Fusion Marketplace provided this article.
Written by: Megan Bebout
The past few years have brought major changes in the world of healthcare travel. It seems like the notorious coronavirus, and its variants have virtually taken over the entire healthcare field, causing an influx in travel healthcare professionals like yourself. The dramatic increase in demand has also come with wage increases for healthcare professionals across the board. Let’s take a look at a breakdown of healthcare wage trends by state to gain a better idea of what to expect for the rest of 2022.
Recent changes in healthcare pay
Within a year, every state in the U.S. experienced changes in healthcare wages and, out of the 50 states, 44 of them saw at least a 10 percent growth in wage. With a 51.6 percent pay increase, Alaska tops the U.S. state as no. 1 for the highest healthcare pay growth, with Georgia followed behind at 47.7 percent and New Mexico at 40 percent.
Since winter enhances the spread of most viruses, the industry has seen a recent trend where wage increases mirror virus outbreaks within a particular state. In other words, the more infectious patients there are to treat, the more money you can make as a healthcare traveler.
Of course, what comes up must come down, and Wyoming healthcare workers felt firsthand the decrease in pay. For example, at the beginning of August 2021, healthcare professionals could expect a weekly salary of $2,538. But by the end of the month, that wage had decreased to $2,417, which is a decrease of 4.8 percent within the month.
There are several ways to compare your next travel assignment’s pay, including Fusion Marketplace. And regardless of where you live or where you travel to, you’re bound to feel the changes of healthcare pay eventually. When it happens, you can be as prepared as possible with Fusion Marketplace’s comprehensive job search platform and these recent trends broken out by state.
Healthcare travel wage trends by state
| State | Weekly salary at the beginning of 2021 | Weekly salary at the end of 2021 | Percentage difference |
| Alabama | $2,074 | $2,821 | 36% |
| Alaska | $2,154 | $3,265 | 51.6% |
| Arizona | $2,375 | $3,069 | 29.2% |
| Arkansas | $2,455 | $2,911 | 18.6% |
| California | $2,587 | $3,313 | 28.1% |
| Colorado | $2,157 | $2,652 | 23% |
| Connecticut | $2,472 | $2,542 | 2.8% |
| Delaware | $1,716 | $2,810 | 38.9% |
| Florida | $2,402 | $3,173 | 32.1% |
| Georgia | $2,456 | $3,627 | 47.7% |
| Hawaii | $2,327 | $2,367 | 1.7% |
| Idaho | $2,474 | $3,173 | 28.3% |
| Illinois | $2,461 | $2,879 | 17% |
| Indiana | $2,241 | $2,908 | 20.1% |
| Iowa | $2,422 | $2,677 | 10.5% |
| Kansas | $2,453 | $2,756 | 12.4% |
| Kentucky | $2,325 | $2,843 | 22.3% |
| Louisiana | $2,331 | $2,925 | 25.5% |
| Maine | $2,311 | $2,355 | 1.9% |
| Maryland | $2,284 | $2,574 | 12.7% |
| Massachusetts | $2,419 | $2,492 | 3% |
| Michigan | $2,296 | $2,701 | 17.6% |
| Minnesota | $2,584 | $2,970 | 14.9% |
| Mississippi | $2,348 | 2,814 | 19.9% |
| Missouri | $2,600 | $3,022 | 16.2% |
| Montana | $2,091 | $2,665 | 27.5% |
| Nebraska | $2,448 | $2,680 | 9.5% |
| Nevada | $2,326 | $2,863 | 23.1% |
| New Hampshire | $2,333 | $2,600 | 11.4% |
| New Jersey | $2,309 | $2,726 | 18.1% |
| New Mexico | $2,430 | $3,401 | 40% |
| New York | $2,417 | $2,788 | 15.4% |
| North Carolina | $2,289 | $2,773 | 21.1% |
| North Dakota | $2,680 | $3,396 | 26.7% |
| Ohio | $2,180 | $2,581 | 18.4% |
| Oklahoma | $2,559 | $3,025 | 18.2% |
| Oregon | $2,456 | $3,211 | 30.7% |
| Pennsylvania | $2,441 | $2,996 | 22.7% |
| Rhode Island | $2,259 | $2,772 | 18.5% |
| South Carolina | $2,377 | $2,749 | 15.7% |
| South Dakota | $2,392 | $2,817 | 17.8% |
| Tennessee | $2,172 | $2,588 | 19.2% |
| Texas | $2,270 | $2,558 | 12.7% |
| Utah | $2,175 | $2,727 | 25.4% |
| Vermont | $2,363 | $2,457 | 4% |
| Virginia | $2,246 | $2,546 | 13.4% |
| Washington | $2,307 | $2,957 | 28.2% |
| West Virginia | $2,195 | $2,569 | 17% |
| Wisconsin | $2,440 | $3,159 | 29.5% |
| Wyoming | $2,538 | $2,417 | -4.8% |
The healthcare industry goes through constant change, especially as the nation experiences infectious waves from illnesses like the coronavirus and influenza. As healthcare travelers become more and more in demand throughout the year, we can expect to see fluctuations in pay that mirror the demand. For you as a professional healthcare traveler, it’s important to keep up with current wage trends so you’re able to negotiate your pay with each assignment and ensure you’re making the most you can.
We hope you found this article on healthcare travel pay trends by state informational and helpful. If you have any questions or comments, please comment below.
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Author Bio
Megan Bebout
Megan is a professional writer and marketer, producing high-quality content to make a positive impact in the healthcare industry. She has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and Journalism from the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
