Idaho nurse salary 2026: RN, NP & travel pay

$92,710 average — a fast-growing Boise market squeezing supply, full NP practice authority, and rural critical access hospitals keeping CRNA demand elevated across the state.

Idaho registered nurses average $92,710 per year ($44.57/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data — 8.6% below the national RN mean of $101,420. That gap is narrower than most Mountain West states and is getting smaller: Boise is one of the fastest-growing metros in the US, and healthcare demand is outrunning nursing school output in a way that almost always moves wages upward.

The Idaho story isn't about rock-bottom wages — it's about a supply-demand mismatch that's still unresolved. St. Luke's Health System, the dominant employer in the Treasure Valley, has been aggressively expanding its network while the state's nursing programs graduate roughly 1,200 RNs per year. The math doesn't add up, and facilities are using sign-on bonuses, shift differentials, and expanded benefit packages to compete rather than straight base pay bumps. What you see as the BLS average understates total compensation for experienced nurses in the Boise market.

Staff RN Pay: What the Numbers Actually Mean

The BLS $92,710 figure is a state-wide mean that blends Boise metro wages with rural panhandle and eastern Idaho rates. In practice, the range is wide. Boise metro RNs at St. Luke's or St. Alphonsus are typically in the $88,000–$108,000 band depending on experience and unit. Rural critical access hospitals — places like Boundary Community Hospital in Bonners Ferry or Clearwater Valley Hospital in Orofino — run $72,000–$82,000 with housing and relocation stipends that partially offset the gap.

The ICU premium in Idaho is notable: at $100,702 versus the $92,710 staff RN average, critical care nurses are clearing roughly $8,000/year more than the state mean. That's a 8.6% ICU premium, which tracks with national patterns where high-acuity units command 8–12% above the general RN average. For an experienced ICU nurse, Idaho's 5.3% flat income tax (vs. California's 9.3% marginal rate at comparable income) means a meaningful difference in take-home, even at lower gross pay.

Travel Nurse Pay in Idaho

Idaho travel nurse base pay averages $95,154/year posted (ZipRecruiter 2026), marginally above the staff RN mean — a modest travel premium that reflects Idaho's moderate demand for agency coverage. Idaho is an NLC compact state (joined January 19, 2018), which simplifies travel logistics: nurses holding a multistate license from any of the 43+ compact jurisdictions can work in Idaho without obtaining a separate state license.

A few practical notes for travel nurses considering Idaho:

• Boise metro contracts are competitive with Salt Lake City and Spokane markets — typically $45–$55/hr all-in depending on specialty and agency
• Rural and panhandle contracts often come with housing stipends or provided housing, which significantly improves the real compensation package
• Border caution: Oregon and Washington are NOT compact states — compact privileges don't extend across those borders, so Idaho-licensed nurses working into Oregon or Washington need separate licenses
• Vivian Health 2026 package estimate: approximately $106,000–$112,000 total annual equivalent including stipends, for travelers accepting Idaho assignments

Nurse Practitioner Salary in Idaho

Idaho NPs average $131,380/year per BLS OEWS May 2025, and they operate under full practice authority — one of Idaho's most significant advantages for APRNs. Full practice authority means Idaho NPs can diagnose, treat, and prescribe (including controlled substances) without a required physician collaborative agreement. Idaho has had FPA for over a decade, making it one of the more established independent NP markets in the Mountain West.

The practical implications are significant. NPs in Idaho can:

• Open independent primary care, psychiatric, or specialty practices without a supervising physician
• Provide rural healthcare as the de facto provider in communities that have no physician — a role that's increasingly common in Idaho's eastern and northern counties
• Prescribe Schedule II–V controlled substances directly, which matters for pain management, psychiatric care, and hospice settings
• Bill Medicare and Medicaid independently at 100% of the allowable rate

The 34-state FPA landscape means Idaho NPs can also practice in most western states (Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, New Mexico) under a single multistate license framework — useful for telehealth NPs serving rural patients across state lines.

CRNA Salary in Idaho

Idaho CRNAs earn approximately $225,651/year per TheCRNA.com's 2026 blended dataset — 9.1% below the national CRNA mean of $248,320 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The TheCRNA figure is used here instead of the raw BLS state-level estimate because Idaho's CRNA population is small enough that BLS state survey data can reflect significant sampling volatility.

