Traveling nurse is a profession fit for those who like to combine work and leisure. It requires nurses to go to healthcare facilities that struggle with personnel shortage and work there for a specific amount of time. These assignments usually last from 4 to 13 weeks, during which most travel nurses perform tasks similar to those of a regular RN.

The travel nurse profession is one of the most sought out nurse professions out there, not only for the benefit of traveling the world but also because of the competitive wages it offers.

If you’re interested in becoming a travel nurse you need to either earn an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), which might soon become the norm for registered nurses in many states.

Become a learner in our accredited BSN Program and embark on your traveling nurse journey today!

Are Travel Nurse Salaries Really That Good?

Travel nurses typically earn far more than regular nurses and their contracts include different base pays and benefits such as paid housing and travel costs reimbursement.

This is why calculating the annual salary of a travel nurse is a bit tricky. However, ZipRecruiter, one of the top job platforms out there, managed to collect data on travel nurse salaries across all 50 states of the USA.

In February 2019, ZipRecruiter reported that the average annual pay for a Travel Nurse in the United States is $92,734, with a monthly wage of $7,728 and an hourly wage of $45.

The highest paying state for travel nurses is New York, with a $101,365 travel nurse annual salary. This may be the case because the Big Apple is one of the most expensive US states to live in. Since travel nurses wages include both housing and travel expenses, it makes sense that the most expensive states to live in are the ones that offer the highest pay for travel nurses.

On the opposite end, North Carolina has a $73,820 travel nurse annual salary, which makes it the lowest paying state in America.

Here is a list with the best and worst paying states for travel nurses, ranked from highest to lowest pay:

New York

Hourly wage: $48.73
Annual salary: $101,365

Massachusetts

Hourly wage: $48.53
Annual salary: $100,945

Maryland

Hourly wage: $45.63
Annual salary: $94,909

California

Hourly wage: $45.16
Annual salary: $93,941

Vermont

Hourly wage: $44.72
Annual salary: $93,010

Alaska

Hourly wage: $44.71
Annual salary: $93,000

Nevada

Hourly wage: $44.71
Annual salary: $93,000

Montana

Hourly wage: $44.71
Annual salary: $93,000

North Dakota

Hourly wage: $44.71
Annual salary: $93,000

Wyoming

Hourly wage: $44.71
Annual salary: $93,000

Idaho

Hourly wage: $44.71
Annual salary: $93,000

West Virginia

Hourly wage: $44.69
Annual salary: $92,958

Hawaii

Hourly wage: $44.63
Annual salary: $92,831

Nebraska

Hourly wage: $44.28
Annual salary: $92,093

Washington

Hourly wage: $44.18
Annual salary: $91,898

Arizona

Hourly wage: $43.98
Annual salary: $91,488

Virginia

Hourly wage: $43.81
Annual salary: $91,127

Connecticut

Hourly wage: $43.68
Annual salary: $90,855

Rhode Island

Hourly wage: $43.58
Annual salary: $90,655

New Hampshire

Hourly wage: $43.43
Annual salary: $90,335

Delaware

Hourly wage: $43.23
Annual salary: $89,928

Minnesota

Hourly wage: $42.62
Annual salary: $88,660

Pennsylvania

Hourly wage: $42.46
Annual salary: $88,320

Louisiana

Hourly wage: $42.28
Annual salary: $87,947

Colorado

Hourly wage: $42.20
Annual salary: $87,783

Oregon

Hourly wage: $42.15
Annual salary: $87,668

South Carolina

Hourly wage: $42.04
Annual salary: $87,440

Kansas

Hourly wage: $42.01
Annual salary: $87,388

New Jersey

Hourly wage: $41.96
Annual salary: $87,282

Tennessee

Hourly wage: $41.73
Annual salary: $86,796

Kentucky

Hourly wage: $41.72
Annual salary: $86,776

Oklahoma

Hourly wage: $41.49
Annual salary: $86,292

Indiana

Hourly wage: $41.32
Annual salary: $85,937

Utah

Hourly wage: $41.28
Annual salary: $85,856

Iowa

Hourly wage: $41.20
Annual salary: $85,704

Ohio

Hourly wage: $41.20
Annual salary: $85,689

South Dakota

Hourly wage: $41.20
Annual salary: $85,686

Wisconsin

Hourly wage: $40.71
Annual salary: $84,675

Georgia

Hourly wage: $40.71
Annual salary: $84,496

Alabama

Hourly wage: $40.46
Annual salary: $84,155

New Mexico

Hourly wage: $40.23
Annual salary: $83,673

Texas

Hourly wage: $40.19
Annual salary: $83,600

Mississippi

Hourly wage: $39.23
Annual salary: $81,597

Illinois

Hourly wage: $38.82
Annual salary: $80,744

Michigan

Hourly wage: $38.75
Annual salary: $80,599

Arkansas

Hourly wage: $38.70
Annual salary: $80,498

Missouri

Hourly wage: $38.65
Annual salary: $80,397

Maine

Hourly wage: $38.36
Annual salary: $79,795

Florida

Hourly wage: $37.34
Annual salary: $77,671

North Carolina

Hourly wage: $35.49
Annual salary: $73,820

If you’re interested in the average annual income for Registered Nurses of all career specialties, check out our Nurse Salaries in the US study and find out which are the happiest states for RNs, from a financial point of view.