Travel Healthcare Pay Pulse — Week 44, 2026
Published Monday, October 26, 2026 • 3 min read
Pay Pulse for October 26, 2026 – November 1, 2026. Pulled live from 6,999 open travel-healthcare assignments across 50 U.S. states. Median weekly pay this week sits at $2,221 ▲ 0.8%.
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 | $3,047 | 223 |
| 2 | Connecticut (CT) | $2,845 | $3,712 | $2,700 | 5 |
| 3 | North Dakota (ND) | $2,817 | $3,777 | $2,833 | 11 |
| 4 | Nebraska (NE) | $2,747 | $3,047 | $2,591 | 22 |
| 5 | Nevada (NV) | $2,654 | $3,644 | $2,617 | 64 |
| 6 | Vermont (VT) | $2,581 | $4,237 | $2,363 | 169 |
| 7 | Washington (WA) | $2,526 | $3,639 | $2,451 | 124 |
| 8 | New York (NY) | $2,514 | $3,555 | $2,606 | 164 |
| 9 | Hawaii (HI) | $2,492 | $3,815 | $2,538 | 71 |
| 10 | Oregon (OR) | $2,438 | $3,919 | $2,381 | 125 |
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 | 802 | $2,436 |
| 2 | Texas | 759 | $2,034 |
| 3 | Missouri | 463 | $2,116 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 448 | $2,117 |
| 5 | Colorado | 408 | $2,414 |
| 6 | Tennessee | 311 | $1,920 |
| 7 | New Mexico | 262 | $1,926 |
| 8 | Florida | 247 | $2,242 |
| 9 | Arizona | 242 | $2,218 |
| 10 | Alaska | 223 | $3,016 |
Top cities by open assignments
| # | City | Open jobs | Avg pay /wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville, NC | 271 | $2,179 |
| 2 | Anchorage, AK | 150 | $3,189 |
| 3 | Aurora, CO | 141 | $2,485 |
| 4 | Albuquerque, NM | 140 | $1,699 |
| 5 | Springfield, MO | 117 | $2,074 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 104 | $2,076 |
| 7 | San Antonio, TX | 98 | $1,955 |
| 8 | Utica, NY | 97 | $2,574 |
| 9 | Saint Louis, MO | 91 | $2,191 |
| 10 | Los Angeles, CA | 85 | $2,586 |
| 11 | Johnstown, PA | 85 | $2,020 |
| 12 | Lake Havasu City, AZ | 80 | $1,946 |
| 13 | Kansas City, MO | 76 | $2,361 |
| 14 | Marquette, MI | 76 | $2,196 |
| 15 | Eureka, CA | 75 | $2,851 |
Pay by profession
RN ▲ 0.5%
4,404 open positions • median $2,221 • top pay $4,874
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,115 | 123 |
| North Dakota | $2,887 | 3 |
| Vermont | $2,707 | 85 |
| California | $2,652 | 313 |
| Montana | $2,617 | 44 |
LPN/LVN ▼ 0.1%
244 open positions • median $1,435 • top pay $2,687
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,284 | 3 |
| California | $1,987 | 51 |
| Ohio | $1,969 | 3 |
| Louisiana | $1,946 | 10 |
| Iowa | $1,655 | 8 |
CNA ▲ 0%
253 open positions • median $960 • top pay $2,334
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $1,922 | 5 |
| Alaska | $1,545 | 12 |
| California | $1,429 | 58 |
| Wisconsin | $1,146 | 6 |
| Colorado | $1,119 | 4 |
Physical Therapy ▲ 0%
434 open positions • median $2,399 • top pay $4,054
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $3,122 | 34 |
| Ohio | $2,947 | 5 |
| Vermont | $2,764 | 5 |
| South Dakota | $2,703 | 3 |
| Nevada | $2,658 | 20 |
Occupational Therapy ▲ 0.3%
176 open positions • median $2,309 • top pay $3,377
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Nebraska | $2,817 | 4 |
| Alaska | $2,799 | 10 |
| Oregon | $2,538 | 7 |
| Washington | $2,492 | 9 |
| Arizona | $2,433 | 9 |
Speech Therapy ▼ 0.1%
77 open positions • median $2,520 • top pay $2,964
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $2,856 | 4 |
| New Hampshire | $2,797 | 4 |
| Colorado | $2,754 | 4 |
| New York | $2,724 | 6 |
| Alaska | $2,618 | 6 |
Respiratory Therapy ▼ 0.5%
165 open positions • median $1,888 • top pay $3,253
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | $2,660 | 3 |
| Washington | $2,513 | 5 |
| Hawaii | $2,414 | 3 |
| Michigan | $2,337 | 9 |
| Oklahoma | $2,204 | 10 |
Behavioral Health ▲ 0.1%
106 open positions • median $2,249 • top pay $3,453
| State | Median weekly pay | Open jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $2,499 | 7 |
| Washington | $2,348 | 10 |
| Massachusetts | $2,311 | 24 |
| California | $2,227 | 58 |
| Oregon | $2,205 | 4 |
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 — L&D Providence Alaska Medical Center |
Anchorage, AK | $4,613/wk |
| RN — L&D Providence Alaska Medical Center |
Anchorage, AK | $4,613/wk |
| RN — Educator Juneau Behavioral Health |
Juneau, AK | $4,506/wk |
Top 5 of 6,999 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 44, 2026 (October 26, 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 43, 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.