Continuing in the overall downward direction of recent months, the decline in average travel nursing salaries accelerated somewhat in February. The national average weekly travel nursing pay fell from $2,409 in January to $2,398 in February, a monthly decline of 0.5%. While this was a bit faster than we recorded in recent previous months, such as January 2024 (-0.2%), December 2023 (-0.1%) and November 2023 (-0.2%), it’s still a relatively moderate decline.
Travel Nursing Salaries See Faster Declines in February
|
Jan 2024 Avg Weekly Pay |
Feb 2024 Avg Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
YoY Percent Change |
|
|
National Average |
$2,409 |
$2,398 |
-0.5% |
-10.2% |
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Over the past 12 months, the nearly persistent declines have seen travel RN pay fall 10.2% cumulatively since February 2023. At present, Montana and Florida are the only states where travel nurse salaries are higher than they were the same month one year ago.
As of February 2024, Montana wages were up 3.4% year-over-year, while Florida’s were up 2.2%. However, while Montana’s wage of $2,427 in February was above the national average of $2,398, Florida’s wage, at $2,162, was still well below the national average despite the overall increase over the past year.
All other states have wage declines compared with February 2023, including 23 states down by 10% or more.
However, comparing wages in February 2024 to those in January 2024, nine states recorded wage increases of 1% or more and 14 states recorded decreases greater than 1%, while the remaining 27 saw wages remain relatively flat, within a band lower than 1% up or down.
States Where Travel Nursing Pay Increased
Only nine states experienced travel nurse salary increases of 1% or more in February. Hawaii led that group, with a February wage of $2,500, up 3.3% from the $2,420 recorded in January.
|
State |
January 2024 Average Pay |
February 2024 Average Pay |
MoM Change |
|
Hawaii |
$2,420 |
$2,500 |
3.3% |
|
Montana |
$2,359 |
$2,427 |
2.9% |
|
Utah |
$2,466 |
$2,524 |
2.3% |
|
Maine |
$2,462 |
$2,501 |
1.6% |
|
Florida |
$2,133 |
$2,162 |
1.4% |
|
Michigan |
$2,273 |
$2,303 |
1.3% |
|
Iowa |
$2,244 |
$2,271 |
1.2% |
|
New Mexico |
$2,232 |
$2,257 |
1.1% |
|
Kansas |
$2,257 |
$2,281 |
1.1% |
States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Decreased
Meanwhile, travel nursing salaries fell by 1% or more in 14 states in February compared to January. Vermont saw the most precipitous decline, with wages falling from $2,591 in January to $2,457 in February. However, Minnesota’s fall wasn’t far behind, dropping 4.6% from $2,532 to $2,415.
|
State |
January 2024 Average Pay |
February 2024 Average Pay |
MoM Change |
|
Vermont |
$2,591 |
$2,457 |
-5.2% |
|
Minnesota |
$2,532 |
$2,415 |
-4.6% |
|
Delaware |
$2,567 |
$2,490 |
-3.0% |
|
South Carolina |
$2,133 |
$2,080 |
-2.5% |
|
Colorado |
$2,416 |
$2,364 |
-2.2% |
|
North Dakota |
$2,480 |
$2,435 |
-1.8% |
|
Indiana |
$2,290 |
$2,253 |
-1.6% |
|
Texas |
$2,157 |
$2,123 |
-1.6% |
|
Louisiana |
$2,141 |
$2,110 |
-1.4% |
|
Wyoming |
$2,460 |
$2,428 |
-1.3% |
|
Maryland |
$2,302 |
$2,273 |
-1.3% |
|
Nevada |
$2,590 |
$2,561 |
-1.1% |
|
North Carolina |
$2,223 |
$2,200 |
-1.0% |
|
Connecticut |
$2,447 |
$2,424 |
-1.0% |
States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Stayed the Same
Over the past month, 27 states saw travel nurse wages stay relatively flat, within a band of less than 1% up or down. Nearly every month since September 2023 has seen most states fall into this category of relatively stable wages. Before September, as highlighted in our 2023 wage trends overview, it was common to see most states experience more significant changes in travel nursing pay every month.
|
State |
January 2024 Average Pay |
February 2024 Average Pay |
MoM Change |
|
Idaho |
$2,247 |
$2,267 |
0.9% |
|
Illinois |
$2,391 |
$2,410 |
0.8% |
|
Alaska |
$2,783 |
$2,805 |
0.8% |
|
Washington |
$2,505 |
$2,523 |
0.7% |
|
South Dakota |
$2,356 |
$2,373 |
0.7% |
|
Mississippi |
$1,931 |
$1,942 |
0.6% |
|
Arkansas |
$2,111 |
$2,122 |
0.5% |
|
Tennessee |
$2,067 |
$2,077 |
0.4% |
|
Missouri |
$2,229 |
$2,238 |
0.4% |
|
Massachusetts |
$2,666 |
$2,676 |
0.4% |
|
New Hampshire |
$2,361 |
$2,368 |
0.3% |
|
Rhode Island |
$2,362 |
$2,367 |
0.2% |
|
Oklahoma |
$2,162 |
$2,166 |
0.2% |
|
California |
$2,961 |
$2,965 |
0.1% |
|
Arizona |
$2,409 |
$2,411 |
0.1% |
|
Nebraska |
$2,290 |
$2,287 |
-0.1% |
|
Virginia |
$2,302 |
$2,298 |
-0.2% |
|
West Virginia |
$2,376 |
$2,372 |
-0.2% |
|
Ohio |
$2,349 |
$2,344 |
-0.2% |
|
Pennsylvania |
$2,284 |
$2,278 |
-0.3% |
|
New Jersey |
$2,650 |
$2,638 |
-0.4% |
|
Georgia |
$2,230 |
$2,219 |
-0.5% |
|
Oregon |
$2,526 |
$2,510 |
-0.6% |
|
Kentucky |
$2,326 |
$2,309 |
-0.7% |
|
Wisconsin |
$2,499 |
$2,480 |
-0.8% |
|
New York |
$2,623 |
$2,602 |
-0.8% |
|
Alabama |
$2,084 |
$2,066 |
-0.9% |
The Western States Go Their Own Way
Periodically, we look at how travel RN salaries are changing by region nationwide. This month, the western states didn’t follow the downward wage trend, with the region recording an overall average increase in wages of 0.5%. This rise helped move the West above the Northeast as the region with the highest average travel nursing pay. Only four of the 13 states in the West saw declining wages last month – Oregon, Nevada, Wyoming and Colorado – while the other nine all saw gains. Meanwhile, the country’s three other regions all saw overall pay declines.
| U.S. Region |
Month-over-Month Change in Weekly Pay |
February 2024 Average Weekly Pay for Region |
|
Northwest |
-0.6% |
$2,479 |
|
Midwest |
-0.3% |
$2,341 |
|
South |
-0.6% |
$2,188 |
|
West |
+0.5% |
$2,503 |
We use the following regional grouping of states as outlined by the U.S. Census Bureau:
- Northeast: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
- Midwest: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, Wisconsin
- South: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia
- West: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Hawaii
Schedule a Demo to Learn How Vivian Can Support Your Hiring
Vivan can help your facility or health system navigate the ongoing fluctuations in travel nurse pay and better position you to hire in the competitive healthcare jobs market. We offer services for finding travel nurses and staff hires across nursing and allied health disciplines and specialties. Schedule a demo to learn how we can help.
Average salary data based on travel RN jobs posted on Vivian Health during the complete month of January 2024 compared to the jobs posted during the complete month of February 2024.