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Travel nurses, rejoice! For the first time in at least two years, Vivian Health data reveals that travel RN salaries are rising in the United States. At the end of the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2024, the national average weekly travel nursing salary was $2,294, up from $2,282 at the end of the third quarter (Q3).
Although this 0.5% increase in average pay rates amounts to just $12 per week, it was the first quarter-over-quarter increase in travel nurse salaries since at least 2022. For instance, earlier in 2024, pay fell 1.7% in the third quarter, 2.6% in the second quarter and 1% in the first quarter. Those declines followed an overall wage drop of 11.3% in all of 2023. The recent wage increase is a welcome relief for nurses who enjoy the various perks of travel assignments. While the 0.5% rise doesn’t make up for all the previous drops, it’s a step in the right direction and, hopefully, the start of a trend.
| Third Quarter 2024 Avg Pay | Fourth Quarter 2024 Avg Pay | Quarter-over-Quarter Change | |
| National Average Travel RN Wage | $2,282 | $2,294 | 0.5% |
Despite the recent bump, travel RN salaries are still down compared to the same quarter a year ago due to the previously mentioned declines posted earlier in 2024. Pay slid $88 per week or 3.9% from $2,382 in Q4 2023 to $2,294 per week recorded in Q4 2024.
| Q4 2023 Avg Pay | Q4 2024 Avg Pay | Year-over-Year Change | |
| National Average Travel RN wage | $2,382 | $2,294 | -3.9% |
Of course, these numbers represent averages across the United States. Individual states experienced a range of shifts in travel RN pay from quarter to quarter. The following chart shows the percentage of change in average travel nursing salaries for all 50 states from the end of Q3 to the end of Q4.
Quarterly wage data is based on the average wages for all travel RN jobs posted to Vivian Health during the entire last month of each quarter (e.g., December 2024 for Q4 2024). The quarterly percent change in the average travel nursing pay for all 50 states is based on comparing pay in September 2024 and pay in December 2024.
States Where Travel RN Salaries Are Still Rising
With travel nurse pay increasing overall in the U.S., it’s no surprise that 20 states saw wages increase at least 1% ($23) per week or more. Five primarily rural states led this group, with wages rising at least 3% in Montana, Idaho, Oklahoma, Vermont and South Dakota in the fourth quarter.
Montana was the clear leader, with wages rising 5% from $2,285 in Q3 to $2,399 in Q4, taking the state from average to above-average pay. If you like mountains, wide open spaces of natural beauty and wonders, including Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, now may be the time to consider a travel nursing role in this great state.
| State | Q3 2024 Avg Pay | Q4 2024 Avg Pay | Percent Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montana | $2,285 | $2,399 | 5.0% |
| Idaho | $2,220 | $2,301 | 3.6% |
| Oklahoma | $2,129 | $2,205 | 3.6% |
| Vermont | $2,357 | $2,443 | 3.6% |
| South Dakota | $2,295 | $2,364 | 3.0% |
| Nevada | $2,523 | $2,592 | 2.7% |
| Hawaii | $2,258 | $2,313 | 2.4% |
| New Mexico | $2,176 | $2,226 | 2.3% |
| New Hampshire | $2,344 | $2,396 | 2.2% |
| Oregon | $2,452 | $2,501 | 2.0% |
| Minnesota | $2,517 | $2,561 | 1.7% |
| Rhode Island | $2,394 | $2,434 | 1.7% |
| Maine | $2,431 | $2,459 | 1.2% |
| Massachusetts | $2,539 | $2,570 | 1.2% |
| Maryland | $2,201 | $2,225 | 1.1% |
| New York | $2,528 | $2,555 | 1.1% |
| Tennessee | $1,972 | $1,993 | 1.1% |
| Washington | $2,339 | $2,364 | 1.1% |
| Wisconsin | $2,404 | $2,430 | 1.1% |
| Colorado | $2,213 | $2,235 | 1.0% |
States Where Travel Nursing Salaries Decreased
With the national average travel RN wage rising during the last quarter of 2024, only six states saw wages fall substantially. We’ve had our eye on Alaska, the state that experienced the biggest wage drop in Q4. Average pay in Alaska slid 3.4% from $2,762 at the end of Q3 to $2,669 at the end of Q4. Alaska’s pay shift is notable because, despite the significant drop, the state still boasts the second-highest travel RN pay nationwide, behind only California, and remains well above the national average of $2,294.
Note that all the other states on this list of wage decliners—Florida, Alabama, West Virginia, Mississippi and Nebraska—were already at or below the national average before their recent pay decreases. The additional declines last quarter put them all even further behind the national travel wage average.
| State | Sept 2024 Avg Pay | Dec 2024 Avg Pay | Percent Decrease |
| Alaska | $2,762 | $2,669 | -3.4% |
| Florida | $2,158 | $2,103 | -2.5% |
| Alabama | $1,963 | $1,922 | -2.1% |
| West Virginia | $2,284 | $2,244 | -1.8% |
| Mississippi | $1,846 | $1,814 | -1.7% |
| Nebraska | $2,258 | $2,224 | -1.5% |
States Where Travel Nursing Salaries Stayed the Same
In roughly half of U.S. States—24 out of 50—wages stayed relatively flat in the last quarter of 2024. This group experienced shifts in pay of less than 1%, that is, less than $23 per week, up or down. The states on this list run the gamut from low-paying states like Texas ($1,982 per week) to high-paying states like California ($2,852 per week) and everything in between. The table below features the states with minimal shifts to offer a complete picture of travel pay trends nationwide.
