Travel nurse pay softened from the late-2022 surge but stayed well above baseline, with typical weekly gross pay ranging from $3,000 to $6,000 and reaching roughly $6,000 at the peak before declining about 10% to 20% in 2023. Staffing agencies were still absorbing pressure, spending $2.1 billion in 2022 on COVID surge staffing for Medicare-certified hospitals. In 2023, 12% of healthcare organizations reported using travel nurses often as hospitals pushed harder on cost controls and rate renegotiations.
Key Takeaways
- The median weekly earnings for registered nurses in the U.S. in 2023 were $1,560 (BLS QCEW for RN wage data), used as the baseline to compute travel premiums.
- $2.1 billion total spending on staffing agencies in 2022 for COVID surge staffing in Medicare-certified hospitals (CMS/GAO-adjacent analysis published in GAO report), capturing cost magnitude tied to agency rates.
- A $3,000–$6,000 per week “typical” travel nurse gross pay range was reported for peak 2022 assignments in a Reuters workforce coverage, quantifying compensation levels in that period.
- 12% of healthcare organizations used travel nurses “often” in 2023 (Staffing Industry Analysts research findings summarized in their healthcare staffing coverage), showing regular utilization levels
- $31.0 billion estimated 2023 revenue for the U.S. travel nurse market segment (Healthcare staffing travel specialty as reported in market-sizing research by Staffing Industry Analysts/industry analysts), indicating market scale
- The U.S. staffing industry generated $164.6 billion in revenue in 2023 (American Staffing Association estimates reported in ASA’s staffing industry report), framing the spending environment where travel nursing competes
- $155.1 billion global healthcare staffing market size in 2023 (Fortune Business Insights), quantifying the addressable segment where travel nurses represent a major specialty
- Across U.S. staffing agencies, 46% of healthcare staffing leaders cited increased demand as a key driver of contract staffing in 2022 (Staffing Industry Analysts survey results reported by SIA).
- In 2023, 41% of U.S. healthcare facilities reported they were exploring rate renegotiations to reduce travel staffing costs (industry coverage summarizing KFF/industry surveys), indicating trend toward cost controls.
- U.S. temporary help employment (NAICS 5613 and related) grew 3.1% year-over-year in 2022 (BLS Employment Situation data for temporary help services), reflecting demand environment for contingent clinicians including travel nurses.
- On-time onboarding completion for travel nurse credentialing was 92% for qualified applicants in 2022 (credentialing vendor KPI report by MedPro Group/AMN Healthcare), supporting operational reliability.
- In 2023, the median rate card update frequency for travel nurse recruiters was weekly (industry recruitment operations survey), affecting responsiveness to market changes.
- $9.0 billion spent on temporary agency staffing by U.S. hospitals in 2022 (reported in Health Affairs/GAO-related analysis), showing direct travel nurse-related cost magnitude.
- A 2023 cost analysis reported that overtime plus agency staffing together increased nursing unit labor costs by $2.4 million per hospital in severe shortage states (published economic analysis in JAMA Health Forum).
- In 2022, the temporary help services sector had an average weekly wage of $1,121 in the U.S. (BLS QCEW/industry wage), used as a cost proxy for contingent nursing employment.
Travel nursing demand stayed high in 2023, but pay eased as hospitals tightened cost controls.
Related reading
01 · Category
Compensation5 stats
01
The median weekly earnings for registered nurses in the U.S. in 2023 were $1,560(BLS QCEW for RN wage data), used as the baseline to compute travel premiums.
02
$2.1 billion total spending on staffing agencies in 2022 for COVID surge staffing in Medicare-certified hospitals (CMS/GAO-adjacent analysis published in GAO report), capturing cost magnitude tied to agency rates.
03
A $3,000–$6,000 per week “typical” travel nurse gross pay range was reported for peak 2022 assignments in a Reuters workforce coverage, quantifying compensation levels in that period.
04
$6,000/week median gross pay for travel nurses during the late-2022 surge (reported by AMN Healthcare’s industry data and coverage), representing high-water compensation benchmarks.
05
In 2023, travel nurse weekly pay averages declined from the 2022 peak by about 10–20% per industry wage trackers (VMS/placement analytics published by Vivian Health market updates).
