Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 40, 2026
Published Monday, September 28, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for September 28, 2026 – October 4, 2026. Pulled live from 3,704 open travel-healthcare assignments across 50 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,165 ▼ 0.6%.
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) | $2,899 | $4,880 | $3,002 | 89 |
| 2 | Connecticut (CT) | $2,845 | $3,709 | $2,699 | 5 |
| 3 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,745 | $3,045 | $2,725 | 7 |
| 4 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,677 | $3,777 | $2,774 | 5 |
| 5 | Nevada (NV) | $2,658 | $3,644 | $2,652 | 44 |
| 6 | Montana (MT) | $2,570 | $3,425 | $2,488 | 53 |
| 7 | Washington (WA) | $2,526 | $3,639 | $2,407 | 87 |
| 8 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,444 | $3,671 | $2,408 | 47 |
| 9 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,411 | $3,451 | $2,446 | 36 |
| 10 | Illinois (IL) | $2,407 | $3,466 | $2,536 | 18 |
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 | 430 | $2,334 |
| 2 | Texas | 371 | $2,004 |
| 3 | North Carolina | 287 | $2,115 |
| 4 | Missouri | 256 | $2,126 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 177 | $1,926 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 175 | $1,920 |
| 7 | Arizona | 156 | $2,203 |
| 8 | Florida | 141 | $2,205 |
| 9 | Colorado | 135 | $2,203 |
| 10 | Vermont | 92 | $2,205 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 205 | $2,106 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 104 | $1,602 |
| 3 | Springfield, MO | 71 | $2,149 |
| 4 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 66 | $1,868 |
| 5 | Anchorage, AK | 65 | $2,998 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 58 | $2,044 |
| 7 | Saint Louis, MO | 55 | $2,068 |
| 8 | Kansas City, MO | 45 | $2,277 |
| 9 | San Antonio, TX | 42 | $1,879 |
| 10 | Aurora, CO | 39 | $2,298 |
| 11 | Marquette, MI | 35 | $2,247 |
| 12 | Utica, NY | 34 | $2,414 |
| 13 | Alexandria, LA | 34 | $2,022 |
| 14 | Dallas, TX | 34 | $1,819 |
| 15 | Tucson, AZ | 33 | $2,341 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 0%
2,078 open positions • median $2,140 • top pay $4,880
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,907 | 44 |
| California | $2,887 | 83 |
| Oregon | $2,846 | 8 |
| Vermont | $2,732 | 26 |
| Montana | $2,617 | 21 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 1.7%
157 open positions • median $1,257 • top pay $2,687
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| California | $1,920 | 23 |
| Iowa | $1,655 | 6 |
| Wisconsin | $1,504 | 15 |
| Missouri | $1,482 | 4 |
| Louisiana | $1,401 | 9 |
CNA ▲ 0.8%
157 open positions • median $780 • top pay $2,326
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $1,849 | 4 |
| California | $1,414 | 46 |
| Indiana | $964 | 5 |
| Missouri | $941 | 7 |
| Iowa | $805 | 4 |
Physical Therapy ▼ 1.8%
319 open positions • median $2,397 • top pay $3,814
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,917 | 16 |
| Nevada | $2,718 | 21 |
| Vermont | $2,713 | 4 |
| Washington | $2,625 | 30 |
| California | $2,491 | 81 |
Occupational Therapy ▼ 1.1%
120 open positions • median $2,209 • top pay $2,971
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,733 | 5 |
| Washington | $2,599 | 8 |
| Massachusetts | $2,345 | 4 |
| Oregon | $2,338 | 4 |
| New Mexico | $2,327 | 7 |
Speech Therapy ▲ 0.9%
56 open positions • median $2,545 • top pay $2,964
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $2,856 | 3 |
| New Hampshire | $2,785 | 4 |
| Oregon | $2,638 | 3 |
| California | $2,552 | 7 |
| Oklahoma | $2,489 | 4 |
Respiratory Therapy ▲ 1.5%
78 open positions • median $1,876 • top pay $2,825
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire | $2,497 | 4 |
| Michigan | $2,339 | 9 |
| North Carolina | $2,012 | 14 |
| Washington | $1,934 | 4 |
| Georgia | $1,887 | 3 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 0%
82 open positions • median $2,242 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,499 | 6 |
| Washington | $2,346 | 4 |
| California | $2,241 | 53 |
| Oregon | $2,157 | 3 |
| Massachusetts | $2,086 | 12 |
This week's top-paying open assignments
| Role | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| RN — Oncology Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center |
Sitka, AK | $4,880/wk |
| RN — Educator Juneau Behavioral Health |
Juneau, AK | $4,518/wk |
| RN — Case Manager MarinHealth Medical Center |
Greenbrae, CA | $4,387/wk |
| RN — L&D Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital |
Santa Rosa, CA | $4,265/wk |
| RN — Electrophysiology (EP) Lab University of Vermont Medical Center |
Burlington, VT | $4,160/wk |
Top 5 of 3,704 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 40, 2026 (September 28, 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 39, 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.