Editorial note: Pay figures sourced from Vivian Health and ZipRecruiter (2026). North Carolina is a full NLC compact state. North Carolina doesn’t make most travel nurses’ bucket list the way Alaska or Hawaii does, but that’s precisely what makes it worth understanding. The state offers something arguably more valuable to a nurse building a sustainable…
Editorial note: Pay figures sourced from Vivian Health (November 2025-March 2026), ZipRecruiter, and AMN Healthcare. Colorado is a full NLC compact state. Flat 4.4% state income tax applies to taxable wages. Colorado has earned a permanent spot on most travel nurses’ destination lists — and it’s not hard to understand why. The state combines a…
Editorial note: Pay figures sourced from Vivian Health (December 2025-March 2026), cross-referenced with ZipRecruiter and AMN Healthcare. Arizona is a full NLC compact state with a 48-hour emergency temporary license option. How Much Do Travel Nurses Make in Arizona in 2026? Arizona sits above the national average for travel nurse pay — a meaningful distinction…
Editorial note: Pay figures sourced from Vivian Health and Indeed (February-March 2026). Cost of living data from RentCafe and Redfin (2026). Georgia is a full NLC compact state. How Much Do Travel Nurses Make in Georgia in 2026? Georgia sits in the middle of the national pay range — not a top earner like California…
Editorial note: Pay figures sourced from Vivian Health (March 2026, 754 active jobs), cross-referenced with Indeed, AMN Healthcare, and ZipRecruiter. Cost of living data from BEA, ConsumerAffairs, and RentCafe (2026). Alaska is a non-compact state — plan 4-6 weeks for license processing. Alaska offers travel nurses something no other state can match: premium pay, zero…
Editorial note: Pay figures in this guide are sourced from Vivian Health active job listing data (March–April 2026), cross-referenced with AMN Healthcare and independent salary aggregators. Ranges reflect total weekly packages including taxable wages and tax-free stipends. Individual offers vary by specialty, facility, location, and agency. Washington has become one of the most strategically compelling…
Editorial note: Pay figures in this guide are sourced from agency contract listing data, recruiter trends, and salary aggregators for 2025–2026. New York pay is highly bifurcated between New York City and Upstate regions — figures are presented separately where possible. Tax information reflects New York State and NYC rates as of 2026. Individual offers…
Editorial note: Pay figures in this guide are sourced from Vivian Health active job listing data and AMN Healthcare (2025–2026). Ranges reflect total weekly packages including taxable wages and tax-free stipends. Florida sits at the lower end of the national pay range — figures in earlier versions of this guide reflected pre-normalization estimates and have…
Editorial note: Pay figures in this guide are sourced from Vivian Health active job listing data (April 2026) and AMN Healthcare (December 2025). Ranges reflect total weekly packages including taxable wages and tax-free stipends. Individual offers vary by specialty, facility, location, shift, and agency. Texas is one of the most active travel nursing markets in…
Editorial note: Pay figures in this guide are sourced from Vivian Health active job listing data (March 2026), cross-referenced with AMN Healthcare and independent salary aggregators. Ranges reflect total weekly packages including taxable wages and tax-free stipends. California licensing information reflects California Board of Registered Nursing requirements as of 2026. Individual offers vary by specialty,…