Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 38, 2026
Published Monday, September 14, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for September 14, 2026 – September 20, 2026. Pulled live from 3,449 open travel-healthcare assignments across 50 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,128 ▲ 0%.
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 | Alaska (AK) | $2,803 | $4,914 | $2,845 | 59 |
| 2 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,676 | $3,756 | $2,768 | 5 |
| 3 | Nevada (NV) | $2,654 | $3,624 | $2,575 | 44 |
| 4 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,650 | $3,671 | $2,709 | 31 |
| 5 | Illinois (IL) | $2,610 | $3,466 | $2,645 | 22 |
| 6 | Washington (WA) | $2,485 | $3,777 | $2,299 | 99 |
| 7 | Vermont (VT) | $2,471 | $4,236 | $2,253 | 114 |
| 8 | New York (NY) | $2,446 | $3,546 | $2,404 | 53 |
| 9 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,408 | $3,451 | $2,443 | 38 |
| 10 | South Carolina (SC) | $2,398 | $3,614 | $2,618 | 12 |
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 | 427 | $2,358 |
| 2 | Texas | 328 | $2,006 |
| 3 | Missouri | 269 | $2,062 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 208 | $2,110 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 203 | $1,886 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 188 | $1,936 |
| 7 | Florida | 127 | $2,249 |
| 8 | Vermont | 114 | $2,471 |
| 9 | Colorado | 112 | $2,126 |
| 10 | Arizona | 110 | $2,182 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 135 | $2,145 |
| 2 | Saint Louis, MO | 113 | $1,829 |
| 3 | Albuquerque, NM | 107 | $1,626 |
| 4 | Nashville, TN | 60 | $2,080 |
| 5 | Springfield, MO | 48 | $2,306 |
| 6 | Kansas City, MO | 48 | $2,279 |
| 7 | Burlington, VT | 38 | $3,237 |
| 8 | San Antonio, TX | 37 | $1,761 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | 36 | $2,146 |
| 10 | Dallas, TX | 34 | $1,915 |
| 11 | Susanville, CA | 33 | $2,078 |
| 12 | Utica, NY | 32 | $2,473 |
| 13 | Independence, MO | 32 | $2,464 |
| 14 | Gallatin, TN | 32 | $1,764 |
| 15 | Santa Fe, NM | 31 | $2,057 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 0.3%
1,874 open positions • median $2,120 • top pay $4,914
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $2,983 | 38 |
| Alaska | $2,897 | 22 |
| California | $2,830 | 83 |
| Montana | $2,610 | 22 |
| New Jersey | $2,540 | 13 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 5%
194 open positions • median $1,229 • top pay $2,706
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $1,882 | 23 |
| Iowa | $1,649 | 5 |
| Wisconsin | $1,515 | 17 |
| Missouri | $1,346 | 26 |
| New Hampshire | $1,286 | 17 |
CNA ▼ 0.5%
174 open positions • median $760 • top pay $1,784
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $1,403 | 44 |
| Missouri | $944 | 12 |
| Iowa | $805 | 4 |
| Vermont | $774 | 30 |
| New Hampshire | $740 | 33 |
Physical Therapy ▲ 0%
324 open positions • median $2,418 • top pay $3,774
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $2,885 | 3 |
| Alaska | $2,835 | 15 |
| Vermont | $2,743 | 5 |
| Nevada | $2,708 | 22 |
| Washington | $2,636 | 32 |
Occupational Therapy ▼ 1.1%
112 open positions • median $2,276 • top pay $2,909
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,791 | 8 |
| Washington | $2,676 | 10 |
| Oregon | $2,477 | 6 |
| Hawaii | $2,348 | 3 |
| New Mexico | $2,326 | 5 |
Speech Therapy ▲ 0.1%
56 open positions • median $2,509 • top pay $3,912
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado | $2,886 | 3 |
| Arizona | $2,712 | 3 |
| Alaska | $2,614 | 6 |
| New Hampshire | $2,590 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,511 | 3 |
Respiratory Therapy ▲ 0%
91 open positions • median $1,868 • top pay $3,686
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont | $2,903 | 6 |
| Michigan | $2,334 | 7 |
| Nevada | $2,268 | 3 |
| North Carolina | $2,246 | 14 |
| Missouri | $1,961 | 6 |
Behavioral Health ▼ 0.1%
71 open positions • median $2,238 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $2,389 | 5 |
| California | $2,242 | 51 |
| Massachusetts | $1,860 | 13 |
This week's top-paying open assignments
| Role | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| RN — Oncology Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center |
Sitka, AK | $4,914/wk |
| RN — Educator Juneau Behavioral Health |
Juneau, AK | $4,522/wk |
| RN — Electrophysiology (EP) Lab University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,236/wk |
| RN — Electrophysiology (EP) Lab University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,156/wk |
| Cardiology — Cath Lab Tech University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,153/wk |
Top 5 of 3,449 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 38, 2026 (September 14, 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 37, 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.