Real pay ranges, what affects your rate, and how to maximize your compensation.
Pay varies by discipline, state and setting, and a fixed range goes stale. For current figures, the Travel Therapy Pay Index publishes weekly medians by discipline and state from live contracts, and the Travel PT 101 guide gives the current travel PT median with its date. Packages combine taxable wages with non-taxable stipends.
Location: High cost-of-living areas (California, NYC) have higher pay packages but also higher stipends. Rural and remote locations often pay premiums due to lower demand. Popular vacation destinations (beach cities) pay less — supply of willing travelers exceeds demand.
Setting: Acute care hospital positions typically pay the most. SNFs and outpatient are mid-range. School positions vary. See our settings comparison.
Urgency: Crisis and last-minute needs can pay premium rates. Flexibility on start dates can unlock these opportunities.
Season: Winter assignments in warm states (Florida, Arizona) pay less due to high traveler demand. Summer in desirable areas is similar. Pay is often higher in less popular seasons and locations.
Agency: The same assignment at the same facility can pay differently between agencies due to different agency margins and how they structure your package. Always compare packages. See how to choose an agency.
Experience: First-year travelers may earn slightly less than veterans, but the gap is smaller than in permanent positions.
A permanent salary is all taxable wage; a travel package is part wage and part non-taxable stipend. The non-taxable stipends make the difference, and how much difference is specific to your bracket, your state and your housing costs — run it through the pay calculator. Full analysis in our travel vs. permanent comparison.
Work with multiple agencies — compare packages for the same region. Be flexible on location — less popular areas pay more. Negotiate — ask if the rate can be increased, especially for hard-to-fill positions. Understand your full package — get every line item in writing before accepting. Take extensions — extending at the same facility eliminates onboarding costs for the agency, which can translate to a pay bump.
For detailed pay breakdowns, use the Pay Calculator and check state-by-state salary data.
Want real numbers, not estimates? ProTherapy Staffing publishes median weekly gross by state and discipline, computed from live travel contracts — see the Travel Therapy Pay Index, e.g. travel PT salary in California, Texas, and Florida.
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