For the first time in a long time, travel nursing salaries rose in October 2024. The national average weekly pay for travel nurses climbed 0.5% from $2,260 in September 2024 to $2,272 in October 2024, based on data from Vivian Health. Contrast this October travel RN wage increase with the 0.2% dip reported in September, the 0.4% drop in the August report and the full 1% decrease in July of this year. In fact, this month was the first month since November 2022—when a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron strain occurred—we’ve seen the national average travel nursing pay rise.
|
September 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
October 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
Year-over-Year Change |
|
|
National Average |
$2,260 |
$2,272 |
0.5% |
-3.9% |
However, the travel nurse salary increase in October can’t fully compensate for the accumulating pay declines over the past year. In our October 2023 wage trend report, the average travel nurse wage was $2,363 per week, compared to $2,272 one year later. Overall, that equals a year-over-year decline of 3.9%.
The chart below represents the month-over-month percent change in wages for all 50 states between September and October 2024. The area shaded in gray represents the band of wage changes of less than 1% up or down, which we consider to be relatively unchanged.
The monthly percent change in the average travel nursing pay for all 50 states is based on a comparison of pay for all travel RN jobs staffing agencies posted on Vivian Health in September 2024 and all jobs posted in October 2024.
Fifteen states saw wages rise in October, increasing at least 1% or more during the month. Idaho and Tennessee stood out as states recording pay increases of 2.5% or more. In Idaho, average travel RN pay rose 2.9% from $2,196 in September to $2,260 in October 2024. Meanwhile, Tennessee's average travel RN salary climbed 2.6% from $1,948 to $1,999. However, in both cases, the new average wage for travel nurses in those states remains below the national average of $2,272 per week.
|
State |
September 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
October 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Change |
|
Idaho |
$2,196 |
$2,260 |
2.9% |
|
Tennessee |
$1,948 |
$1,999 |
2.6% |
|
New Mexico |
$2,154 |
$2,199 |
2.1% |
|
Connecticut |
$2,339 |
$2,387 |
2.1% |
|
Hawaii |
$2,249 |
$2,294 |
2.0% |
|
Montana |
$2,262 |
$2,305 |
1.9% |
|
Rhode Island |
$2,384 |
$2,424 |
1.7% |
|
Washington |
$2,311 |
$2,348 |
1.6% |
|
Delaware |
$2,548 |
$2,588 |
1.6% |
|
Nevada |
$2,470 |
$2,509 |
1.6% |
|
New York |
$2,501 |
$2,532 |
1.2% |
|
Arkansas |
$2,011 |
$2,034 |
1.1% |
|
Michigan |
$2,126 |
$2,149 |
1.1% |
|
Indiana |
$2,196 |
$2,219 |
1.0% |
|
North Dakota |
$2,300 |
$2,323 |
1.0% |
Only four states recorded decreases in travel nurse wages of more than 1%, which helped prompt the rise in the national average. These states included Mississippi, Alaska, Virginia and Arizona. Mississippi led the group with a 1.5% drop in pay from $1,829 in September to $1,802 in October. Among this group, only Alaska’s average travel nursing salary is above the national average at $2,720 per week. Alaska typically ranks among the highest in travel nurse wages in the nation. Currently, only California offers higher average pay than Alaska at $2,814 per week.
|
State |
September 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
October 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Percent Change |
|
Mississippi |
$1,829 |
$1,802 |
-1.5% |
|
Alaska |
$2,759 |
$2,720 |
-1.4% |
|
Virginia |
$2,221 |
$2,195 |
-1.2% |
|
Arizona |
$2,204 |
$2,179 |
-1.1% |
States Where Travel Nurse Wages Stayed the Same
In most states—31 out of 50—wages stayed relatively unchanged, within a range of less than 1% up or down. This relative stability among so many states enabled the 15 states with rising wages to pull up the national average during October.
|
State |
September 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
October 2024 Average Weekly Pay |
Monthly Percent Change |
|
North Carolina |
$2,074 |
$2,093 |
0.9% |
|
Oklahoma |
$2,111 |
$2,130 |
0.9% |
|
Illinois |
$2,348 |
$2,369 |
0.9% |
|
South Dakota |
$2,281 |
$2,301 |
0.9% |
|
West Virginia |
$2,266 |
$2,284 |
0.8% |
|
South Carolina |
$2,094 |
$2,108 |
0.6% |
|
Vermont |
$2,349 |
$2,364 |
0.6% |
|
Oregon |
$2,423 |
$2,437 |
0.6% |
|
Kentucky |
$2,198 |
$2,210 |
0.6% |
|
Alabama |
$1,943 |
$1,953 |
0.5% |
|
Wisconsin |
$2,391 |
$2,403 |
0.5% |
|
Iowa |
$2,201 |
$2,212 |
0.5% |
|
Wyoming |
$2,324 |
$2,330 |
0.3% |
|
Ohio |
$2,234 |
$2,237 |
0.2% |
|
Kansas |
$2,170 |
$2,173 |
0.1% |
|
New Jersey |
$2,525 |
$2,528 |
0.1% |
|
Florida |
$2,141 |
$2,143 |
0.1% |
|
Missouri |
$2,241 |
$2,241 |
0.0% |
|
Louisiana |
$2,032 |
$2,031 |
0.0% |
|
Minnesota |
$2,445 |
$2,444 |
-0.1% |
|
California |
$2,814 |
$2,812 |
-0.1% |
|
New Hampshire |
$2,325 |
$2,323 |
-0.1% |
|
Pennsylvania |
$2,322 |
$2,320 |
-0.1% |
|
Colorado |
$2,191 |
$2,189 |
-0.1% |
|
Massachusetts |
$2,519 |
$2,515 |
-0.1% |
|
Maryland |
$2,190 |
$2,186 |
-0.2% |
|
Utah |
$2,214 |
$2,209 |
-0.3% |
|
Texas |
$1,965 |
$1,959 |
-0.3% |
|
Georgia |
$2,029 |
$2,017 |
-0.6% |
|
Maine |
$2,425 |
$2,411 |
-0.6% |
|
Nebraska |
$2,202 |
$2,187 |
-0.7% |
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Average salary data based on travel RN jobs posted on Vivian Health during the complete month of September 2024 compared to the jobs posted during the complete month of October 2024.