Virginia combines NLC Compact portability, Northern VA's DC-suburb premium pay, the nation's highest active-duty military population, and VDOC corrections across 30+ facilities — all at a flat 5.75% state tax.
Inova Health System's continued expansion across Fairfax, Loudoun, and Arlington counties — combined with the federal contractor economy driving population and wage growth — has pushed Northern VA travel RN rates to the highest in Virginia. ICU and OR nurses at Inova Fairfax are regularly seeing $3,200–$3,500/wk packages in spring 2026, reflecting fierce competition for experienced RNs in one of the nation's wealthiest healthcare markets.
Virginia's 30+ military installations generate healthcare demand from hundreds of thousands of dependents and retirees. With Womack Army Medical Center at Fort Gregg-Adams, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, and Langley AFB clinic all operating at or near capacity, civilian hospitals in the Norfolk, Hampton Roads, and Northern VA corridors are absorbing growing demand — driving travel RN volume at Sentara, Inova, and HCA Virginia facilities.
The Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) operates 30+ adult correctional facilities across the state, from Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Southwest VA to Deerfield Correctional Center in rural Hanover County. VDOC corrections nursing roles — RN, LPN, and mental health — are open year-round and pay a meaningful shift premium over community hospital rates. CatSol specializes in corrections placement; see our corrections nurse salary guide for full details.
UVA Medical Center's maternal-fetal medicine (MFM) program expansion in 2025–2026 has driven a notable increase in L&D and NICU travel RN contracts from Charlottesville. UVA's MFM unit handles the highest-risk obstetric cases from across central and western Virginia, creating demand for experienced L&D, MFM, and NICU travel nurses at rates of $2,600–$3,000/wk for specialty positions.
Virginia Is an NLC Compact State — Start Working Immediately
Virginia is a full member of the Nursing Licensure Compact. If your primary state of residence issued you a multi-state compact RN license, you can practice in Virginia without a separate VA endorsement — no 6–10 week wait. This is especially important for the Northern VA/DC market, where travel assignments at Inova often fill within days. If you hold a single-state license, allow 4–8 weeks for Virginia Board of Nursing endorsement processing.
Virginia 5.75% Flat Tax — Better Than Maryland, Simpler Than Most
Virginia's 5.75% flat state income tax applies uniformly to all wages — there are no county surcharges (unlike Maryland, where county piggyback taxes push effective rates to 7–9%). For travel nurses choosing between Northern VA and Montgomery County MD assignments of equal pay, the Maryland county tax adds roughly $60–$90/wk in additional tax burden on a $3,000/wk package. Tax-free housing and meal stipends under IRS Publication 463 apply the same way in Virginia as in all 50 states.
Five structural advantages that make Virginia one of the Mid-Atlantic's premier travel nursing markets in 2026.
Virginia is a full Nursing Licensure Compact member. A multi-state compact license lets you start immediately — no separate VA endorsement, no 6–10 week wait. Critical for the high-volume Northern VA/DC corridor where assignments move fast and agencies fill seats quickly.
Virginia's 5.75% flat income tax is straightforward and competitive compared to neighboring Maryland (which stacks a county piggyback tax on top, effectively 7–9% for most residents). Virginia has no local income tax surcharges. Tax-free housing and meal stipends apply exactly as in all 50 states under IRS Publication 463.
Fairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun counties are among the wealthiest in the United States — driven by the federal government contractor economy. Inova Health System anchors this market and pays the highest travel RN rates in the state, regularly reaching $2,900–$3,500/wk for ICU, OR, and specialty nurses.
The Virginia Department of Corrections operates 30+ adult correctional facilities across the state. Corrections nursing in Virginia pays a meaningful premium over standard community hospital rates and provides unique clinical experience. CatSol places corrections RNs and LPNs across the VDOC system.
Virginia has more active-duty military personnel than any other state. Fort Belvoir, Fort Gregg-Adams (formerly Fort Lee), Quantico, Langley AFB, and Norfolk Naval Station together generate an enormous civilian healthcare demand from military dependents and veterans — demand that civilian hospitals and VA Medical Centers absorb at full travel-nurse pay.
