June marks the start of summer each year. In 2024, it also marked another decline in travel nursing salaries across the U.S. Based on jobs posted on Vivian Health’s platform during the month, the national average weekly travel RN pay dropped another 0.8% from $2,317 in May to $2,298 in June. This decrease followed a series of declines earlier this year, including a 0.7% dip in May 2024 and a more significant 1.1% drop in April travel salaries. 

Looking at the individual pay performance of all 50 states, only three recorded a significant enough wage increase in June to be considered upward mobility. With no recent increases in the national average wage other than a brief period from November 2023 to January 2024, the past year has seen a cumulative decline of 5.2% in the national average travel RN salary compared to June 2023.

The cumulative drop in travel nursing salaries brings us to a significant milestone: Travel nurse wages have technically fallen back to their pre-pandemic levels. 

The average travel nurse wage was $1,896 in January 2020, just before a surge in nurse demand caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to significant inflation over the last few years, that wage would be $2,308 in today’s dollars. This calculation means that today’s actual average travel nurse wage of $2,298 falls below the real January 2020 wage and no longer offers a premium compared to the pre-pandemic period. 

Health systems have focused on controlling operating costs and have worked diligently to recruit staff nurses more than travelers, which has tempered demand for travelers and impacted their wages. The following table provides an overview of wage changes nationwide by state in June 2024.

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 June 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

Only three states saw travel nursing pay rise in June. Hawaii, Alaska and Kentucky each had a modest increase, with the Aloha State being the only one to eke out a gain above 2%. Travel nurse salaries in Hawaii climbed from $2,290 in May to $2,337 in June. 

Meanwhile, Alaska's pay increase is notable for pushing the state to be one of just two states where wages are above $2,900 per week on average. The Last Frontier saw pay rise from $2,861 in May to $2,909 in June, just behind California’s average wage of $2,985. June marks the first month in 2024 in which no state had an average wage above $3,000 per week.

States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Decreased

In 21 states, travel nurse salaries declined by at least 1.0%, but eight states saw decreases of 2% or more. Wyoming stood out with the only wage decrease larger than 4%. Wages in the Cowboy State fell 4.1% from $2,472 in May to $2,370 in June. North Dakota didn’t trail too far behind, with travel RN pay dropping 3.5% from $2,436 to $2,351. In both states, the economies are closely tied to fossil fuel prices such as oil, natural gas and coal, which all declined in June.

States Where Travel Nurse Salaries Stayed the Same

A slight majority of states, 26, saw wages stay within a relatively stable band, changing less than 1% up or down. However, just nine of the 26 states had flat or slightly increasing wages, while the remaining 17 were technically down, contributing to the overall fall in wages nationwide.

Schedule a Demo to Learn How Vivian Can Support Your Hiring

With travel RN pay dropping to pre-pandemic levels, high pay may be less of a draw when recruiting travel nurses. On the other hand, other factors including staff ratios, work-life balance and benefits, all remain key differentiators for recruitment. Schedule a demo to learn how Vivian Health can help you find the travel and staff nurses you need.

Average salary data based on travel RN jobs posted on Vivian Health during the complete month of May 2024 compared to the jobs posted during the complete month of June 2024.