$2,100–$3,800/wk — Barnes-Jewish WashU, Saint Luke's KC, Children's SLCH, Ozarks Crisis
Top 10
Barnes-Jewish US Ranking
NLC
Compact Member State
Level IV
NICU at Children's SLCH
4.95%
Top State Income Tax Rate
Missouri is a full Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member state. Travel nurses who hold a multistate compact license issued by their home state can practice in Missouri immediately — no separate Missouri RN license is required, and no waiting period applies. This is one of the most valuable features of Missouri travel assignments, particularly for nurses targeting Barnes-Jewish WashU, Saint Luke's Kansas City, or Children's SLCH, where extended credentialing timelines already require planning.
For Missouri assignments, compact licensees can begin the facility credentialing process without any additional state licensing processing time stacked on top. The Missouri State Board of Nursing recognizes NLC multistate authority across all clinical settings — acute care, critical care, NICU, and community hospital. Non-compact nurses must apply for Missouri RN endorsement, typically a 3–5 week process.
CatSol verifies compact status and coordinates Missouri Board of Nursing endorsement at no charge to candidates.
Missouri uses a graduated income tax with a top marginal rate of 4.95% (2024), reduced from prior higher rates as Missouri continues legislative efforts to reduce its top rate toward a 4.5% floor. This top rate applies to income above approximately $9,000 — meaning virtually all travel nurse taxable wages are taxed at or near the 4.95% rate. Compared to neighboring states: Kansas charges 5.7% and Iowa charges 6.0%, making Missouri a meaningfully better take-home state for travel nurses rotating through the Midwest.
| State | Rate |
|---|---|
| Tennessee | 0% |
| Texas | 0% |
| Oklahoma | 4.75% |
| ★Missouri | 4.95% (graduated top rate) |
| Kansas | 5.7% |
| Iowa | 6.0% |
On a $2,500/wk package with $1,100 taxable weekly base:
Note: Travel nurse stipends (housing, meals, incidentals) are tax-free under IRS guidance when you maintain a valid tax home. The taxable base above represents only the hourly wage portion of your package.
Missouri does not levy a statewide local income tax, though Kansas City and St. Louis levy a 1% earnings tax on residents and non-residents working within city limits. CatSol provides facility-specific net pay estimates that include local earnings tax impact for your assignment city.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital (Washington University Medicine) in St. Louis ranks #1 in Missouri and top 10 nationally by US News. The Level I trauma flagship anchors a comprehensive academic center with CVICU, MICU, SICU, Neuro ICU, heart/lung transplant, and some of the highest CCRN demand in the Midwest.
Saint Luke's Health System anchors the Kansas City metro with the nation's leading mid-continent cardiology program. The Mid America Heart Institute at Saint Luke's is consistently ranked among the top cardiac centers in the US, drawing travel cardiac RNs and CCRN-certified nurses from across the region.
Missouri is a full Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC) member state. Travel nurses with a multistate compact license can practice in Missouri immediately — no separate Missouri RN license required, no waiting period. Non-compact nurses must apply for Missouri endorsement, typically 3–5 weeks through the Missouri State Board of Nursing.
Missouri's graduated income tax tops out at 4.95% (2024, reduced from prior rates; Missouri has been legislatively reducing toward a 4.5% floor). This compares favorably to Kansas (5.7%) and Iowa (6.0%), and sits near Oklahoma (4.75%). Tennessee and Texas charge 0% income tax on wages.
The Ozarks region (Springfield, Joplin) and Bootheel (southeast Missouri) represent some of the most acute healthcare deserts in the Midwest. Bootheel counties rank among the lowest in health outcomes nationally. Rural crisis assignments in these regions command $2,400–$3,800/wk shortage premiums.
St. Louis, MO
Specialties: CVICU, MICU, SICU, Neuro ICU, L&D High-Risk, ED, OR
Notes: Top 10 nationally (US News). Heart/lung transplant CVICU. Complex academic nursing environment. CCRN highly preferred. Credentialing 4–6 weeks.
