Travel Nurse Salary in New York
A representative travel-nurse package in New York — a $24.00/hr taxable base on a 3×12 schedule, plus tax-free housing and meal stipends benchmarked to the New York City GSA per-diem — runs about $3,244 gross per week, or $3,085 take-home after federal, FICA, and state tax. New York's top income tax rate is 10.9%.
Free, private, and no signup
Money Scale is built the opposite way from the big finance sites: the numbers you enter never leave your device, and there's nothing to sign up for.
- Your numbers stay privateEvery calculation runs in your browser. We never receive or store your salary, balances, or inputs.
- Always freeNo paywall, no upsell to a calculator that actually works.
- No login, no emailUse every tool instantly — we never gate results behind a signup.
- Sourced defaultsStarting rates and assumptions cite real data, not made-up numbers.
Avg RN wage (BLS)
$52.00/hr
$108,200/yr staff mean
Example weekly gross
$3,244
3×12 blended package
Take-home / week
$3,085
4.9% effective tax
State income tax
10.9% top
on taxable wages
GSA housing cap
$8,700/mo
New York City
Cost of living
125
US average = 100
What travel nurses earn in New York
Travel-nurse pay in New York depends far more on your specialty, the season, and the assignment's urgency than on a single statewide number. As a baseline, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports an average staff-RN wage of $52.00/hour ($108,200/year) in New York. Travel contracts typically pay more than the staff mean because they bundle a taxable base wage with sizable tax-free stipends — and because they fill urgent, hard-to-staff gaps.
The reason travel pay looks so high is the stipend structure. In New York, tax-free housing stipends are benchmarked to the GSA per-diem for the assignment's county — about $8,700/month for the New York City area — plus roughly $92/day for meals and incidentals. Because that money isn't taxed (when you qualify for a tax home), the effective tax rate on the whole package in our example is just 4.9%, even though the taxable base wage is modest.
Keep in mind New York taxes wages at up to 10.9%, which applies to the taxable base portion of your pay (not your tax-free stipends). With a cost-of-living index of 125 (US average = 100), New York is a relatively expensive market, so a high paycheck buys less than the headline suggests.
Run your own numbers for New York
New York travel nurse pay FAQ
How much do travel nurses make in New York?
Travel-nurse pay in New York varies by specialty, season, and demand, but a representative 3×12 package — a $24/hr taxable base stacked with tax-free housing and meal stipends benchmarked to the New York City GSA per-diem — comes to roughly $3,244 gross per week, or about $3,085 take-home after federal, FICA, and state tax. For context, the BLS reports an average staff-RN wage of $52/hr ($108,200/yr) in New York; travel rates typically run higher.
Do travel nurses pay income tax in New York?
New York's top state income tax rate is 10.9%, which reduces take-home on the taxable portion of your package. You owe income tax to the state where you physically work, and separately to your state of legal residence (usually with a credit for tax paid to the work state). Your tax-free housing and M&IE stipends are not taxed in any state as long as you maintain a qualifying tax home.
What is the housing stipend for travel nurses in New York?
Tax-free housing stipends in New York are benchmarked to the GSA per-diem for the assignment's county. For New York City, the representative GSA ceiling is about $8,700/month for lodging and $92/day for meals & incidentals. Agencies usually pay at or just under these limits to keep the stipend tax-free; amounts above the GSA cap can be reclassified as taxable wages.
Is New York a good state for travel nurses?
New York taxes wages at up to 10.9%, and its cost-of-living index is 125 (US average = 100), so a high paycheck buys less than the number suggests. Weigh the pay package against housing costs, license requirements, and unit quality — and run your specific offer through the Compare Contracts and Stipend Analysis tools before signing.
Educational estimates, not a pay quote or tax advice. RN wages are BLS OEWS state means (May 2024) for all staff RNs; the example package is an illustrative 3×12 benchmarked to representative GSA per-diem (FY2025) and modeled as a single filer taxed in New York. Your actual offer, metro, and tax situation will differ — confirm with a travel-tax professional.