The median advertised pay for a travel NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) contract is $2,510 per week. The middle half of contracts fall between $2,235 and $2,765. Measured across 125 active travel contracts at 90 facilities, as of 2026-09-15.
These are advertised weekly totals, a taxable hourly base plus tax-free housing and meal stipends. They are not take-home, and the tax-free half depends on maintaining a tax home. How to read a pay package explains the split.
| State | Open contracts | Median weekly |
|---|---|---|
| California | 28 | $3,236 |
| Arizona | 13 | $2,159 |
| Washington | 6 | $2,497 |
| Virginia | 5 | $2,239 |
| Colorado | 5 | $2,656 |
| Indiana | 5 | $2,274 |
| New Jersey | 5 | $2,714 |
| Oregon | 4 | $2,524 |
| Texas | 4 | $2,051 |
| Arkansas | 4 | $2,444 |
| Georgia | 4 | $2,216 |
| Massachusetts | 4 | $2,574 |
| Connecticut | 4 | $2,643 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | $2,378 |
| Illinois | 3 | $2,330 |
| Missouri | 3 | $2,288 |
| North Dakota | 3 | $2,703 |
| New Hampshire | 3 | $2,934 |
| South Carolina | 3 | $2,013 |
| New York | 3 | $2,728 |
| Ohio | 3 | $2,382 |
| Kansas | 2 | $2,460 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 | $2,546 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $2,231 |
| District of Columbia | 1 | $2,523 |
The 25 states with the most open NICU contracts, of 29 with any. Pay varies by market, facility and shift, and a state with few contracts moves more than one with many, so treat a median drawn from a handful of postings as an indication rather than a rate.
The highest medians, among states carrying at least 10 open NICU contracts, are California at $3,236 and Arizona at $2,159. The table above is ordered by how many contracts are open, not by pay.
| Weekly rate | Open contracts |
|---|---|
| Under $2,000 | 7 |
| $2,000 to $2,200 | 19 |
| $2,200 to $2,400 | 27 |
| $2,400 to $2,600 | 18 |
| $2,600 to $2,800 | 23 |
| $2,800 to $3,000 | 11 |
| $3,000 to $3,200 | 3 |
| $3,200 and up | 17 |
All 125 open contracts, banded by advertised weekly rate. The outer bands are open-ended so nothing falls outside the chart.
See every open NICU assignment, including those from partner agencies.
Drawn from the postings that state a requirement, which is not all of them, so each figure carries the number it was measured from. Your recruiter confirms the specifics for a given contract before submission.