5. Washington east — 1.7x local rate typical
Eastern Washington travel contracts — Spokane, Yakima, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla — consistently pay 1.5 to 1.7 times the local resident RN rate. Providence, MultiCare, and Kadlec Regional Medical Center anchor most acute-care contract demand across the region and run continuous 13-week cycles through most of the calendar year.
Seattle metro contracts post the highest gross weekly packages in the state but stretched housing stipends and dense traffic often erode effective take-home. Eastern Washington contracts frequently deliver stronger net earnings for out-of-state travelers because the same weekly total covers materially better housing and lower daily commuting costs.
Washington is a full NLC member, so travel nurses with an existing compact-eligible license can accept contracts almost immediately without a separate endorsement process. That speed makes eastern Washington one of the fastest paths from booking to first shift among high-premium travel destinations, particularly during winter respiratory surges.
