Travel nursing salaries have continued to fall in the United States for all of 2024, but the declines tapered off somewhat in August 2024 compared to earlier in the year. Travel nursing pay still declined 0.4% from $2,274 per week in July to $2,265 in August. However, that was the lowest rate of decline since March 2024, when pay slipped only 0.3%. Wage data in other recent months have recorded more significant declines, including a full percentage point in July 2024, 0.8% per the June Report and 0.7% based on May findings.
|
July 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
August 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
Year-over-Year Change |
|
|
National Average |
$2274 |
$2,265 |
-0.4% |
-5.0% |
Significant Year-over-Year Changes
As for year-over-year changes in pay, the national weekly average was $2,383 in August 2023 compared to $2,265 today, marking a decrease of 5%. We explored the data to see if any states bucked the year-over-year trend by recording a wage increase.
Missouri stood out with a 4% average wage increase since last year. Additionally, Oklahoma (1.4%), Oregon (1.3%), Kansas (1.2%), Idaho (1.1%), Montana (0.8%) and Hawaii (0.7%) posted increases, while all other states have recorded year-over-year decreases. These decreases included five states where wages have fallen more than 10% since August 2023—Mississippi (15.7%), Minnesota (14.9%), Delaware (11.7%), Texas (11.0%) and Georgia (10.9%).
Month-over-Month Changes Nationwide
Month-over-month change in travel nurse wages for all 50 states, based on salary data from all jobs posted to Vivian Health during the month of August 2024. The area shaded in gray represents states where wages shifted less than 1% up or down, which we consider to be relatively minor and unchanged.
States Where Travel Nursing Pay Increased
With travel nursing salaries continuing a calendar year of declines, Vivian Health noted that five states managed a significant pay increase in August. However, Arkansas was the only state able to grow travel RN salaries by more than 3%, rising from $1,905 per week in July to $1,967 per week in August. Despite the recent increase, the average pay in Arkansas remains well below the national average of $2,265.
|
State |
July 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
August 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
|
Arkansas |
$1,905 |
$1,967 |
3.2% |
|
Vermont |
$2,265 |
$2,329 |
2.8% |
|
Missouri |
$2,189 |
$2,231 |
2.0% |
|
South Carolina |
$2,043 |
$2,082 |
1.9% |
|
New Mexico |
$2,145 |
$2,170 |
1.2% |
However, pay in Arkansas isn’t as far below the regional travel RN salary average across the South. Travel nurse wages in the South are typically the lowest among the nation’s four Census Bureau-defined regions.
The chart below details the regional travel nursing salary averages for August 2024 by region:
- Northeast: $2,414
- Midwest: $2,265
- South: $2,099
- West: $2,366
States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Decreased
In 17 states, travel RN pay declined by 1% or more in August. Among these states, Mississippi stood out with a significant decrease of 3.1%. While July wages in the Magnolia State averaged $1,868 weekly, they averaged just $1,810 in August. With this decrease, Mississippi expanded its gap as the state with the lowest travel nurse salaries in the nation. Pay there is now $119 per week lower than the next lowest state—Tennessee—where average wages in August were $1,929
|
State |
July 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
August 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
|
Mississippi |
$1,868 |
$1,810 |
-3.1% |
|
Arizona |
$2,288 |
$2,238 |
-2.2% |
|
California |
$2,894 |
$2,834 |
-2.1% |
|
Minnesota |
$2,493 |
$2,447 |
-1.8% |
|
Colorado |
$2,237 |
$2,196 |
-1.8% |
|
Florida |
$2,187 |
$2,147 |
-1.8% |
|
Nebraska |
$2,301 |
$2,264 |
-1.6% |
|
Georgia |
$2,059 |
$2,030 |
-1.4% |
|
Washington |
$2,353 |
$2,321 |
-1.4% |
|
Texas |
$2,029 |
$2,002 |
-1.4% |
|
Delaware |
$2,621 |
$2,586 |
-1.3% |
|
Rhode Island |
$2,429 |
$2,399 |
-1.2% |
|
New Jersey |
$2,570 |
$2,539 |
-1.2% |
|
Nevada |
$2,456 |
$2,427 |
-1.2% |
|
Tennessee |
$1,952 |
$1,929 |
-1.2% |
|
Connecticut |
$2,369 |
$2,342 |
-1.1% |
|
Oklahoma |
$2,113 |
$2,090 |
-1.1% |
States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Stayed the Same
In most states—28 out of 50—wages only shifted within a narrow band between 1% up or down. We consider changes of less than 1% to be relatively unchanged. In months when the national average wage only shifts modestly, the majority of states tend to fall into this category, as was the case in August 2024.
|
State |
July 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
August 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
|
Wisconsin |
$2,379 |
$2,398 |
0.8% |
|
Illinois |
$2,312 |
$2,328 |
0.7% |
|
Massachusetts |
$2,508 |
$2,522 |
0.6% |
|
South Dakota |
$2,305 |
$2,315 |
0.5% |
|
New York |
$2,487 |
$2,498 |
0.5% |
|
Alabama |
$1,929 |
$1,937 |
0.4% |
|
Oregon |
$2,415 |
$2,423 |
0.3% |
|
Utah |
$2,244 |
$2,252 |
0.3% |
|
Montana |
$2,263 |
$2,268 |
0.2% |
|
North Carolina |
$2,075 |
$2,075 |
0.0% |
|
West Virginia |
$2,268 |
$2,266 |
-0.1% |
|
Maryland |
$2,173 |
$2,172 |
-0.1% |
|
Michigan |
$2,125 |
$2,122 |
-0.2% |
|
Alaska |
$2,823 |
$2,814 |
-0.3% |
|
Maine |
$2,461 |
$2,454 |
-0.3% |
|
Wyoming |
$2,333 |
$2,326 |
-0.3% |
|
Louisiana |
$2,068 |
$2,061 |
-0.3% |
|
Pennsylvania |
$2,350 |
$2,341 |
-0.4% |
|
Hawaii |
$2,301 |
$2,291 |
-0.4% |
|
Ohio |
$2,244 |
$2,234 |
-0.4% |
|
Idaho |
$2,205 |
$2,197 |
-0.4% |
|
Kansas |
$2,152 |
$2,142 |
-0.5% |
|
Indiana |
$2,177 |
$2,164 |
-0.6% |
|
North Dakota |
$2,351 |
$2,335 |
-0.7% |
|
Virginia |
$2,241 |
$2,224 |
-0.7% |
|
Iowa |
$2,212 |
$2,197 |
-0.7% |
|
Kentucky |
$2,226 |
$2,208 |
-0.8% |
|
New Hampshire |
$2,326 |
$2,304 |
-0.9% |
Regional Variations in Travel Nurse Wages
From time to time, we examine how wages changed across the four major regions of the country, Northeast, Midwest, South and West, as defined by the Census Bureau. We found that wage decreases in the South (about 0.5%) and West (about 0.6%) led the country downward, while the North and Midwest experienced lesser declines of about 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively.
Schedule a Demo to Learn How Vivian Can Support Your Hiring
Regardless of your health facility’s region of operation, Vivian Health can help you attract qualified, interested and available candidates to your travel roles. Schedule a demo and let us show you how to meet all your staffing needs.
Average salary data based on travel RN jobs posted on Vivian Health during the complete month of July 2024 compared to the jobs posted during the complete month of August 2024.