Virginia's healthcare landscape spans the Northern VA/DC premium market (Inova), two major academic medical centers (VCU Health, UVA), the state's largest health system (Sentara), and a major regional referral center serving rural SW Virginia (Carilion).
Level I Trauma / Academic Medical Center
923 beds
Inova Fairfax is the flagship of Inova Health System — Northern Virginia's dominant health system and the highest-paying travel RN market in the state. Level I trauma center, Inova Heart and Vascular Institute, Inova Schar Cancer Institute, and a major NICU. The Northern VA location means proximity to Washington DC, one of the highest cost-of-living corridors in the US — and travel pay packages reflect that premium. ICU, OR, L&D, NICU, and cardiovascular nursing consistently command $2,900–$3,500/wk. Inova's scale (five hospitals, 2,000+ total beds across the system) creates year-round travel RN volume.
Level I Trauma / Academic Medical Center
865 beds
VCU Medical Center on the Medical College of Virginia (MCV) campus is Virginia's only Level I pediatric trauma center and one of only two adult Level I trauma centers in the state. As the flagship academic hospital for Virginia Commonwealth University's health system, MCV serves as a major safety-net hospital for central Virginia — treating the highest-acuity patients in the region. Strong travel RN demand in CVICU, SICU, NICU, PICU, ER, and OR. VCU Health has expanded aggressively across the Richmond metro, creating multiple travel RN entry points.
Level I Trauma / Academic Medical Center
600+ beds
UVA Medical Center is the academic medical center for the University of Virginia and a Level I trauma center serving central and western Virginia. Home of the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center and major programs in transplant, neurosciences, and maternal-fetal medicine — UVA's MFM (maternal-fetal medicine) expansion has driven L&D travel RN demand in recent contracts. Charlottesville is a university town with a high quality of life; UVA academic nursing contracts carry significant resume prestige. Pay runs $2,400–$3,000/wk for specialty nurses.
Level I Trauma / Regional Medical Center
496 beds
Sentara Norfolk General is the flagship of Sentara Healthcare — Virginia's largest health system by hospitals and employees. Norfolk General is the largest hospital in Hampton Roads and the Level I trauma center for the Tidewater region, with proximity to Naval Station Norfolk (the largest naval station in the world). Sentara's scale — 12 hospitals across Virginia and northeastern NC — means consistent travel RN pipeline across virtually all specialties. Hampton Roads military community proximity drives demand in military-family-facing services (OB, pediatrics, behavioral health). Pay runs $2,400–$3,000/wk.
Level I Trauma / Regional Academic Center
703 beds
Carilion Roanoke Memorial is the Level I trauma center for southwest Virginia — a vast region with significant rural healthcare gaps. Carilion Clinic is the dominant health system for the Roanoke and New River valleys, serving communities in the Blue Ridge and Appalachian corridor where geographic barriers limit access. Carilion carries persistent travel RN demand, particularly in ICU, ER, and med-surg, driven by chronic rural shortage and high opioid burden across SW Virginia counties. Pay runs $2,300–$2,800/wk — lower than Northern VA but competitive given lower cost of living and rural shortage premium.
Pay ranges reflect full weekly package (taxable base + tax-free housing + tax-free meal stipends). Northern VA/DC commands the highest rates in the state; SW Virginia offers the rural shortage premium.
| Market | Weekly Package | Top Specialties | Demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northern VA / DC Suburbs (Inova) | $2,900–$3,500/wk | ICU, OR, L&D, NICU, Cardiac | Very High |
| Richmond Metro (VCU Health / HCA) | $2,500–$3,200/wk | ICU, Trauma, NICU, PICU, ER | Very High |
| Charlottesville / UVA | $2,400–$3,000/wk | OR, L&D, Oncology, MFM | High |
| Hampton Roads / Norfolk (Sentara) | $2,400–$3,000/wk | Trauma, ER, ICU, OB | High |
| Roanoke / SW Virginia (Carilion) | $2,300–$2,800/wk | ICU, ER, Med-Surg | High |
Rates as of April 2026. Packages vary by facility, specialty, and shift. Virginia 5.75% flat state income tax applies to all markets.
Real-time openings pulled from our database. All pay packages include taxable base hourly + tax-free housing + tax-free meal stipends.
New Virginia openings are posted daily.
