Q4 2026 Travel RN Pay Report: Which Markets Are Winning

October means contract season is officially open. If you're weighing your next 13-week assignment — or your first — you're probably asking the same question every travel RN asks right now: Where is the money?

We pulled aggregated blended bill-rate data from the top 10 US metros entering Q4 2026 to give you a clear snapshot of where travel nurse pay is climbing, where it's stalled, and what's driving the movement. No agency names, no cherry-picked unicorn contracts — just the ranges facilities are actually paying right now.

Here's what the numbers tell us as we head into the busiest stretch of the year.

The Big Picture: Blended Rates Are Up, But Unevenly

Across the 10 metros we track — New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Seattle, Philadelphia, and Chicago — the blended weekly bill rate for travel RNs (all specialties combined) ranges from $2,100 to $2,850. That's the gross number before agency margin, but it's the figure that matters when you're comparing markets.

The headline: six of the ten metros saw rate increases between July and October. Phoenix leads the pack with an 8% jump quarter-over-quarter. Atlanta, Miami, and Seattle are up 5–6%. New York and Philadelphia posted modest 2–3% gains.

The holdouts? Houston, Dallas, Chicago, and Los Angeles are essentially flat. Houston in particular has been range-bound since early summer, with facilities holding firm on budgets despite steady census.

Where Q4 Travel RN Rates Are Climbing

Let's break down the metros showing the strongest upward momentum right now.

Phoenix

Blended rate range: $2,650–$2,850/week (up from $2,450–$2,640 in July). ICU and step-down units are driving the spike. Two of the city's largest health systems expanded their travel budgets in September after summer staffing gaps didn't close. If you hold an Arizona or Compact license and you're ICU-trained, Phoenix is the tightest market in the Southwest right now.

Atlanta

Blended rate range: $2,400–$2,700/week. OR and L&D saw the biggest jumps — OR rates are up nearly 7% since August. Census is climbing earlier than usual this fall, and facilities that cut travel budgets in 2025 are reopening them. The Compact makes Georgia an easy add if you're already licensed in the Southeast.

Miami

Blended rate range: $2,500–$2,800/week. Miami's always a mixed bag, but Q4 is showing real tightness in med-surg and tele. Hurricane season prep led to early staffing builds, and October contracts are extending into January at higher rates. Housing stipends here are tricky — make sure your recruiter walks you through IRS duplicate-residence rules if you're keeping a tax home in Florida.

Seattle

Blended rate range: $2,550–$2,850/week. Seattle's pay has been climbing since late summer, especially in specialty units. The Pacific Northwest has fewer travel RNs per capita than other regions, so when census spikes, rates move fast. Washington is a Compact state, but you'll still need to apply for a Washington license if you plan to work there under Compact privilege.

The Flat Zones: What's Holding Rates Steady

Not every market is moving. Here's where travel nurse pay 2026 has plateaued.

• Houston: $2,200–$2,500/week. Flat since July. High supply of local per-diem RNs is keeping travel demand in check.
• Dallas: $2,300–$2,550/week. Slight dip in September, recovered in early October. Facilities are filling more slots with direct-hire incentives instead of travel contracts.
• Chicago: $2,400–$2,650/week. Stable but not growing. Illinois is not a Compact state, so the licensing friction keeps some travelers out of the market.
• Los Angeles: $2,500–$2,750/week. LA rates are always high in absolute terms, but they haven't moved much since spring. California's strict staffing ratios mean hospitals budget travel spend carefully, and they're not stretching right now.

Specialty Breakdown: ICU and OR Lead the Pack

When we slice the data by specialty, ICU and OR travel RNs are seeing the highest rate premiums in Q4 2026. In six of the ten metros, ICU blended rates are 6–10% above the all-specialty average. OR is close behind, especially in Atlanta, Phoenix, and Seattle.

Med-surg and tele rates are up year-over-year, but they're not seeing the same quarter-over-quarter acceleration. If you're a generalist, your best leverage right now is geographic flexibility — being willing to take a contract in a climbing market instead of waiting for your preferred city to move.

L&D is a wildcard. Rates are strong in Atlanta and Miami, softer in the West. Behavioral health and rehab are niche enough that metro-level trends don't tell the full story; those contracts are more facility-specific.

What's Driving Q4 Travel Nurse Market Trends

Three big forces are shaping highest paying travel nursing cities this quarter:

Census is up earlier than usual. Fall flu season hit hard in September, and RSV is already circulating. Facilities that normally wait until November to open travel requisitions started posting in late September.

Direct-hire incentives are competing with travel budgets. Hospitals in flat-rate markets like Dallas and Houston are throwing money at permanent staff — sign-on bonuses, retention pay, shift differentials. That keeps travel demand in check, but it also means the contracts that do open tend to be the hardest-to-fill slots, which can mean better pay or tougher assignments.

Compact expansion is changing regional flow. More states joining the Nurse Licensure Compact means travelers can move faster between assignments. That's smoothing out some regional shortages, but it's also making high-rate markets more competitive. If you're Compact-licensed, you have an edge — but so does everyone else with a Compact license.

What This Means for Your Next Contract

If you're looking at Q4 contracts, here's the tactical takeaway: the highest paying travel nursing cities right now are Phoenix, Seattle, and Miami — but only if your specialty aligns with what's tight. ICU and OR travelers have the most leverage. Med-surg and tele travelers should prioritize metro over rate; a $2,400/week contract in a low-cost market can net more than $2,700/week in an expensive city once you factor in housing.

Don't sleep on Atlanta. It's not the flashiest market, but the rate trajectory is strong, cost of living is reasonable, and the Compact makes licensing easy. If you've been sitting on the fence about a Southeast assignment, October is the time to move.

And if you're in a flat market like Houston or Dallas, consider this: those cities aren't paying more because they don't have to. If rate is your priority, you'll need to go where the tightness is.

Ready to compare live contracts in these metros? Email us at contact@intuites.healthcare with your specialty and license states, and we'll walk you through what's actually available right now — not just what's posted.