Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 39, 2026
Published Monday, September 21, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for September 21, 2026 – September 27, 2026. Pulled live from 3,522 open travel-healthcare assignments across 49 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,179 ▲ 2.4%.
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 | Connecticut (CT) | $2,845 | $3,579 | $2,671 | 5 |
| 2 | Alaska (AK) | $2,830 | $4,914 | $2,930 | 70 |
| 3 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,673 | $3,777 | $2,774 | 5 |
| 4 | Nevada (NV) | $2,658 | $3,624 | $2,631 | 41 |
| 5 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,540 | $3,671 | $2,569 | 37 |
| 6 | Washington (WA) | $2,526 | $3,639 | $2,348 | 91 |
| 7 | Vermont (VT) | $2,507 | $4,171 | $2,279 | 92 |
| 8 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,464 | $3,451 | $2,516 | 41 |
| 9 | Montana (MT) | $2,456 | $3,425 | $2,377 | 57 |
| 10 | Oregon (OR) | $2,454 | $3,692 | $2,479 | 49 |
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 | 440 | $2,374 |
| 2 | Texas | 344 | $1,986 |
| 3 | Missouri | 231 | $2,139 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 203 | $2,111 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 187 | $1,926 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 181 | $1,920 |
| 7 | Colorado | 147 | $2,296 |
| 8 | Florida | 145 | $2,250 |
| 9 | Arizona | 145 | $2,215 |
| 10 | Kansas | 94 | $2,218 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 126 | $2,119 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 113 | $1,727 |
| 3 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 64 | $1,874 |
| 4 | Saint Louis, MO | 57 | $2,167 |
| 5 | Springfield, MO | 54 | $2,265 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 53 | $2,041 |
| 7 | Aurora, CO | 51 | $2,426 |
| 8 | Kansas City, MO | 48 | $2,304 |
| 9 | Anchorage, AK | 45 | $2,892 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | 40 | $1,812 |
| 11 | Susanville, CA | 38 | $2,165 |
| 12 | Burlington, VT | 36 | $3,115 |
| 13 | Wichita, KS | 34 | $2,298 |
| 14 | Independence, MO | 32 | $2,477 |
| 15 | Marquette, MI | 32 | $2,298 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 0.9%
1,975 open positions • median $2,139 • top pay $4,914
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,951 | 30 |
| Vermont | $2,861 | 29 |
| California | $2,854 | 92 |
| Oregon | $2,835 | 8 |
| Montana | $2,616 | 20 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 0.6%
145 open positions • median $1,236 • top pay $2,707
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $2,109 | 25 |
| Iowa | $1,655 | 6 |
| Wisconsin | $1,504 | 15 |
| Vermont | $1,337 | 11 |
| New Hampshire | $1,258 | 10 |
CNA ▲ 1.8%
155 open positions • median $774 • top pay $1,784
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $1,416 | 45 |
| Missouri | $938 | 5 |
| Florida | $936 | 7 |
| Iowa | $805 | 4 |
| Vermont | $776 | 18 |
Physical Therapy ▲ 1%
326 open positions • median $2,442 • top pay $3,600
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,863 | 11 |
| Vermont | $2,757 | 5 |
| Nevada | $2,722 | 20 |
| New Mexico | $2,618 | 17 |
| Washington | $2,618 | 30 |
Occupational Therapy ▼ 1.9%
117 open positions • median $2,233 • top pay $2,983
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,791 | 8 |
| Washington | $2,668 | 8 |
| Hawaii | $2,420 | 4 |
| Oregon | $2,397 | 4 |
| Massachusetts | $2,345 | 4 |
Speech Therapy ▲ 0.6%
55 open positions • median $2,523 • top pay $3,055
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $2,682 | 7 |
| New Hampshire | $2,590 | 3 |
| Oregon | $2,557 | 3 |
| Alaska | $2,507 | 5 |
| Oklahoma | $2,489 | 4 |
Respiratory Therapy ▼ 1.1%
78 open positions • median $1,848 • top pay $2,822
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $2,502 | 4 |
| Michigan | $2,339 | 9 |
| North Carolina | $2,246 | 11 |
| Virginia | $1,867 | 6 |
| Texas | $1,752 | 5 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 0.2%
78 open positions • median $2,242 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,504 | 6 |
| Washington | $2,449 | 6 |
| California | $2,242 | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $2,086 | 12 |
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 — Case Manager MarinHealth Medical Center |
Greenbrae, CA | $4,387/wk |
| RN — Electrophysiology (EP) Lab University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,171/wk |
| Cardiology — Cath Lab Tech University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,168/wk |
Top 5 of 3,522 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 39, 2026 (September 21, 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 38, 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.