Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 34, 2026
Published Monday, August 17, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for August 17, 2026 – August 23, 2026. Pulled live from 2,494 open travel-healthcare assignments across 49 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,109 ▼ 0.3%.
Top-paying states this week
States ranked by median weekly pay (not max — median is harder to game and reflects what a typical assignment actually pays). Minimum 5 open jobs to qualify.
| # | State | Median /wk | Top /wk | Avg /wk | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,794 | $3,086 | $2,746 | 5 |
| 2 | Alaska (AK) | $2,609 | $4,914 | $2,757 | 41 |
| 3 | Oregon (OR) | $2,553 | $3,678 | $2,524 | 57 |
| 4 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,546 | $3,731 | $2,748 | 24 |
| 5 | Nevada (NV) | $2,516 | $4,158 | $2,385 | 31 |
| 6 | New York (NY) | $2,497 | $3,560 | $2,500 | 20 |
| 7 | Montana (MT) | $2,460 | $3,320 | $2,489 | 25 |
| 8 | Massachusetts (MA) | $2,454 | $3,754 | $2,513 | 25 |
| 9 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,397 | $3,451 | $2,448 | 44 |
| 10 | Illinois (IL) | $2,392 | $3,466 | $2,445 | 22 |
Highest-volume markets
Where the work is right now, regardless of pay tier. Useful if you prioritize variety + speed-to-start.
| # | State | Open jobs | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 444 | $2,262 |
| 2 | North Carolina | 196 | $1,995 |
| 3 | Texas | 186 | $1,903 |
| 4 | New Mexico | 168 | $1,670 |
| 5 | Tennessee | 112 | $1,961 |
| 6 | Florida | 110 | $2,352 |
| 7 | Colorado | 88 | $2,040 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | 85 | $1,869 |
| 9 | Alabama | 83 | $1,931 |
| 10 | Vermont | 82 | $2,260 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 117 | $1,842 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 85 | $1,715 |
| 3 | Soledad, CA | 40 | $2,115 |
| 4 | Birmingham, AL | 39 | $2,019 |
| 5 | Nashville, TN | 38 | $2,136 |
| 6 | Susanville, CA | 37 | $2,224 |
| 7 | Johnstown, PA | 34 | $1,785 |
| 8 | Crescent City, CA | 31 | $2,505 |
| 9 | Florence, AL | 29 | $1,756 |
| 10 | Burlington, VT | 28 | $2,634 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | 25 | $2,195 |
| 12 | Lewiston, ID | 25 | $2,022 |
| 13 | Hilo, HI | 24 | $2,379 |
| 14 | Santa Fe, NM | 24 | $1,865 |
| 15 | Eureka, CA | 23 | $2,659 |
Pay by profession
RN ▼ 0.2%
1,240 open positions • median $2,108 • top pay $4,914
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,887 | 17 |
| California | $2,800 | 90 |
| Nebraska | $2,794 | 5 |
| Montana | $2,606 | 9 |
| Vermont | $2,588 | 27 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 11.7%
186 open positions • median $1,390 • top pay $2,706
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $2,036 | 51 |
| Hawaii | $1,971 | 4 |
| North Carolina | $1,574 | 7 |
| Wisconsin | $1,510 | 5 |
| New Hampshire | $1,302 | 15 |
CNA ▲ 12.1%
136 open positions • median $944 • top pay $1,915
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $1,784 | 3 |
| California | $1,498 | 52 |
| Iowa | $944 | 6 |
| Missouri | $944 | 10 |
| New Hampshire | $740 | 24 |
Physical Therapy ▼ 0.1%
205 open positions • median $2,355 • top pay $3,663
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,100 | 4 |
| Oregon | $2,672 | 15 |
| New Hampshire | $2,657 | 12 |
| New Mexico | $2,608 | 5 |
| North Carolina | $2,596 | 4 |
Occupational Therapy ▲ 1.5%
99 open positions • median $2,270 • top pay $3,043
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $2,744 | 8 |
| Oregon | $2,672 | 7 |
| Alaska | $2,619 | 4 |
| Michigan | $2,515 | 5 |
| New Mexico | $2,490 | 4 |
Speech Therapy ▼ 3.1%
38 open positions • median $2,514 • top pay $3,332
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $2,512 | 3 |
| Alaska | $2,507 | 5 |
| Oregon | $2,498 | 5 |
| Washington | $2,475 | 5 |
| California | $2,308 | 6 |
Respiratory Therapy ▼ 3.8%
58 open positions • median $1,745 • top pay $2,712
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $2,463 | 6 |
| Florida | $1,858 | 4 |
| Virginia | $1,838 | 4 |
| Texas | $1,779 | 6 |
| Georgia | $1,738 | 3 |
Behavioral Health ▼ 0.1%
59 open positions • median $2,226 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $2,229 | 52 |
This week's top-paying open assignments
| Role | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| RN — Oncology Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center |
Sitka, AK | $4,914/wk |
| RN — Registered Nurse First Assist (RNFA) Enloe Medical Center |
Chico, CA | $4,446/wk |
| RN — L&D Riverside Community Hospital |
Riverside, CA | $4,376/wk |
| RN — Manager Adena Health System |
Chillicothe, OH | $4,186/wk |
| RN — L&D Northeastern Nevada Regional Hospital |
Elko, NV | $4,158/wk |
Top 5 of 2,494 open assignments ranked by weekly pay. View all live openings on catsol.com.
Methodology
Numbers pulled from the live LaborEdge feed of CatSol's open assignments at the start of week 34, 2026 (August 17, 2026). "Median weekly pay" is the 50th-percentile weekly_pay_max across all open jobs in the cohort — outliers don't skew it. Week-over-week deltas, where shown, compare to the snapshot from week 33, 2026.
This page regenerates every Monday morning. CatSol's correctional and corrections-RN markets — California, New Mexico, Oregon, Vermont — often dominate the top-paying state rankings.