$2,100–$3,000/wk
Apply NowSt. Louis, MO
Specialties: NICU, PICU, Pediatric Cardiac, Neonatal Subspecialties
Notes: Part of SLCH at WashU Medicine. Level IV AAP-designated NICU. Neonatal cardiac surgery, ECMO. RNC-NIC required. Highest NICU acuity in Missouri.
$2,300–$3,200/wk
Apply NowSt. Louis, MO
Specialties: MICU, Cardiac, Trauma, ED, Burn
Notes: Academic safety-net Level I trauma. SLU School of Medicine affiliation. SSM system credentialing: 3–4 weeks.
$1,900–$2,700/wk
Apply NowKansas City, MO
Specialties: Cardiac ICU, Cardiac Cath, Cardiac Step-Down, L&D
Notes: Mid America Heart Institute — mid-continent's top cardiac program. Consistently ranked top US heart center. High CCRN demand.
$2,000–$2,800/wk
Apply NowKansas City, MO
Specialties: ICU, ED, Med-Surg, Burn, Trauma
Notes: Kansas City's only public safety-net Level I trauma hospital. High-acuity ICU with complex, underserved patient population. Academic affiliation with UMKC.
$1,900–$2,600/wk
Apply NowJoplin / Springfield, MO
Specialties: ICU, ED, Med-Surg, Cardiac, L&D
Notes: Rural Ozarks shortage crisis. Joplin and Springfield serve vast rural catchment areas. Persistent shortage premiums due to Ozarks healthcare desert.
$2,400–$3,800/wk
Apply Now| Market | Facility Level | Weekly Pay Range |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis — Barnes-Jewish WashU (Level I Academic) | Level I Trauma / Top 10 National | $2,100–$3,000/wk |
| St. Louis — Children's SLCH Level IV NICU | Level IV NICU / Academic Pediatric | $2,300–$3,200/wk |
| St. Louis — SSM Health SLU Hospital | Level I Trauma / Academic Safety-Net | $1,900–$2,700/wk |
| Kansas City — Saint Luke's (Cardiac / Mid America Heart) | Cardiac Center of Excellence | $2,000–$2,800/wk |
| Kansas City — Truman Medical Centers | Level I Trauma / Public Safety-Net | $1,900–$2,600/wk |
| Rural Ozarks / Bootheel Crisis (Joplin, Springfield, SE MO) | Rural Shortage / Critical Access | $2,400–$3,800/wk |
Pay ranges are all-in weekly package estimates (wages + tax-free stipends) for 36-hour contracts. Actual packages vary by specialty, shift, and facility. Data: April 2026.
Shortage Callout — High Demand, Limited Listings
Missouri is experiencing active travel nurse shortages at Barnes-Jewish WashU, Children's SLCH, Saint Luke's Kansas City, and across rural Ozarks and Bootheel facilities. Many positions are filled through direct recruiter outreach before appearing in public listings. Contact CatSol to access unpublished Missouri openings.
Get Unpublished Missouri JobsBarnes-Jewish Hospital, operated under Washington University Medicine (WashU Medicine) in St. Louis, is Missouri's highest-ranked hospital and consistently placed in the top 10 academic medical centers in the United States by US News & World Report. For travel nurses, this represents one of the most clinically complex and academically rigorous environments in the Midwest — a genuinely national-tier assignment destination.
The hospital performs heart and lung transplants, manages a comprehensive stroke center, and operates some of the region's highest-acuity critical care units spanning CVICU, MICU, SICU, and Neuro ICU. Travel nurses at Barnes-Jewish work alongside WashU Medicine subspecialty fellows and attendings across every major service line. CCRN certification is highly preferred for ICU assignments and increases both placement priority and weekly pay package. Credentialing at Barnes-Jewish takes 4–6 weeks from complete document submission.
On the same WashU Medicine campus sits Children's Hospital of St. Louis (SLCH) — Missouri's highest-acuity Level IV NICU. Travel nurses interested in pediatric NICU can target SLCH simultaneously, creating a dual-campus travel opportunity within the WashU Medicine system. The combined Barnes-Jewish / SLCH campus on Kingshighway Boulevard in St. Louis is one of the most concentrated academic medicine environments in the United States.
