Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 41, 2026
Published Monday, October 5, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for October 5, 2026 – October 11, 2026. Pulled live from 3,826 open travel-healthcare assignments across 49 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,185 ▲ 0.9%.
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 | $4,874 | $2,856 | 107 |
| 2 | Connecticut (CT) | $2,845 | $3,712 | $2,700 | 5 |
| 3 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,747 | $3,047 | $2,756 | 8 |
| 4 | Nevada (NV) | $2,658 | $3,644 | $2,618 | 41 |
| 5 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,644 | $3,777 | $2,737 | 7 |
| 6 | Washington (WA) | $2,545 | $3,639 | $2,398 | 81 |
| 7 | Montana (MT) | $2,542 | $3,841 | $2,494 | 58 |
| 8 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,537 | $3,671 | $2,518 | 48 |
| 9 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,488 | $3,775 | $2,538 | 37 |
| 10 | New York (NY) | $2,438 | $3,327 | $2,424 | 46 |
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 | 452 | $2,374 |
| 2 | Texas | 394 | $2,049 |
| 3 | Missouri | 306 | $2,144 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 281 | $2,118 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 182 | $1,918 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 172 | $1,942 |
| 7 | Colorado | 158 | $2,354 |
| 8 | Arizona | 149 | $2,215 |
| 9 | Florida | 124 | $2,246 |
| 10 | Alaska | 107 | $2,899 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 211 | $2,011 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 110 | $1,630 |
| 3 | Springfield, MO | 78 | $2,070 |
| 4 | Kansas City, MO | 68 | $2,350 |
| 5 | Anchorage, AK | 67 | $3,017 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 64 | $2,110 |
| 7 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 58 | $1,963 |
| 8 | Saint Louis, MO | 56 | $2,160 |
| 9 | San Antonio, TX | 49 | $1,934 |
| 10 | Aurora, CO | 45 | $2,398 |
| 11 | Marquette, MI | 43 | $2,193 |
| 12 | Independence, MO | 39 | $2,486 |
| 13 | Tucson, AZ | 35 | $2,318 |
| 14 | Dallas, TX | 35 | $1,827 |
| 15 | Burlington, VT | 34 | $3,026 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 2.1%
2,197 open positions • median $2,184 • top pay $4,874
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,907 | 49 |
| California | $2,832 | 106 |
| Vermont | $2,732 | 34 |
| Montana | $2,679 | 22 |
| Washington | $2,536 | 22 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 0.1%
168 open positions • median $1,258 • top pay $2,687
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,302 | 3 |
| California | $2,022 | 23 |
| Iowa | $1,655 | 6 |
| Wisconsin | $1,504 | 15 |
| Indiana | $1,456 | 6 |
CNA ▲ 19.2%
169 open positions • median $930 • top pay $2,334
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $1,544 | 10 |
| California | $1,416 | 47 |
| Indiana | $1,008 | 6 |
| Missouri | $954 | 6 |
| Iowa | $851 | 4 |
Physical Therapy ▲ 0.8%
296 open positions • median $2,415 • top pay $3,774
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,016 | 18 |
| Vermont | $2,764 | 3 |
| Nevada | $2,719 | 19 |
| Washington | $2,627 | 25 |
| New Hampshire | $2,490 | 13 |
Occupational Therapy ▲ 2.5%
115 open positions • median $2,264 • top pay $3,321
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,718 | 5 |
| Oregon | $2,619 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,492 | 7 |
| Massachusetts | $2,426 | 4 |
| Oklahoma | $2,200 | 6 |
Speech Therapy ▼ 0.1%
58 open positions • median $2,542 • top pay $2,964
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $2,856 | 3 |
| Colorado | $2,803 | 3 |
| New Hampshire | $2,796 | 4 |
| Oregon | $2,559 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | $2,489 | 4 |
Respiratory Therapy ▲ 3.3%
98 open positions • median $1,938 • top pay $2,825
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $2,414 | 3 |
| Michigan | $2,339 | 9 |
| Nevada | $2,282 | 3 |
| New Hampshire | $2,183 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | $2,177 | 7 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 0%
77 open positions • median $2,242 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,499 | 6 |
| Washington | $2,449 | 5 |
| California | $2,225 | 49 |
| Massachusetts | $2,086 | 12 |
This week's top-paying open assignments
| Role | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| RN — Oncology Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center |
Sitka, AK | $4,874/wk |
| RN — Educator Juneau Behavioral Health |
Juneau, AK | $4,514/wk |
| RN — Registered Nurse First Assist (RNFA) Enloe Medical Center |
Chico, CA | $4,457/wk |
| RN — Case Manager MarinHealth Medical Center |
Greenbrae, CA | $4,387/wk |
| RN — L&D Providence Alaska Medical Center |
Anchorage, AK | $4,280/wk |
Top 5 of 3,826 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 41, 2026 (October 5, 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 40, 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.