Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 42, 2026
Published Monday, October 12, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for October 12, 2026 – October 18, 2026. Pulled live from 4,973 open travel-healthcare assignments across 49 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,185 ▲ 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) | $2,975 | $4,874 | $2,974 | 152 |
| 2 | Connecticut (CT) | $2,845 | $3,712 | $2,700 | 5 |
| 3 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,747 | $3,047 | $2,741 | 10 |
| 4 | Nevada (NV) | $2,658 | $3,644 | $2,634 | 44 |
| 5 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,644 | $3,777 | $2,745 | 7 |
| 6 | Montana (MT) | $2,607 | $3,841 | $2,495 | 69 |
| 7 | Washington (WA) | $2,513 | $3,639 | $2,392 | 96 |
| 8 | Oregon (OR) | $2,451 | $3,919 | $2,433 | 79 |
| 9 | New Jersey (NJ) | $2,426 | $3,671 | $2,489 | 82 |
| 10 | California (CA) | $2,425 | $5,333 | $2,364 | 601 |
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 | 601 | $2,425 |
| 2 | Texas | 553 | $1,986 |
| 3 | Missouri | 342 | $2,160 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 337 | $2,111 |
| 5 | Colorado | 251 | $2,383 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 237 | $1,916 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 214 | $1,919 |
| 8 | Arizona | 171 | $2,216 |
| 9 | Florida | 156 | $2,274 |
| 10 | Alaska | 152 | $2,975 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 237 | $2,036 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 126 | $1,674 |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK | 103 | $3,126 |
| 4 | Springfield, MO | 90 | $2,072 |
| 5 | Nashville, TN | 79 | $2,079 |
| 6 | San Antonio, TX | 74 | $1,918 |
| 7 | Kansas City, MO | 68 | $2,348 |
| 8 | Saint Louis, MO | 68 | $2,167 |
| 9 | Aurora, CO | 63 | $2,462 |
| 10 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 58 | $1,963 |
| 11 | Johnstown, PA | 57 | $2,041 |
| 12 | Utica, NY | 53 | $2,497 |
| 13 | Dallas, TX | 47 | $1,861 |
| 14 | Eureka, CA | 45 | $2,892 |
| 15 | Marquette, MI | 45 | $2,193 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 0%
3,015 open positions • median $2,185 • top pay $4,874
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,066 | 84 |
| California | $2,832 | 187 |
| Vermont | $2,684 | 48 |
| Montana | $2,648 | 26 |
| Nebraska | $2,554 | 4 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 8.7%
203 open positions • median $1,367 • top pay $2,687
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,302 | 3 |
| California | $2,022 | 43 |
| Iowa | $1,655 | 6 |
| Missouri | $1,518 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | $1,504 | 15 |
CNA ▲ 5.1%
204 open positions • median $977 • top pay $2,334
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $1,922 | 5 |
| Alaska | $1,544 | 10 |
| California | $1,473 | 54 |
| Wisconsin | $1,147 | 4 |
| Colorado | $1,119 | 3 |
Physical Therapy ▲ 0.3%
328 open positions • median $2,422 • top pay $3,774
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,975 | 22 |
| Nevada | $2,719 | 19 |
| Vermont | $2,714 | 4 |
| South Dakota | $2,703 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,613 | 26 |
Occupational Therapy ▼ 0.3%
129 open positions • median $2,257 • top pay $3,321
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,792 | 7 |
| Oregon | $2,619 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,492 | 7 |
| Massachusetts | $2,426 | 4 |
| Hawaii | $2,348 | 3 |
Speech Therapy ▼ 0.1%
65 open positions • median $2,540 • top pay $2,964
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $2,856 | 4 |
| New Hampshire | $2,796 | 4 |
| Colorado | $2,754 | 4 |
| New York | $2,724 | 4 |
| Oregon | $2,559 | 3 |
Respiratory Therapy ▼ 3.2%
124 open positions • median $1,876 • top pay $2,825
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $2,660 | 3 |
| Hawaii | $2,414 | 3 |
| Michigan | $2,339 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | $2,183 | 3 |
| Oklahoma | $2,177 | 7 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 0%
85 open positions • median $2,242 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,499 | 6 |
| Washington | $2,247 | 8 |
| California | $2,214 | 54 |
| Massachusetts | $2,086 | 12 |
This week's top-paying open assignments
| Role | Location | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Psychologist — Correction California Medical Facility (CMF) & (CMF/PP) |
Vacaville, CA | $5,333/wk |
| RN — Oncology Mount Edgecumbe Medical Center |
Sitka, AK | $4,874/wk |
| RN — Educator Juneau Behavioral Health |
Juneau, AK | $4,506/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 |
Top 5 of 4,973 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 42, 2026 (October 12, 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 41, 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.