Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 43, 2026
Published Monday, October 19, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for October 19, 2026 – October 25, 2026. Pulled live from 6,066 open travel-healthcare assignments across 50 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,204 ▲ 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) | $3,016 | $4,874 | $2,983 | 188 |
| 2 | Connecticut (CT) | $2,845 | $3,712 | $2,700 | 5 |
| 3 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,747 | $3,047 | $2,608 | 21 |
| 4 | Nevada (NV) | $2,658 | $3,644 | $2,651 | 60 |
| 5 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,644 | $3,777 | $2,774 | 9 |
| 6 | Washington (WA) | $2,526 | $3,639 | $2,441 | 116 |
| 7 | Michigan (MI) | $2,509 | $3,647 | $2,308 | 76 |
| 8 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,492 | $3,815 | $2,546 | 60 |
| 9 | Vermont (VT) | $2,491 | $4,237 | $2,319 | 161 |
| 10 | New York (NY) | $2,476 | $3,555 | $2,530 | 122 |
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 | 721 | $2,450 |
| 2 | Texas | 679 | $2,039 |
| 3 | Missouri | 408 | $2,124 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 395 | $2,111 |
| 5 | Colorado | 287 | $2,405 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 273 | $1,920 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 238 | $1,926 |
| 8 | Arizona | 217 | $2,218 |
| 9 | Florida | 201 | $2,246 |
| 10 | Alaska | 188 | $3,016 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 261 | $2,051 |
| 2 | Albuquerque, NM | 138 | $1,718 |
| 3 | Anchorage, AK | 124 | $3,121 |
| 4 | Springfield, MO | 107 | $2,055 |
| 5 | Utica, NY | 93 | $2,551 |
| 6 | San Antonio, TX | 91 | $1,951 |
| 7 | Nashville, TN | 85 | $2,114 |
| 8 | Saint Louis, MO | 80 | $2,161 |
| 9 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 78 | $1,934 |
| 10 | Kansas City, MO | 72 | $2,362 |
| 11 | Burlington, VT | 68 | $2,962 |
| 12 | Aurora, CO | 68 | $2,469 |
| 13 | Johnstown, PA | 65 | $2,053 |
| 14 | Los Angeles, CA | 62 | $2,656 |
| 15 | Marquette, MI | 56 | $2,295 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 1.2%
3,749 open positions • median $2,211 • top pay $4,874
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,077 | 99 |
| North Dakota | $2,887 | 3 |
| Vermont | $2,701 | 81 |
| California | $2,682 | 262 |
| Montana | $2,617 | 40 |
LPN/LVN ▲ 5.1%
232 open positions • median $1,437 • top pay $2,687
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,284 | 3 |
| California | $2,006 | 47 |
| Ohio | $1,969 | 3 |
| Louisiana | $1,946 | 10 |
| Iowa | $1,655 | 8 |
CNA ▼ 1.7%
242 open positions • median $960 • top pay $2,334
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $1,922 | 5 |
| Alaska | $1,545 | 12 |
| California | $1,441 | 57 |
| Wisconsin | $1,147 | 5 |
| Colorado | $1,119 | 3 |
Physical Therapy ▼ 0.9%
386 open positions • median $2,399 • top pay $4,054
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,122 | 34 |
| Vermont | $2,764 | 5 |
| Nevada | $2,719 | 19 |
| South Dakota | $2,703 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,613 | 26 |
Occupational Therapy ▲ 1.9%
157 open positions • median $2,301 • top pay $3,321
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $2,817 | 4 |
| Alaska | $2,755 | 8 |
| Washington | $2,492 | 9 |
| Oregon | $2,439 | 6 |
| Massachusetts | $2,426 | 4 |
Speech Therapy ▼ 0.7%
69 open positions • median $2,523 • 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 | 6 |
| Oregon | $2,559 | 3 |
Respiratory Therapy ▲ 1.1%
140 open positions • median $1,897 • top pay $2,825
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $2,660 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,513 | 5 |
| Hawaii | $2,414 | 3 |
| Michigan | $2,337 | 9 |
| New Hampshire | $2,183 | 3 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 0.2%
103 open positions • median $2,247 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,499 | 7 |
| Washington | $2,348 | 10 |
| Massachusetts | $2,311 | 24 |
| California | $2,225 | 57 |
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 6,066 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 43, 2026 (October 19, 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 42, 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.