Rural Missouri presents two distinct healthcare desert zones: the Ozarks region spanning southwest Missouri (Springfield, Joplin, Branson, and surrounding counties) and the Bootheel — the eight-county southeastern tip of Missouri bordering Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Both regions combine rural isolation, aging demographics, and below-average health outcomes to create year-round, sustained nursing shortages.
The Ozarks opioid crisis has driven Ozarks counties among the highest per capita overdose death rates in the Midwest. The clinical downstream effects — ICU admissions for opioid-induced respiratory failure, NICU volume for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), ED surge, and psychiatric nursing demand for co-occurring OUD treatment — are year-round and persistent. Freeman Hospital in Joplin and Mercy Springfield (the Springfield flagship for the Mercy Health system) serve vast regional catchment areas that extend deep into rural counties.
The Bootheel counties — Pemiscot, Dunklin, New Madrid, Mississippi, and surrounding areas — rank among the bottom 5% of all US counties in health outcomes by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation County Health Rankings. Nursing vacancies in Bootheel critical access hospitals are among the most persistent in the state, commanding crisis premiums that can exceed $1,000/wk above St. Louis community hospital rates.
Ozarks Core
Bootheel Region
Travel ICU, ED, NICU, and Med-Surg nurses in rural Ozarks and Bootheel Missouri facilities earn shortage premiums of $400–$1,000/wk above St. Louis community hospital rates.
Rural Ozarks and Bootheel crisis assignments: $2,400–$3,800/wk all-in, with premium built into the package rate.
Find Rural Missouri JobsKansas City is Missouri's second major travel nursing market, anchored by two distinct flagship institutions. Saint Luke's Health System — through its Mid America Heart Institute — has built one of the nation's most recognized mid-continent cardiac programs, consistently ranked among the top US heart centers. Travel cardiac nurses and CCRN-certified critical care nurses targeting cardiac assignments will find Saint Luke's KC among the highest-acuity and best-compensated cardiac destinations in the Midwest.
Truman Medical Centers (now University Health) serves as Kansas City's only public safety-net hospital and Level I trauma center, with academic affiliation with the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) School of Medicine. Truman provides high-acuity trauma ICU, burn, and ED nursing in a complex underserved patient environment. Note that University of Kansas Hospital (KU Health) — just across the state line in Kansas City, Kansas — is also a major employer for Missouri-based travel nurses, particularly for ICU and Level I trauma assignments.
North Kansas City Hospital, a 451-bed community hospital north of the KC metro, rounds out the Kansas City market and consistently maintains travel nursing vacancies across Med-Surg, ICU, and L&D units.
Truman Medical Centers Pay: $1,900–$2,600/wk
Truman Medical Centers (University Health) provides Level I trauma and safety-net ICU in a UMKC-affiliated academic environment. High complexity, underserved population. CatSol coordinates Truman credentialing and can also source cross-border KU Health (Kansas City, KS) assignments for Missouri-based nurses.
Browse ICU JobsBarnes-Jewish WashU CVICU/MICU, Truman KC, rural Ozarks shortage. CCRN preferred.
Children's SLCH Level IV, NAS from Ozarks opioid crisis. RNC-NIC required.
Barnes-Jewish WashU MFM, Mercy Health St. Louis, Saint Luke's KC L&D.
Level I trauma ED at Barnes-Jewish WashU and Truman KC plus Ozarks rural surge.
Transplant OR, cardiac surgery, neurosurgery at WashU Medicine flagship.
Statewide rural shortage across Ozarks and Bootheel community hospitals.
Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute — mid-continent's premier cardiac center.
Ozarks opioid crisis driving sustained behavioral health nurse demand statewide.
Yes. Missouri is a full member of the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). Travel nurses who hold a multistate compact license issued by their home state can practice in Missouri immediately — no separate Missouri RN license is required and no waiting period applies. This is a significant advantage for nurses coming from other compact states, as it eliminates license processing delays that can push assignment start dates back by weeks. If your license is a single-state (non-compact) license, you must apply for Missouri RN endorsement through the Missouri State Board of Nursing, which typically takes 3–5 weeks. CatSol coordinates compact verification and non-compact endorsement at no cost to candidates.
