How to Find the Highest Paying Travel Nursing Jobs
Learn how to find and compare travel nursing jobs across the country, including which cities and states are currently paying the most.
Learn how to find and compare travel nursing jobs across the country, including which cities and states are currently paying the most.
Here’s the executive summary of what you need to know in order to find the highest pay travel nursing jobs:
Start by viewing this list of the Highest Paying Cities for Travel Nurses in 2020-2021. Using all of the travel nursing jobs that we’ve found for travel nurses across the country, we ranked the top-paying cities for travel nurses within each state. In the list, you can see the highest pay packages for nurses per week.
California took the number one spot with the following cities:
New York was a close second with these high-paying cities:
If money isn’t your only driver, you can also find your next travel nursing job by browsing a list of the Most Popular Cities for Travel Nurses in 2020-2021. Trusted used nursing’s most comprehensive salary calculator to create the list (check it out for more nursing salary details).
Most of these cities are heavily trafficked because of the competitive packages that travel nurses receive as well as their culture, social ambience, or even beaches and natural beauty. San Francisco, California was one of the top travel nursing destinations of 2020 and is expected to be the same in 2021.
1. San Francisco, California
Similarly, New York, New York came in at a close second to San Francisco and is expected to hold its place through 2021 as well.
2. New York, New York
While both San Francisco and New York are highly ranked mainly because of their competitive compensation packages, there are other cities that should not go ignored due to their relationship between popularity and overall take-home pay, especially in terms of cost of living. Memphis, Tennessee takes the leading spot as one of the top cities for travel nurses by overall cost of living.
3. Memphis, Tennessee
Not far behind Memphis is San Antonio, Texas, also proving that just because your weekly salary may be lower, it doesn’t mean that you can’t make a competitive nursing salary thanks to a lower cost of living.
4. San Antonio, Texas
Give yourself between five to six weeks to apply for nursing licenses in the state(s) you're looking to find a travel nursing job in. It can often take more time than you expect to get a license processed, so make sure you follow all of the instructions in a timely manner and keep track of deadlines.
Note: Each state’s process may be a little different and may take more time than another. Some nurses say that getting a travel nursing job in California is second only to passing the NCLEX!
Keep in mind that some state licensure timelines and requirements have changed, either temporarily or permanently, due to COVID-19, so make sure you keep up-to-date with emergency licensure changes.
Choosing the best travel nursing agency for you can be a tough decision, but there are definitely reasons to choose one over the other. Do some research to see what stands out about each company, check their ratings, or even discuss options with other experienced travelers. Higher pay is one of the most commonly given reasons for choosing to try travel nursing.
In fact, about 82% of registered nurses ditched their full-time staff nursing jobs to work with travel nursing agencies because of the greater pay. But how much do travel nurses make? The average pay rate for a travel nurse is over $50 per hour (depending, of course, on a variety of factors), or just over $100,000 of gross income per year.
Typically, travel nursing agencies showing open assignments will share basic information, including location, unit type, and pay up front to help you make an informed decision.
Make sure you have all of your licensure and nursing documentation in one place and easily accessible. With a free Trusted nursing profile, you can keep track of all of your documents and certifications in one place within your account.
Some examples of documents you’ll want to keep on hand are your nursing resume, last physical, certifications, reference contact info, banking information, N95 fit testing, and receipt of the current year’s flu shot.
Recruiters—or a lack thereof—are an important consideration when finding the best travel nursing jobs. If you do work with a travel nursing company that has recruiters, you must ensure that you like working with them and trust them to push for your preferences.
What differentiates Trusted from other travel agencies is that instead of recruiters, Trusted follows a model of Nurse Advocates. These are ex-bedside travel nurses that are now advocating for you. They’re not incentivized by money and genuinely care about your success as a travel nurse throughout all of your travel assignments.
Neither recruiters nor Nurse Advocates are mind readers. If you’re looking for a particular travel nursing job or opportunity, contract length, hospital or facility, or even compensation, just say so! And if you don’t know exactly what you want, that’s what your Care Team is there to help you figure out. They’ll walk you through each step of the way, especially if it’s your first travel nursing assignment.
And, of course, if you want to find the highest paying travel nursing jobs, you’ll need to have a top-quality travel nursing resume! Clearly present all of your experience, your certifications, and your skills. You can include things such as: the difference EMR systems you've used, the acuity of your unit/patients, your certifications, volunteer experience, awards, and even any charge nurse experience.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on How to Nail Your Nursing Resume and Interview. Trusted also has a huge collection of resources to help you build up your nursing resume, including a Resume Builder that you can use for free with a Trusted profile.
Create a free Trusted profile to set your job preferences and browse open positions in your top locations!