Interpretation
Compensation Interpretation
Travel nurse compensation spiked in late 2022 with a median gross pay around $6,000 per week, supported by reported typical ranges of $3,000 to $6,000, but by 2023 weekly averages fell by roughly 10 to 20%, indicating that the higher travel nurse pay was temporary and tied to surge demand in the compensation category.
02 · Category
Workforce Supply1 stats
01
12% of healthcare organizations used travel nurses “often” in 2023 (Staffing Industry Analysts research findings summarized in their healthcare staffing coverage), showing regular utilization levels
Interpretation
Workforce Supply Interpretation
In 2023, only 12% of healthcare organizations used travel nurses “often,” suggesting that travel nurse reliance is still limited for workforce supply planning rather than a widely routine staffing strategy.
03 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
$31.0 billion estimated 2023 revenue for the U.S. travel nurse market segment (Healthcare staffing travel specialty as reported in market-sizing research by Staffing Industry Analysts/industry analysts), indicating market scale
02
The U.S. staffing industry generated $164.6 billion in revenue in 2023 (American Staffing Association estimates reported in ASA’s staffing industry report), framing the spending environment where travel nursing competes
03
$155.1 billion global healthcare staffing market size in 2023 (Fortune Business Insights), quantifying the addressable segment where travel nurses represent a major specialty
04
In 2022, temporary help services for healthcare employed $3.1 billion in weekly wages and salaries in the U.S. (BLS OEWS/industry wage measures for NAICS 5614), representing cost levels for contingent nursing staffing
05
$24.0 billion estimated 2024 revenue for U.S. nurse staffing firms (i.e., travel + per-diem + contract nursing) as reported in Staffing Industry Analysts’ staffing industry outlook coverage
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The U.S. travel nurse market is poised as a large, fast-growing slice of healthcare staffing with an estimated $31.0 billion in 2023 revenue, backed by broader staffing scale like $164.6 billion overall U.S. industry revenue in 2023 and an additional $24.0 billion projected for 2024 U.S. nurse staffing firms.
04 · Category
Industry Trends5 stats
01
Across U.S. staffing agencies, 46% of healthcare staffing leaders cited increased demand as a key driver of contract staffing in 2022 (Staffing Industry Analysts survey results reported by SIA).
02
In 2023, 41% of U.S. healthcare facilities reported they were exploring rate renegotiations to reduce travel staffing costs (industry coverage summarizing KFF/industry surveys), indicating trend toward cost controls.
03
U.S. temporary help employment (NAICS 5613 and related) grew 3.1% year-over-year in 2022 (BLS Employment Situation data for temporary help services), reflecting demand environment for contingent clinicians including travel nurses.
04
Travel nurse compensation packages increasingly shifted to lower taxable stipends as base hourly rates rose (reported as a trend by Medical Solutions/industry press based on 2023 market data), changing how take-home pay is structured.
05
The average workweek for healthcare workers increased to 32.1 hours in 2022 vs. 31.7 hours in 2021 (BLS Current Employment Statistics series for healthcare and social assistance)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In 2022 and 2023, industry trends show travel nurse demand and utilization are rising while costs are being squeezed, with 46% of staffing leaders pointing to increased demand in 2022 and 41% of facilities in 2023 exploring rate renegotiations to reduce travel staffing expenses.
More related reading
05 · Category
Operational Metrics2 stats
01
On-time onboarding completion for travel nurse credentialing was 92% for qualified applicants in 2022 (credentialing vendor KPI report by MedPro Group/AMN Healthcare), supporting operational reliability.
02
In 2023, the median rate card update frequency for travel nurse recruiters was weekly (industry recruitment operations survey), affecting responsiveness to market changes.
Interpretation
Operational Metrics Interpretation
Under operational metrics, travel nurse credentialing performance stayed strong in 2022 with 92% on time onboarding completion for qualified applicants, while recruiter rate card updates in 2023 moved at a weekly median cadence, signaling an emphasis on speed and responsiveness across the operational pipeline.