VA RN positions — especially at Inova Fairfax, VCU Health, and UVA Medical Center — move fast. Join our priority list and we'll notify you the moment a matching Virginia opening is posted.
Join the Priority ListFairfax, Arlington, and Loudoun counties are anchored by one of the highest concentrations of federal government contractors in the world — Booz Allen Hamilton, Leidos, SAIC, CACI, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon — and an enormous federal civilian and military workforce working at the Pentagon, NSA, DIA, CIA, and dozens of defense agencies. This creates an unusually affluent, highly insured patient population with robust healthcare utilization.
The result: Inova Health System operates at high capacity year-round and competes aggressively for experienced travel RNs. Inova Fairfax alone — a 923-bed Level I trauma center with the Inova Heart and Vascular Institute — consistently posts some of the highest travel RN packages in the Mid-Atlantic, regularly reaching $3,200–$3,500/wk for ICU, cardiac, OR, and NICU nurses.
Inova Health System operates five hospitals across Northern VA — Inova Fairfax (flagship, Falls Church/Fairfax), Inova Fair Oaks (Fairfax), Inova Loudoun (Leesburg), Inova Alexandria, and Inova Mount Vernon — creating a large and diverse travel RN pipeline. The system's expansion into Loudoun County, one of the fastest-growing counties in the US, has driven new capacity additions and sustained travel nurse demand.
Northern VA is one of the most expensive places to live in the US. Travel nurses should factor housing costs when evaluating packages — agency-provided housing stipends may not fully cover Northern VA rental rates. However, for nurses who have established housing in the area (military spouses, commuters from further VA markets), the Northern VA premium is straightforward net income advantage.
Virginia has more active-duty military personnel than any other state. The healthcare demand from military families and veterans flows into civilian hospitals across Northern VA, Hampton Roads, and Fredericksburg at full travel-nurse pay rates.
Virginia operates major VA Medical Centers in Richmond (Hunter Holmes McGuire VA), Hampton, Salem, and a large CBOC network. VA Medical Centers place contracted travel nurses through staffing agencies for specialty gap coverage — particularly in geriatrics, mental health, and complex chronic disease management. The veteran population in Virginia (one of the largest in the US) generates consistent specialty nursing demand across VA and civilian facilities.
Military spouse nurses represent a significant segment of Virginia's travel nursing workforce — nurses married to active-duty military who move with their service member and pick up travel contracts at civilian hospitals near each installation. NLC Compact membership is essential for this population; Virginia's compact status means military spouse nurses with compact licenses face zero licensure barriers moving to or within Virginia.
The Virginia Department of Corrections operates one of the largest correctional healthcare systems in the Southeast. Travel RNs and LPNs with corrections experience or strong med-surg backgrounds are in consistent demand statewide.
VDOC facilities range from maximum-security prisons to medium and minimum-security work centers across Virginia — from Pocahontas State Correctional Center in Tazewell County in the far southwest to Deerfield Correctional Center in Hanover County near Richmond. The incarcerated population carries a high burden of chronic disease (diabetes, hypertension, hepatitis C, HIV), mental health conditions, and substance use disorders — requiring skilled nursing assessment, medication administration, and triage capabilities.
VDOC travel nursing pays a meaningful shift premium over standard community hospital rates — typically $200–$400/wk above equivalent med-surg or LTC positions — reflecting the specialized environment and the consistent statewide shortage of corrections nurses.
VDOC nursing positions require: active Virginia RN or LPN license (or NLC Compact multi-state license), one year of post-license clinical experience, and a clean criminal background. Nurses with behavioral health, med-surg, or ER backgrounds are the strongest fits. All VDOC placements include a facility orientation and security clearance process.
Virginia's 5.75% flat state income tax and NLC Compact membership make it one of the more financially favorable corrections nursing states in the Mid-Atlantic. See our corrections nurse salary guide for state-by-state corrections RN pay data and VDOC-specific context.
Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun) typically pays $400–$700/wk more than Richmond for comparable specialty positions. A Richmond ICU contract at VCU Health might run $2,500–$3,000/wk; an equivalent Inova Fairfax ICU contract often runs $2,900–$3,500/wk. The difference reflects Northern VA's status as one of the highest cost-of-living metros in the US — driven by the federal government contractor economy and proximity to Washington DC. However, cost of living in Northern VA is also substantially higher: housing, dining, and transportation costs can offset much of the pay premium, particularly for nurses on shorter contracts who are renting housing. For long-term market positioning, a Northern VA academic or Level I trauma contract also carries significant resume weight.
