Like staff home health nursing jobs, travel home health nurses work in a non-traditional setting, generally within the patient’s home or a residential care setting. Home health care is one of the fastest growing specialties in the nation as more people choose to receive their care outside of hospitals. However, staffing shortages have hit home health the same as other segments of the healthcare industry. Lower home health nurse wages and common myths surrounding home health make it even less appealing, especially to younger clinicians. Travel home health nurses may take up the slack.
Perm Versus Travel Home Health Nurse Wages
While the job duties of home health travel nurses are essentially the same as permanent home health nurses, travel home health nurse wages are usually much higher. Currently, permanent positions pay an average of $37.24 per hour, working out to about $1,490 per week. Travel home health nurses earned an average weekly salary of $2,310 in September 2022, about $820 more per week and they’re not tied to one location.
Breakdown of Travel Home Health Nurse Wages by State
Besides potentially earning a higher salary, travel home health care nurses also get to see different parts of the country while doing it. However, travel home health nurse wages differ by state, with some states paying much more than others. According to Vivian’s comprehensive salary tracker, average salaries range from a high of $2,973 in South Dakota to a low of $1,734 in Hawaii.
|
State |
Weekly Travel Home Health Nurse Salary |
Max Weekly Travel Home Health Nurse Salary |
|
Alabama |
$1,931 |
$2,602 |
|
Alaska |
$1,958 |
$3,292 |
|
Arizona |
$2,249 |
$2,881 |
|
Arkansas |
$1,964 |
$2,605 |
|
California |
$2,408 |
$3,930 |
|
Colorado |
$2,270 |
$2,906 |
|
Connecticut |
$2,246 |
$2,718 |
|
Delaware |
$2,243 |
$3,419 |
|
Florida |
$2,029 |
$2,880 |
|
Georgia |
$2,153 |
$2,836 |
|
Hawaii |
$1,734 |
$2,240 |
|
Idaho |
$2,286 |
$2,780 |
|
Illinois |
$2,533 |
$3,672 |
|
Indiana |
$2,444 |
$3,360 |
|
Iowa |
$2,554 |
$3,200 |
|
Kansas |
$2,080 |
$2,579 |
|
Kentucky |
$2,136 |
$3,793 |
|
Louisiana |
$2,151 |
$3,312 |
|
Maine |
$2,530 |
$3,320 |
|
Maryland |
$2,224 |
$3,245 |
|
Massachusetts |
$2,709 |
$3,954 |
|
Michigan |
$2,290 |
$3,360 |
|
Minnesota |
$2,374 |
$2,990 |
|
Mississippi |
$2,198 |
$2,734 |
|
Missouri |
$2,369 |
$3,533 |
|
Montana |
$2,162 |
$3,403 |
|
Nebraska |
$2,521 |
$3,400 |
|
Nevada |
$2,188 |
$4,363 |
|
New Hampshire |
$2,223 |
$2,590 |
|
New Jersey |
$2,102 |
$3,093 |
|
New Mexico |
$2,513 |
$3,500 |
|
New York |
$2,345 |
$3,156 |
|
North Carolina |
$2,155 |
$3,310 |
|
North Dakota |
$2,421 |
$3,588 |
|
Ohio |
$2,104 |
$2,780 |
|
Oklahoma |
$1,960 |
$2,800 |
|
Oregon |
$2,390 |
$4,200 |
|
Pennsylvania |
$2,161 |
$2,680 |
|
Rhode Island |
$2,553 |
$3,205 |
|
South Carolina |
$2,106 |
$2,743 |
|
South Dakota |
$2,973 |
$3,360 |
|
Tennessee |
$2,150 |
$8,495 |
|
Texas |
$2,178 |
$3,156 |
|
Utah |
$2,442 |
$2,926 |
|
Vermont |
$2,862 |
$3,591 |
|
Virginia |
$2,189 |
$3,408 |
|
Washington |
$2,509 |
$4,626 |
|
West Virginia |
$2,155 |
$2,840 |
|
Wisconsin |
$2,556 |
$4,237 |
|
Wyoming |
$1,799 |
$1,960 |
Highest Paying States
The states that usually have the highest paying travel nursing positions in traditional roles aren’t always the same as the top paying states for travel home health nurse wages. For example, staff medical-surgical nurses and permanent home health nurses earned more in California, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Oregon and Alaska. Although Massachusetts still makes the list, the other four highest-paying states differ for travel home health care nurses.
|
5 States with Highest Travel Home Health Nurse Wages |
Average Weekly Travel Home Health Nurse Wages |
|
South Dakota |
$2,973 |
|
Vermont |
$2,862 |
|
Massachusetts |
$2,709 |
|
Wisconsin |
$2,556 |
|
Iowa |
$2,554 |
Lowest Paying States
Travel home health nurse wages in the states with the lowest weekly rates also differ compared to traditional or staff nurses. Hawaii tends to be one of the top five highest-paying states when it comes to other nursing roles but comes in last for travel home health nurse salaries. Alaska also flips to one of the lowest-paying states when it’s usually the opposite. The five states with the lowest wages for traveling home care nurses include the following.
|
5 States with Lowest Travel Home Health Nurse Wages |
Average Weekly Travel Home Health Nurse Wages |
|
Hawaii |
$1,734 |
|
Wyoming |
$1,799 |
|
Alabama |
$1,931 |
|
Alaska |
$1,958 |
|
Oklahoma |
$1,960 |
Highest Paying Staffing Agencies
Recruiting younger clinicians to replace retiring nurses is vital to providing the travel home health staff facilities need to meet their clients’ needs. One way to entice travelers is through higher salaries. These five agencies posted the highest average travel home health rates in mid-September 2022.
|
Top 5 Agencies by Salary |
Average Weekly Rate |
Max Weekly Rate |
|
Access Healthcare Direct |
$3,726 |
$3,726 |
|
CareNational |
$3,685 |
$3,685 |
|
Professional Nursing Services |
$3,605 |
$3,605 |
|
Prime HealthCare Staffing |
$3,394 |
$3,897 |
|
Bestica |
$3,331 |
$3,470 |
Schedule a demo with Vivian Health to learn how we can help you with your travel home health recruiting endeavors.