Following our recently released 2023 travel nursing salary recap, we’ve been anticipating the pace travel RN pay would set in 2024’s first month. Now, the data is in. Nationwide average weekly travel nurse wages fell an ever-so-slight 0.2%, from $2,414 per week in December 2023 to $2,409 in January 2024. This pace was similar to the final months of 2023 when wages fell 0.1% in December, 0.2% in November and 0.3% in October. With January’s slight decrease, wages are down a cumulative 11.2% compared to a year ago in January 2023.

Travel Nursing Salaries Start Year with Small Decline

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When looking at all 50 states individually, travel nursing pay rates are down from their year-ago levels in all but Florida. January 2024 travel nurse wages in the Sunshine State were $2,132 per week, up 1% from January 2023. However, average travel RN salaries in Florida remain well below the national average despite their yearly gain. Meanwhile, travel nursing salaries in every other state are down year-over-year, ranging from Montana’s decrease of 3.4% to Mississippi’s more dramatic 20.5% wage decline.

However, when we focused on wage changes during the past month alone, we learned that 26 states recorded some level of increase, 23 states recorded a decrease and Washington State was the only state where travel nursing pay remained unchanged. However, only 8 states had noticeable increases and 12 had noticeable decreases of more than 1%. The chart below depicts the month-over-month percent change of pay for all 50 states. The area shaded in gray highlights percent changes of less than 1% up or down, which we consider relatively flat compared to more significant changes of 1% or more.

States with Travel RN Salary Increases

Only eight states recorded an increase in January of 1% or more. Among these, Connecticut and Kansas stood out, with relatively significant surges of 3.4% and 3.3%, respectively. At $2,447 per week, Connecticut’s average wage is roughly 2% above the national average. Meanwhile, at $2,258 per week, Kansas’ average compensation remains 6% below the national average.

States with Travel RN Pay Decreases

Twelve states saw travel RN salaries record a 1% or more drop in January. Rhode Island had the worst decline, with wages falling 5%. In December, Rhode Island’s pay was above the national average at $2,490 per week. The recent decrease puts the Ocean State's average weekly wages below the national average at $2,365 as of January.

States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Stayed the Same

In January, most states, 30 to be exact, recorded relatively stable salary changes, with shifts less than 1% up or down. It’s been common in recent months to see the largest number of states fall into this category, as overall wage changes have flattened out compared to the more dramatic shifts common a year ago and prior.

Optimize Your Healthcare Talent Searches and Hiring

With wages in a period of relative stability, health systems are looking for ways to optimize how they find and hire talent that goes beyond pay differentiation. Our recent webinar hosted by Vivian’s head of client development, Adam Binford and Vivian’s clinical advisor, Dr. Beth A. Brooks, PhD, RN, FACHE, explored this topic.

Vivan can help your facility or health system stand out in the crowded, competitive healthcare hiring market. We offer services for finding travel nurses and staff hires across all nursing categories and allied healthcare professions. 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 December 2023 compared to the jobs posted during the complete month of January 2024.