If you’ve heard that travel nurses make good money but nobody will give you a straight answer on what that actually means, this is the page you’ve been looking for.
No vague ranges. No “it depends” without an explanation. Just the real breakdown of what travel nurses make, how the pay is structured, and what your first assignment could realistically look like.
Knowing how much do travel nurses make is the first step to deciding if this life is right for you.
What Does a Travel Nurse Actually Make Per Week?
Let’s start with the number most people want first.
The average travel nurse makes between $1,800 and $3,200 per week depending on specialty, location, and experience. Some specialties in high-demand states push that number even higher. CVOR and OR nurses in California regularly see packages above $3,500 per week.
That’s the gross weekly figure. To understand what you actually take home, you need to understand how the pay is structured. Because the way travel nurse pay works is different from anything you’ve seen as a staff nurse, and that difference is the whole reason the numbers look so good.
How Travel Nurse Pay Is Structured
Your travel nurse pay package has two parts: taxable pay and non-taxable stipends.
Taxable base pay is your hourly rate. This is the portion that shows up on your W2 and gets taxed like normal income. Travel nurse base rates are intentionally kept modest, typically $18 to $28 per hour depending on specialty, because the real money is in the stipends.
Non-taxable stipends are where travel nursing pay becomes powerful. These are reimbursements for your housing, meals, and incidentals while you’re on assignment. Because you’re duplicating living expenses, maintaining a home base while paying for housing at your assignment location, the IRS allows these reimbursements to be paid tax-free.
A typical weekly stipend package looks like this:
- Housing stipend: $800 to $1,400 per week depending on location
- Meal and incidentals stipend: $250 to $450 per week
- Travel reimbursement: paid once at the start and end of each contract
When you add the taxable base pay and the non-taxable stipends together, that’s your total weekly package. The stipends don’t get taxed, which means your actual take-home pay is significantly higher than what a staff nurse earning the same gross amount would bring home.
Why Stipends Change Everything
Here’s a simple example of why stipends matter so much.
A staff nurse earning $40 per hour working 36 hours a week grosses $1,440. After federal and state taxes, she takes home roughly $1,050 to $1,100.
A travel nurse with a $22 per hour base rate working the same 36 hours grosses $792 in taxable pay, but adds $1,100 per week in non-taxable stipends for a total package of $1,892. After taxes on just the base rate, she takes home roughly $1,650 to $1,700.
Same hours. The travel nurse takes home $550 to $650 more per week. That’s $28,000 to $33,000 more per year.
That’s why nurses travel. Annualized, a travel nurse earning $2,000 per week takes home roughly $96,000 per year before taxes on the taxable portion. A nurse consistently landing $2,500 per week packages is looking at $120,000 or more. Those are numbers most staff nurses won’t see until they’re in management.
36 vs 40 Hour Contracts: How Your Schedule Affects Your Pay
Most travel nurse contracts are either 36 hours or 40 hours per week. That four hour difference matters more than most first-time travelers realize.
A 36 hour contract means three 12-hour shifts per week. This is the most common structure and the one most nurses prefer. Your base pay is calculated on 36 hours, your stipends stay the same regardless of hours worked, and anything over 36 hours in a week is paid at your overtime rate.
A 40 hour contract means either four 10-hour shifts or five 8-hour shifts. Some facilities, particularly outpatient settings and certain OR programs, run on this schedule. Your base pay is calculated on 40 hours which increases your taxable income slightly, but your stipends remain the same.
Here’s why it matters financially. Your non-taxable stipends are paid per week regardless of whether you work 36 or 40 hours. That means on a 36 hour contract your stipend-to-taxable-pay ratio is higher, which often means more tax-free income relative to what you’re being taxed on. For many travelers, a well-structured 36 hour contract takes home more than a 40 hour contract with a similar gross weekly number.
When you’re comparing packages, always ask whether the contract is 36 or 40 hours and factor that into your math before you decide.
What Your First Assignment Will Realistically Pay
First assignments almost always pay less than what you’ll earn by your third or fourth contract. That’s just the reality and any agency that tells you otherwise isn’t being straight with you.
Here’s why. On your first assignment you don’t have a track record as a traveler yet. Facilities and agencies take a small risk on first-timers. As you build your travel resume, completing contracts on time, getting strong facility reviews, adding certifications, your negotiating position gets stronger and your packages get better.
