How much do travel nurses make?
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How much do travel nurses make?
Demand for travel nurses remains steady, though compensation has dipped from pandemic highs as some health systems reduce contract labor. Still, many registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) can earn more than staff nurses in similar roles, especially in high-demand specialties or locations with urgent needs. Vivian Health explores how much travel nurses earned in early March 2025 to help you decide whether travel nursing is still worth it. We also explain why travelers are paid more generously and highlight additional perks, such as the chance to see new places, gain diverse experience in various clinical settings and broaden clinical skills. Whether you’re a seasoned traveler or a curious newcomer, discover why travel nursing remains a rewarding career path, even amid shifting industry demands.
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Average Travel Nurse Salary
Based on real jobs posted on our platform, the average weekly salary of all travel RNs combined was $2,122 on March 5, 2025. During the same period, staff RNs earned an average of $43.36 per hour. Assuming a 40-hour work week, travel RNs earned $53.05 per hour, about $12.75 less than in late November 2022. However, some travel RN jobs paid up to $5,559 weekly in early March, depending on the specialty and location.
In comparison, the average travel LPN pay during this period was $1,367 per week or about $34.18 hourly in a 40-hour workweek. Staff LPNs were earning about $28.53 per hour. Some travel LPN jobs paid up to $2,088, primarily based on location.
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Travel Nurse Salary by Specialty
Travel RNs working within certain specialties can expect to earn more than others. Nursing specialties requiring more education and responsibility typically have higher salaries than lower-level positions. However, supply and demand plus location can also play a role.
Some of the highest-paid RN specialties in the travel field based on actual jobs posted by staffing agencies and health systems during the week preceding March 5, 2025, are highlighted in the table above. We also included the average weekly salary for a more realistic view of what travel RNs in each role typically earn. Average salaries are based on national averages, so wages for a specialty in your area may pay more or less based on various factors.
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Specialty Options for LPNs
LPNs typically assist RNs and doctors, working under their supervision, and often have fewer specialty options. While they earn less than RNs, primarily because they have fewer training and education requirements, certain LPN specialties pay slightly more than others for those seeking a larger paycheck. The table above shows the highest-paying LPN specialties and average weekly salaries during this same period.
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Travel Nurse Salary Based on Location
Location often plays a key role in nursing salaries, both for travel and staff nurses. Certain areas of the country traditionally pay higher than others, often hinging on the cost of living in a given state and/or city. Thus, states like California usually have some of the highest-paying staff nursing roles since it’s one of the most expensive states to live in nationwide. The higher pay generally translates into lucrative travel contracts, as well.
Some of the best-paying travel RN contracts in early March 2025 were found in the states in the table above.
Unsurprisingly, California tops both the RN and LPN list for having the highest-paying travel contracts during this period. Other states appearing on both lists include Illinois, New Hampshire and Wisconsin. The LPN travel jobs that paid the most during early March 2025 were in the following states in the table below. Top-paying states can fluctuate monthly, weekly and even daily. Supply and demand also play a significant role, with crisis contracts and strike contracts temporarily skewing numbers. Keep up with salary changes with quarterly wage trends reports and other wage-related topics in Vivian’s Money and Taxes section.
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Why Travel Nurses Earn More
Healthcare facilities expect travel nurses to have the knowledge and skills to jump into any role with minimal orientation and training to tackle staffing gaps immediately. They must also be flexible and willing to move quickly after receiving a job offer, as many facilities have openings they need travelers to fill quickly.
Travel nurses must be willing to fulfill the contract, whether for the standard 13 weeks or longer or shorter, depending on the facility’s needs. Although travel nurses can leave a position without finishing their contracts, it’s ill-advised except for extenuating circumstances.
However, travelers take the chance that their contract may be canceled before their arrival or shortly thereafter. That’s right; there’s a risk in travel nursing that you’ll move to a new location, have your contract canceled early and scramble to find another position much sooner than expected or be out of a job.
Canceled contracts are just one of the cons of a travel nursing career. Other downsides include the numerous logistics involved in constantly traveling from one location to another, multiple licensure requirements if you don’t have a multistate license or when you’re working in compact states and various pay rates between contracts that make it difficult to make and stick to a budget.
However, one of the biggest drawbacks for those travelers with family who can’t travel with them is being away from loved ones for extended periods. Traveling alone can be lonely, and trying to make friends at each new location when you may only be there a few weeks, can be extremely challenging.
Strictly from a standpoint, travel nurses must maintain two households—the one where they live permanently and a temporary household at each contract location. While they may earn a housing stipend to help cover expenses, they must prove they’re duplicating expenses or risk a surprise tax bill, and they still have to pay rent or a mortgage and utilities at home.
These factors demonstrate just a few of the many reasons why travel nurses often earn higher salaries than their staff counterparts.
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Travel Salaries Are Different
One primary reason travel nurses earn more is their salary structure typically translates into higher take-home pay. Travel nurses with a permanent tax home qualify for tax-free stipends to cover housing, meals and other incidentals while on assignment. Thus, their compensation is a blended rate. This rate includes a taxed salary, which is generally low, and untaxed compensation to create a single hourly rate. Because much of their pay isn’t subject to income taxes, they typically keep more of their paycheck.
Overtime hours and extra hours, which aren’t the same thing, can also enhance an already hefty salary. It’s essential to understand what your contract includes to know how much you can earn as a travel nurse.
Overtime hours might be 1.5 times a travel nurse’s regular rate, but a contract may blend OT hours with regular hours, and the nurse may only receive a flat rate for all hours worked. OT hours may kick in after 40 hours, or a contract may stipulate that they don’t start until the nurse works 48 hours. Understanding how OT rates work on each contract is vital to ensure you earn as much as you should.
Extra hours work differently, and travel nurses often overlook them as a potential way to increase their pay package. Typically, a contract mandates the number of hours per week the travel nurse must work to fulfill their obligation. However, you might work more than the hours stipulated and/or the contract might lump extra hours into OT hours. If a contract requires you to work three 12-hour shifts weekly, but you work four, the additional 12 hours are extra hours. While some of these hours may also qualify as overtime, make sure your contract outlines the additional pay you receive for any hours worked over the mandatory.
Travel nurse salaries can get very complicated. You must understand your travel contract to fully know how much you stand to make as a travel nurse. Ask your staffing agency recruiter questions to ensure you have a solid handle on all the financial aspects of traveling.
Additional Benefits of Travel Nursing
In addition to earning an above-average salary, travel nurses enjoy many other benefits that outweigh the cons if they have the flexibility and desire to travel. One of the top perks for those wanting to explore the country but don’t have the time or money to do so is travel nursing pays you to do just that. Choose travel contracts in locations you’ve always wanted to visit and explore to your heart’s content on your days off.
While some travel nurses spend extended periods at the same facility and/or location, up to the time allowed, others travel to new places for every contract. Constantly moving between facilities means working with medical professionals with different skills than you and potentially using the latest equipment and procedures. Each of these situations offers you the chance to learn something new to take with you. Building your knowledge and skills helps enhance your career opportunities and possibly your salary.
Another thing you take with you is the contacts you make at each facility. Whether you become friends or just work colleagues, the more people in your professional circle, the more solid your network becomes. You never know when one of these contacts can help you. Having a network that reaches across the country offers numerous outlets if you need information or a recommendation. Stay in touch with previous co-workers, supervisors and recruiters to stay in the loop, and you may learn of lucrative gigs before a facility even posts them.
Travel nursing isn’t for everyone, but if you’ve considered trying it, you could earn a hefty salary.
This story was produced by Vivian Health and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