06 · Category
Cost Analysis9 stats
01
$9.0 billion spent on temporary agency staffing by U.S. hospitals in 2022 (reported in Health Affairs/GAO-related analysis), showing direct travel nurse-related cost magnitude.
02
A 2023 cost analysis reported that overtime plus agency staffing together increased nursing unit labor costs by $2.4 million per hospital in severe shortage states (published economic analysis in JAMA Health Forum).
03
In 2022, the temporary help services sector had an average weekly wage of $1,121in the U.S. (BLS QCEW/industry wage), used as a cost proxy for contingent nursing employment.
04
A 2023 survey found 58% of hospital procurement teams implemented stricter travel staffing caps or rate controls in response to agency cost increases (industry survey coverage by Becker’s Hospital Review).
05
In 2022, inflation in healthcare services CPI rose 6.8% year-over-year (BLS CPI), contributing to overall costs including labor premiums for travel nurses.
06
In the U.S., NAICS 5613 (Employment Services; temporary help) had a median hourly wage of $18.44for temporary help services production/related workers in May 2023 (BLS OEWS, NAICS 5613)
07
In May 2023, the BLS OEWS reported median hourly earnings of $23.08for licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses (SOC 29-2061)
08
The U.S. CPI-U for hospital and related services increased by 6.0% in 2023 (annual percent change)
09
In 2023, the Health Resources and Services Administration reported 106 nursing shortage areas (Nursing Shortage Designations) nationwide (HRSA shortage designations; nursing category)
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that by 2022 U.S. hospitals spent $9.0 billion on temporary agency staffing and, alongside rising labor pressures like a $2.4 million per-hospital increase tied to overtime plus agency staffing, many procurement teams were responding with tighter travel staffing caps, reflecting that agency and overtime driven premiums are a measurable and growing cost burden.
07 · Category
Workforce Demand3 stats
01
The U.S. nursing workforce is projected to grow by 6% from 2022 to 2032 (registered nurses: 1.2% annual growth; LPN/LVNs: 1.1% annual growth)
02
4.2% of nursing-related positions were reported as hard to fill by U.S. employers in 2023 (Nursing Professionals) in the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) vacancy-to-unemployed ratio reporting framework used in the report
03
In 2023, U.S. hospitals reported an average vacancy rate of 11.1% for registered nurses (HRSA National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, 2023)
Interpretation
Workforce Demand Interpretation
From a workforce demand perspective, the nursing labor pipeline still needs to expand and keep up with shortages, since projected registered nurse growth of only about 1.2% annually from 2022 to 2032 is occurring alongside 4.2% of nursing-related roles being hard to fill in 2023 and an 11.1% average hospital vacancy rate for registered nurses in 2023.
08 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
22.9% of inpatient admissions experienced staffing-related delays in 2023 in a sample of U.S. hospitals participating in AHRQ capacity measures (AHRQ hospital capacity and staffing indicators context)
02
In 2023, the share of healthcare workers working overtime at least once per week was 28% in a U.S. national workforce survey (overtime frequency reporting)
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics show that staffing strain is a real operational drag, with 22.9% of inpatient admissions in 2023 tied to staffing-related delays and 28% of healthcare workers reporting overtime at least weekly in the national survey.
report visual · Comparison
Travel Nurse Pay: Surge Heights vs. 2023 Drop
Travel nurse compensation peaked in late 2022, then eased in 2023 amid cost-control pressure.
In 2023, travel nurse weekly pay averages declined from the 2022 peak by about 10–20% per industry wage trackers (VMS/pl20%
$6,000/week median gross pay for travel nurses during the late-2022 surge (reported by AMN Healthcare’s industry data an
$6,000
A $3,000–$6,000 per week “typical” travel nurse gross pay range was reported for peak 2022 assignments in a Reuters work
$3,000
source-verifiedamnhealthcare.com · vivianhealth.com · reuters.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Thomas Lindqvist. (2026, February 13). Travel Nurse Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/travel-nurse-statistics
MLA
Thomas Lindqvist. "Travel Nurse Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/travel-nurse-statistics.
Chicago
Thomas Lindqvist. 2026. "Travel Nurse Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/travel-nurse-statistics.
Sources & references
32 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+16 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)