| State | Q3 2024 Avg Pay | Q4 2024 Avg Pay | Percent Decrease |
| South Carolina | $2,102 | $2,114 | 0.6% |
| Kentucky | $2,221 | $2,230 | 0.4% |
| Arizona | $2,234 | $2,240 | 0.3% |
| Louisiana | $2,042 | $2,047 | 0.2% |
| North Carolina | $2,095 | $2,100 | 0.2% |
| Illinois | $2,366 | $2,368 | 0.1% |
| Michigan | $2,143 | $2,145 | 0.1% |
| Ohio | $2,238 | $2,240 | 0.1% |
| Iowa | $2,216 | $2,217 | 0.0% |
| Connecticut | $2,355 | $2,353 | -0.1% |
| Kansas | $2,180 | $2,177 | -0.1% |
| Texas | $1,983 | $1,982 | -0.1% |
| Missouri | $2,256 | $2,252 | -0.2% |
| New Jersey | $2,540 | $2,533 | -0.3% |
| California | $2,863 | $2,852 | -0.4% |
| Pennsylvania | $2,353 | $2,343 | -0.4% |
| Utah | $2,235 | $2,225 | -0.4% |
| Arkansas | $2,029 | $2,019 | -0.5% |
| Virginia | $2,247 | $2,235 | -0.5% |
| Indiana | $2,221 | $2,208 | -0.6% |
| Georgia | $2,060 | $2,046 | -0.7% |
| Delaware | $2,616 | $2,596 | -0.8% |
| North Dakota | $2,330 | $2,309 | -0.9% |
| Wyoming | $2,347 | $2,327 | -0.9% |
States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Are Highest and Go Furthest
While quarterly changes in pay are important, as a travel nurse, you may also focus on where pay is the highest and how that pay compares to a state’s cost of living. To help address that, we created the chart below listing all the states where the average travel nurse salaries are above the national average, $2,294, indicated by the dashed red line.
One state comes out far ahead of the rest with the highest travel nurse pay in the nation. At the end of Q4, travel pay in California was $2,852, or 124.3% of the national average. However, if you consider a travel role in the Golden State, you must balance the higher average pay against the significantly higher cost of living—144.7% of the national average, according to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center’s (MERIC) 3rd quarter 2024 Composite Cost of Living Index.
Based on MERIC’s data, we included a fourth column in the table below to compare each state with above-average pay against its cost of living. One state listed, Hawaii, may offer a particularly rough choice for travel nurses. While pay in the Aloha State is 100.8% of the national average, the cost of living is a whopping 184.6% of the national average. The trade-off for living and working in Hawaii is a higher array of expenses for everything from food and gas to housing and home furnishings.
| State | Average Travel RN Pay End of Q4 2024 | State Pay as a Percent of the National Average | State Cost of Living as a Percent of the National Average |
| California | $2,852 | 124.3% | 144.7% |
| Alaska | $2,669 | 116.3% | 123.4% |
| Delaware | $2,596 | 113.2% | 100.2% |
| Nevada | $2,592 | 113.0% | 100.1% |
| Massachusetts | $2,570 | 112.0% | 146.9% |
| Minnesota | $2,561 | 111.6% | 95.3% |
| New York | $2,555 | 111.4% | 123.4% |
| New Jersey | $2,533 | 110.4% | 114.8% |
| Oregon | $2,501 | 109.0% | 110.0% |
| Maine | $2,459 | 107.2% | 113.5% |
| Vermont | $2,443 | 106.5% | 114.1% |
| Rhode Island | $2,434 | 106.1% | 112.4% |
| Wisconsin | $2,430 | 105.9% | 99.3% |
| Montana | $2,399 | 104.6% | 94.0% |
| New Hampshire | $2,396 | 104.4% | 111.5% |
| Illinois | $2,368 | 103.2% | 95.5% |
| Washington | $2,364 | 103.1% | 113.6% |
| South Dakota | $2,364 | 103.1% | 92.3% |
| Connecticut | $2,353 | 102.6% | 111.7% |
| Pennsylvania | $2,343 | 102.1% | 94.9% |
| Wyoming | $2,327 | 101.4% | 95.4% |
| Hawaii | $2,313 | 100.8% | 184.6% |
| North Dakota | $2,309 | 100.7% | 92.1% |
| Idaho | $2,301 | 100.3% | 102.0% |
Sources: Average Pay from Vivian Health / Cost of Living from MERIC
At the other end of the spectrum, several states offer higher-than-average pay that outweighs the state’s average cost of living. These include Delaware, Nevada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, Illinois, South Dakota, Pennsylvania, Wyoming and North Dakota, a group of mostly rural states with a low cost of living. However, keep in mind that in the biggest cities in some of these states (i.e., Las Vegas, Nevada; Chicago, Illinois; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), the cost of living is likely to be higher than the state’s average.
Vivian Health is your leading source of travel nurse job listings for all 50 states. Sign up for a Vivian account and find the travel job or staff role of your dreams today.