Virginia Department of Corrections (VDOC) nursing positions require an active RN license (Virginia or NLC Compact multi-state license), at least one year of post-license acute care experience, and a clean background check. VDOC prioritizes nurses with med-surg, psychiatric, or emergency medicine backgrounds given the high prevalence of behavioral health comorbidities, chronic disease, and acute presentations in the incarcerated population. Travel nurses placed at VDOC facilities typically complete a facility-specific orientation. Pay for VDOC travel RN positions runs $2,400–$3,200/wk depending on facility location, shift, and specialty. See our full corrections nurse salary guide at /guides/corrections-nurse-salary/ for state-by-state pay data and requirement details.
Military bases in Virginia operate their own healthcare facilities (Womack Army Medical Center, Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Langley AFB clinic, Quantico Marine Base clinic), but civilian travel nurses typically work at civilian hospitals that serve the large military-family and veteran population in adjacent communities. Inova Fairfax and Inova Fair Oaks serve the Fort Belvoir and Quantico corridors; Sentara Norfolk General and Bon Secours Maryview serve the Naval Station Norfolk and Hampton Roads military community; Mary Washington Healthcare (Fredericksburg) serves the Quantico and Fort Belvoir corridors from the south. VA Medical Centers (Hunter Holmes McGuire VA in Richmond, Hampton VA Medical Center) do place contracted nurses through staffing agencies for specialty gaps — contact CatSol for current VA Medical Center openings.
Yes — Virginia is a full member of the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC). If you hold a multi-state compact license issued by your primary state of residence, you can practice nursing in Virginia without applying for a separate VA endorsement. This eliminates the typical 6–10 week wait for state endorsement and is essential for the fast-moving Northern VA/DC market where travel assignments are often filled within days of posting. If your primary state is not an NLC Compact state, you will need a Virginia-specific RN license — the Virginia Board of Nursing typically processes endorsements in 4–8 weeks.
Virginia has a flat income tax rate of 5.75% applied to all wage income. This is importantly different from neighboring Maryland, where the state rate (4.75% top bracket) is supplemented by a county piggyback tax that pushes effective rates to 7–9% for most Maryland residents. Virginia has no county income tax surcharge — the 5.75% is the total state tax burden. For travel nurses based in the DC metro who can choose between Virginia and Maryland assignments, the net tax difference is meaningful: on a $3,000/wk package, the Maryland county surcharge (roughly 2–3% additional) costs an extra $60–$90/wk versus a comparable Virginia assignment. Tax-free housing and meal stipends under IRS Publication 463 apply identically in both states.
It depends on your priorities. Inova Fairfax (Northern VA) typically pays $200–$600/wk more than UVA for comparable specialties — reflecting the Northern VA/DC premium market. If maximizing weekly package is the priority, Inova is the stronger choice, particularly for ICU, OR, cardiac, and NICU nurses. UVA Medical Center (Charlottesville) offers a distinct academic medical center environment with a nationally ranked cancer center, major MFM program, and Level I trauma experience in a university setting. A UVA contract carries significant resume prestige, particularly for nurses aiming at other academic AMC positions. Charlottesville also offers a substantially lower cost of living than Northern VA, which can offset some of the pay differential. Both are NLC Compact accessible and represent excellent Virginia contract choices — the right answer depends on your specialty, career goals, and whether Northern VA's high cost of living is a concern.
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NLC Compact. 5.75% flat tax. Northern VA DC-suburb premium. VDOC corrections. Military family demand. Academic prestige at VCU and UVA.
CatSol places travel RNs across all Virginia markets — Inova Fairfax in Northern VA, VCU Medical Center and HCA Virginia in Richmond, UVA Medical Center in Charlottesville, Sentara in Hampton Roads, Carilion in SW Virginia, and VDOC corrections facilities statewide. Our recruiters match your specialty, shift preference, and pay goals.
Last updated April 2026 — Positions updated every 4 hours