Travel Nurse Salary in Texas
A representative travel-nurse package in Texas — a $24.00/hr taxable base on a 3×12 schedule, plus tax-free housing and meal stipends benchmarked to the Houston/Dallas GSA per-diem — runs about $2,364 gross per week, or $2,240 take-home after federal, FICA, and state tax. Texas levies no state income tax, so you keep more of your taxable wages here.
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Avg RN wage (BLS)
$42.00/hr
$87,400/yr staff mean
Example weekly gross
$2,364
3×12 blended package
Take-home / week
$2,240
5.3% effective tax
State income tax
None
keeps more take-home
GSA housing cap
$4,800/mo
Houston/Dallas
Cost of living
92
US average = 100
What travel nurses earn in Texas
Travel-nurse pay in Texas 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 $42.00/hour ($87,400/year) in Texas. 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 Texas, tax-free housing stipends are benchmarked to the GSA per-diem for the assignment's county — about $4,800/month for the Houston/Dallas area — plus roughly $79/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 5.3%, even though the taxable base wage is modest.
Texas is one of the nine states with no income tax, which is a meaningful advantage for take-home: the taxable portion of your package isn't taxed at the state level at all. With a cost-of-living index of 92 (US average = 100), Texas is more affordable than average, so your take-home stretches further than in pricier states.
Run your own numbers for Texas
Texas travel nurse pay FAQ
How much do travel nurses make in Texas?
Travel-nurse pay in Texas 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 Houston/Dallas GSA per-diem — comes to roughly $2,364 gross per week, or about $2,240 take-home after federal, FICA, and state tax. For context, the BLS reports an average staff-RN wage of $42/hr ($87,400/yr) in Texas; travel rates typically run higher.
Do travel nurses pay income tax in Texas?
Texas has no state income tax, so travel nurses keep more of their taxable wages here than in most states. 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 Texas?
Tax-free housing stipends in Texas are benchmarked to the GSA per-diem for the assignment's county. For Houston/Dallas, the representative GSA ceiling is about $4,800/month for lodging and $79/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 Texas a good state for travel nurses?
Texas is attractive for take-home because it levies no state income tax, and its cost-of-living index is 92 (US average = 100), so your pay stretches further than in pricier markets. 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 Texas. Your actual offer, metro, and tax situation will differ — confirm with a travel-tax professional.