staff nurse's reported salary.
- How is travel nurse pay usually quoted?
- Travel contracts are typically quoted as a gross weekly amount (taxable wage plus stipends) over an assignment of about 13 weeks, which is why annualizing a single contract can overstate steady-state pay. Gaps between contracts, licensing, and travel costs also reduce effective annual earnings.
- Why does SalaryNurse label travel pay an estimate?
- Because no source publishes travel-nurse wages as a distinct role, and advertised package rates mix wages with stipends. We start from registered-nurse pay and label the result a specialty estimate rather than imply a precision the numbers don't support.
- Why are some figures verified and others estimates?
- National pay for the main nursing roles — registered nurses, LPNs/LVNs, nurse practitioners, CRNAs, nurse midwives, and nursing assistants — comes from verified public wage data. State, city, and specialty figures that aren't reported on their own start from that national pay and are labeled "Estimated" or "Specialty estimate." We never show an estimate as a verified figure.
Source & confidence— An estimate for a specialty that public pay data does not list on its own. A ballpark to start from, not an exact figure.
Modeled specialty estimate
Travel Nurse is not broken out by BLS. Figures are modeled from the SOC 29-1141 median using a specialty differential of 1.25×, reflecting commonly reported pay differences. Treat as directional, not precise.
Source year 2024. Last reviewed June 1, 2025. Full methodology
This role isn’t broken out in public wage data, so the figure starts from registered nurse pay and sharpens as nurses submit their pay. Last reviewed June 1, 2025.