Per diem, staff or contract: what each really pays

The short answer

For registered nurses on our board, the middle posted rate is $39.73/hr for staff jobs, $43.31/hr for per diem and $62.20/hr for contract and travel packages, stipend included. Over a year on the assumptions below that is about $74,375, $74,840 and $87,329.

• Staff: lower rate, but paid time off, benefits, a predictable schedule, and wages that count toward unemployment insurance under your state's rules if you lose the job.
• Per diem / PRN: a higher rate for flexibility. Shifts can be cancelled, there is usually no paid time off, and you may need a minimum number of shifts to stay on the list. "Per diem" here is a schedule, not a tax-free allowance.
• Contract or travel: the highest weekly package, but part of it is a stipend that is tax-free only if you keep a tax home elsewhere and the employer pays it under an accountable plan. Count the unpaid weeks between contracts and the rent you keep paying at home.

Posted pay by arrangement

Middle (median) posted hourly pay on jobs listed on our board as of November 11, 2026, with the yearly figure on the assumptions below. Contract and travel rates are the whole package divided by hours, so they include the stipend. A cell is left blank when fewer than 10 jobs posted pay.

BLS figures are May 2025 national medians across all employers and arrangements; BLS turns hourly into yearly at 2,080 hours (40 a week, 52 weeks), so its yearly number is a full-time year, not what part-time staff earn.

The year behind each number

• Staff: 36 hours a week, 52 paid weeks with paid time off inside them.
• Per diem / PRN: enough shifts for 36 hours a week, 48 weeks; no paid time off.
• Contract or travel: three 13-week contracts, 13 unpaid weeks between them; posted package with stipend.

Change any of these and the order can flip. A travel nurse who works 48 weeks out of 52 earns far more than the table shows; a PRN nurse who gets two shifts a week earns far less. Put your own numbers in the offer calculator and set the unpaid weeks between contracts under "Travel days and time off".

What the hourly rate leaves out

• Benefits. Health insurance, retirement matching and paid time off usually come with staff jobs and rarely with PRN. Price them before comparing rates.
• Unemployment. Wages from any W-2 job count toward a state claim; each state sets its own rules. 1099 pay generally does not count. See W-2 or 1099.
• Taxes on mixed work. A PRN job on top of a staff job is withheld as if it were your only job, so it can leave you short at filing. See more than one employer.
• Stipend rules. A contract package only beats staff pay by the full stipend if the stipend is really tax-free for you. See stipends and tax home.

Next

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