A realistic first assignment for an experienced med-surg nurse looks like this:
- Base pay: $20 to $24 per hour
- Housing stipend: $900 to $1,100 per week
- Meal stipend: $280 to $350 per week
- Total weekly package: $1,800 to $2,200
For ICU, OR, or other high-acuity specialties, first assignment packages typically start higher:
- Base pay: $22 to $28 per hour
- Housing stipend: $1,000 to $1,300 per week
- Meal stipend: $300 to $400 per week
- Total weekly package: $2,200 to $2,800
By your second and third assignment, assuming you completed your first contract well, those numbers typically climb $200 to $400 per week.
What Affects Your Weekly Rate
Not all travel nurse packages are created equal. These are the factors that move your number up or down:
Specialty. ICU, OR, CVOR, Cath Lab, and ER consistently pay the most. Med-surg and telemetry pay less but have more available assignments.
Location. California, New York, and Washington pay the highest rates in the country. Rural assignments in lower cost-of-living states pay less but your stipend often stretches further.
Urgency. Crisis contracts, where a facility needs someone fast, pay significantly more than standard contracts. If you can move quickly and handle uncertainty, crisis pay is where the biggest numbers live.
Certifications. CCRN, CNOR, and other specialty certifications make you more competitive and often translate directly to higher packages.
Experience. More years of recent specialty experience means stronger packages, especially for high-acuity roles.
Agency. This one matters more than most nurses realize. The bill rate, what the facility pays the agency per hour, is set by the facility. But how the agency structures your package from that bill rate varies. A transparent agency that builds your package efficiently puts more money in your pocket from the same bill rate.
Specialties That Pay the Most
If maximizing your weekly rate is the goal, these are the specialties worth targeting:
CVOR nurses consistently earn the highest packages in travel nursing, often $2,800 to $4,000 per week. The combination of surgical complexity and nationwide shortage of qualified travelers keeps rates high.
OR nurses are close behind, typically earning $2,400 to $3,800 per week depending on service line experience and location.
Cath Lab nurses are in extremely high demand and typically earn $2,500 to $3,800 per week.
ER nurses earn $2,000 to $3,200 per week with strong demand year-round in most states.
Med-surg and telemetry nurses earn $1,700 to $2,400 per week, lower than high-acuity specialties but with far more assignment options nationwide.
How Junxion Structures Traveler Compensation
At Junxion Med Staffing, we show our travelers the full pay package breakdown before they sign anything. That means taxable base pay, non-taxable stipends, overtime rate, and any bonuses, all laid out clearly so you know exactly what you’re taking home.
We were founded by a former travel healthcare professional who knows what it feels like to get a pay package that looked great until you did the math. That experience is why transparency is built into everything we do.
We place nurses and allied health professionals in OR, ICU, Cath Lab, CVOR, ER, and more across 20+ states. If you want to know how much do travel nurses make on a specific assignment in a specific location, the fastest way to find out is to talk to one of our recruiters directly.
[Browse open travel assignments] or [contact a Junxion recruiter] to get a real number for your specialty and experience level.
FAQs About Travel Nurse Pay
How much do travel nurses make compared to staff nurses? On average, travel nurses take home 20 to 40 percent more than staff nurses in the same specialty. The gap is largest in high-acuity specialties like ICU and OR, and in high cost-of-living states like California and New York.
Do travel nurses get paid weekly? Yes. Most travel nursing agencies including Junxion pay weekly, which is one of the practical advantages of travel nursing over staff positions that pay bi-weekly or semi-monthly.
Are travel nurse stipends really tax-free? Yes, if you qualify. To receive stipends tax-free you must maintain a legitimate tax home, meaning you have a permanent residence you return to and pay expenses on between assignments. If you give up your permanent residence and travel indefinitely, your stipends become taxable. Talk to a tax professional who specializes in travel healthcare if you have questions about your specific situation.
What is the highest paying travel nurse specialty? CVOR and OR consistently rank as the highest paying travel nurse specialties nationwide, followed by Cath Lab and ICU. Rates vary by location and demand but these specialties reliably produce the strongest packages.
How much do travel nurses make on their first assignment? First assignment packages typically range from $1,800 to $2,800 per week depending on specialty and location. Rates improve significantly after completing your first contract successfully.
Can I negotiate my travel nurse pay package? Yes. Everything in a travel nurse package is negotiable to varying degrees. Base rate, stipend amounts, completion bonuses, and travel reimbursement are all fair game. A good recruiter will advocate for the best possible package on your behalf and tell you honestly when a facility’s rate is fixed.
The bottom line on how much do travel nurses make: the numbers are real, the tax-free stipends are real, and the gap between travel pay and staff pay is significant enough to change your financial life if you approach it strategically.
One of our travelers put it simply after her second assignment: “I have worked with 2 travel agencies and spoke with several. Junxion has by far been the best to work with.”
Browse open travel assignments or talk to a Junxion recruiter today.
and then