Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 36, 2026
Published Monday, August 31, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for August 31, 2026 – September 6, 2026. Pulled live from 2,975 open travel-healthcare assignments across 50 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,120 ▲ 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 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,736 | $3,671 | $2,890 | 16 |
| 2 | Alaska (AK) | $2,727 | $4,382 | $2,779 | 60 |
| 3 | Nevada (NV) | $2,704 | $4,158 | $2,689 | 36 |
| 4 | Vermont (VT) | $2,602 | $4,373 | $2,344 | 108 |
| 5 | New York (NY) | $2,560 | $3,560 | $2,557 | 28 |
| 6 | Arizona (AZ) | $2,547 | $3,352 | $2,400 | 65 |
| 7 | Illinois (IL) | $2,526 | $3,466 | $2,594 | 21 |
| 8 | Oregon (OR) | $2,521 | $3,678 | $2,498 | 55 |
| 9 | Washington (WA) | $2,496 | $3,637 | $2,367 | 92 |
| 10 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,452 | $3,026 | $2,488 | 5 |
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 | 409 | $2,365 |
| 2 | Texas | 252 | $1,924 |
| 3 | Missouri | 205 | $2,056 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 198 | $2,056 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 161 | $1,902 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 156 | $1,925 |
| 7 | Florida | 112 | $2,248 |
| 8 | Vermont | 108 | $2,602 |
| 9 | Colorado | 103 | $2,112 |
| 10 | Washington | 92 | $2,496 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 138 | $1,834 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 83 | $1,611 |
| 3 | Saint Louis, MO | 74 | $2,026 |
| 4 | Springfield, MO | 71 | $2,051 |
| 5 | Burlington, VT | 57 | $2,984 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 54 | $2,088 |
| 7 | Holyoke, MA | 35 | $2,195 |
| 8 | Susanville, CA | 33 | $2,078 |
| 9 | Anchorage, AK | 31 | $2,790 |
| 10 | Tucson, AZ | 29 | $2,440 |
| 11 | Marquette, MI | 29 | $2,238 |
| 12 | Johnstown, PA | 27 | $1,913 |
| 13 | Soledad, CA | 26 | $2,164 |
| 14 | Dallas, TX | 26 | $1,886 |
| 15 | Birmingham, AL | 25 | $2,002 |
Pay by profession
RN ▼ 0.9%
1,524 open positions • median $2,092 • top pay $4,382
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,940 | 27 |
| Vermont | $2,866 | 31 |
| California | $2,756 | 63 |
| New York | $2,650 | 17 |
| Montana | $2,614 | 17 |
LPN/LVN ▼ 5.2%
134 open positions • median $1,172 • top pay $2,706
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $2,110 | 15 |
| New York | $1,714 | 4 |
| Alaska | $1,686 | 3 |
| Wisconsin | $1,510 | 7 |
| Missouri | $1,316 | 8 |
CNA ▼ 9.4%
130 open positions • median $854 • top pay $1,915
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $1,784 | 3 |
| California | $1,416 | 44 |
| Missouri | $943 | 6 |
| Vermont | $742 | 18 |
| New Hampshire | $734 | 20 |
Physical Therapy ▲ 5.7%
295 open positions • median $2,436 • top pay $3,774
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $2,782 | 10 |
| Alaska | $2,727 | 11 |
| Nevada | $2,704 | 19 |
| Kansas | $2,636 | 5 |
| Washington | $2,615 | 38 |
Occupational Therapy ▼ 4.5%
115 open positions • median $2,197 • top pay $2,855
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,791 | 8 |
| Washington | $2,612 | 12 |
| Oregon | $2,436 | 7 |
| Hawaii | $2,348 | 3 |
| Kansas | $2,196 | 5 |
Speech Therapy ▲ 2.6%
43 open positions • median $2,576 • top pay $3,912
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $2,964 | 3 |
| California | $2,684 | 5 |
| Arizona | $2,592 | 3 |
| Oregon | $2,568 | 6 |
| Alaska | $2,507 | 5 |
Respiratory Therapy ▲ 0.2%
72 open positions • median $1,742 • top pay $2,705
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $2,400 | 4 |
| Missouri | $1,988 | 4 |
| Virginia | $1,850 | 5 |
| Michigan | $1,830 | 9 |
| Colorado | $1,708 | 8 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 1.3%
82 open positions • median $2,226 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $2,249 | 5 |
| California | $2,229 | 60 |
| Massachusetts | $1,860 | 14 |
This week's top-paying open assignments
| Role | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| RN — Educator Juneau Behavioral Health |
Juneau, AK | $4,382/wk |
| Radiology/Imaging — MRI Tech University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,373/wk |
| Radiology/Imaging — MRI Tech University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,373/wk |
| RN — L&D Riverside Community Hospital |
Riverside, CA | $4,225/wk |
| RN — L&D Riverside Community Hospital |
Riverside, CA | $4,225/wk |
Top 5 of 2,975 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 36, 2026 (August 31, 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 35, 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.