The highest-paying travel nursing assignments in Missouri are at Barnes-Jewish Hospital (Washington University Medicine) in St. Louis, where complex academic Level I trauma assignments in CVICU, MICU, SICU, and Neuro ICU pay $2,100–$3,000/wk. Children's Hospital of St. Louis (SLCH) Level IV NICU pays $2,300–$3,200/wk for NICU-certified RNs — the highest NICU pay in Missouri. Rural Ozarks and Bootheel crisis assignments command the absolute highest statewide packages of $2,400–$3,800/wk due to persistent shortage premiums. Saint Luke's Kansas City (cardiac) pays $2,000–$2,800/wk for cardiac-specialized nurses.
The highest-demand travel nursing specialties in Missouri in 2026 are: ICU/Critical Care (Barnes-Jewish WashU CVICU and MICU, Truman Medical Centers KC, rural Ozarks ICU shortage; CCRN strongly preferred), NICU (Children's SLCH Level IV — AAP-designated; RNC-NIC required), Cardiac (Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute Kansas City — mid-continent's premier cardiac program), L&D/High-Risk OB (Barnes-Jewish WashU maternal-fetal medicine, Mercy Health St. Louis), ER (Truman Medical trauma ED and Ozarks rural ED shortage), OR (all St. Louis and KC academic centers), Med-Surg (statewide rural shortage across Ozarks and Bootheel), and Psych/Behavioral Health (Ozarks region opioid crisis driving sustained psychiatric nurse demand).
Missouri's graduated state income tax tops out at 4.95% (as of 2024, reduced from prior higher rates; Missouri has been legislatively reducing its top rate toward a 4.5% floor). This is meaningfully better than neighboring Kansas (5.7%) and Iowa (6.0%). Oklahoma is comparable at 4.75%. Tennessee and Texas charge 0% income tax on wages — the best take-home states in the region. For a travel nurse on a $2,500/wk package with a $1,100 taxable weekly base: Missouri state tax is approximately $54/wk, Kansas would be approximately $63/wk, and Iowa approximately $66/wk. Tennessee and Texas charge $0. Missouri's trajectory toward the 4.5% floor will reduce this further over coming legislative sessions.
Rural Missouri represents one of the most acute healthcare access deserts in the Midwest. The Ozarks region — spanning Springfield, Joplin, and surrounding southwest Missouri counties — combines geographic isolation, aging demographics, and below-average health outcomes to create persistent, year-round nursing shortages. The Bootheel region (southeast Missouri counties including New Madrid, Pemiscot, Dunklin, and Mississippi) ranks among the worst in the nation for health outcomes. Missouri's opioid crisis disproportionately affects Ozarks counties, which have some of the highest per capita overdose death rates in the Midwest — driving elevated ICU, NICU NAS (neonatal abstinence syndrome), and ED nursing demand. Freeman Hospital in Joplin and Mercy Springfield serve vast rural catchment areas. Travel nurses at these facilities earn shortage premiums of $400–$1,000/wk above St. Louis community hospital rates, with crisis packages reaching $3,800/wk.
Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis, operated under Washington University Medicine (WashU Medicine), is Missouri's highest-ranked hospital and one of the top 10 academic medical centers in the United States by US News & World Report. For travel nurses, this means working in one of the country's most complex, academically rigorous clinical environments — alongside WashU Medicine fellows, subspecialty attendings, and residents across every major critical care service. The hospital performs heart and lung transplants through its CVICU program, operates a comprehensive stroke center, and houses one of the region's highest-acuity trauma programs. CCRN certification is highly preferred for ICU assignments. Credentialing takes 4–6 weeks from submission. Pay for specialty ICU assignments runs $2,100–$3,000/wk. Critically, Barnes-Jewish is paired with Children's Hospital of St. Louis (SLCH) on the same WashU Medicine campus — nurses interested in pediatric NICU have access to the state's highest-acuity Level IV NICU on the same medical campus.
Barnes-Jewish WashU, Children's SLCH Level IV NICU, Saint Luke's KC cardiac, Truman Medical trauma, and rural Ozarks crisis pay. NLC Compact. $2,100–$3,800/wk. CatSol places travel nurses across Missouri — let us match you to the right facility.
No recruiter pressure. Transparent pay packages. CatSol places travel nurses in Missouri and 45+ states.