Idaho's CRNA market has a structural driver that keeps demand elevated: rural hospital dependence on CRNA-only anesthesia. Of Idaho's 45 critical access hospitals, a significant majority do not have anesthesiologists on staff. CRNAs provide the anesthesia care for surgical procedures at these facilities entirely on their own — a scope that commands premium pay relative to CRNA roles in urban hospitals where anesthesiologists are co-present. CRNAs with rural and critical access experience are actively recruited at or above $230,000 at facilities that need solo coverage.

Top Idaho Employers and Wage Context

A handful of systems dominate Idaho nursing employment:

• St. Luke's Health System — Boise-based, the largest health system in Idaho with 8 hospitals and 190+ clinics. Posts RN wages in the $88,000–$108,000 range depending on unit and experience. The dominant employer in the Treasure Valley and Magic Valley.
• St. Alphonsus Regional Medical Center (Boise) — CommonSpirit Health system, 381 beds. Level II trauma center. Competes directly with St. Luke's for Boise metro RNs.
• Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center (EIRMC) — Idaho Falls, largest hospital in eastern Idaho (330 beds). HCA Healthcare system. Covers the eastern Idaho and Wyoming border market.
• Portneuf Medical Center — Pocatello, 187 beds. Serves southeastern Idaho and portions of Nevada.
• Kootenai Health — Coeur d'Alene, 330 beds. Dominant employer in the rapidly growing North Idaho/panhandle market, which has seen significant California and Washington in-migration.

ICU, ER, and Specialty Pay by Unit

ICU nurses in Idaho clear $100,702/year on average (ZipRecruiter 2026) — notably above the state RN average and actually above the national ICU RN average of approximately $91,000. This tracks with a pattern seen in several Mountain West states where high-acuity specialties command larger-than-average premiums because the pool of experienced critical care nurses is small relative to facility demand.

Emergency nurses average $81,610/year — below both the state RN mean and national ER averages, which is somewhat counterintuitive. The lower ER figure likely reflects the mix of facilities: Idaho has a high proportion of rural critical access hospitals where ER nurses earn less than their urban counterparts, pulling down the statewide average even if Boise metro ER pay is competitive.

NP Scope, Compact Status, and Tax Snapshot

NP Practice Authority: Full Practice Authority — Idaho NPs practice independently with no physician collaborative agreement required.

NLC Compact: Compact Member — Idaho joined the Nurse Licensure Compact January 19, 2018. Multistate license holders from any compact jurisdiction can practice in Idaho; Idaho-issued multistate licenses cover all compact states.

APRN Compact: Idaho has not yet enacted the APRN Compact. The APRN Compact (covering NPs, CRNAs, CNMs, and CNSs) requires 7 states to activate; as of mid-2026, only 5 states have enacted it. Idaho NPs and CRNAs still need separate licenses for each state where they practice in person.

Income Tax: Idaho has a flat income tax rate of 5.3% effective January 1, 2025, down from 5.8% in prior years. This places Idaho in the mid-range for state income tax nationally — better than California (up to 13.3%), Oregon (up to 9.9%), or Minnesota (up to 9.85%), but not as favorable as neighboring Wyoming or Nevada (no state income tax) or Montana (6.75% flat) and Utah (4.55% flat).

Market Outlook: Why Idaho Wages Should Trend Up

Three forces are pushing Idaho nursing wages upward and will continue to through at least 2028:

1. Population growth outpacing nursing supply. Boise-Nampa metro grew 37% from 2010 to 2020 and has continued expanding. Idaho State University and Boise State University nursing programs produce approximately 1,200 RN graduates per year — not enough to keep pace with new healthcare facility openings and the existing workforce gap.

2. Retiree in-migration is accelerating. Idaho's low property taxes, outdoor lifestyle, and relatively affordable housing (compared to coastal metros) are attracting retirees from California, Washington, and Oregon at high rates. Retirees consume healthcare services at 2–3x the rate of working-age adults, driving demand without adding supply-side nurses.

3. Healthcare system expansion. St. Luke's has announced multiple facility expansions in the Boise metro area through 2027. Each new bed opened requires approximately 6–8 nurses to staff adequately on a 24/7 basis. Kootenai Health in Coeur d'Alene is similarly expanding. System growth without a commensurate pipeline means wage pressure will continue.

If you're evaluating Idaho against Nevada, Utah, or Colorado for a travel or permanent move, Idaho's full NP practice authority, NLC compact membership, and below-average income tax rate represent a genuine set of advantages — even if the headline salary number trails coastal markets by 8–9%.

Tools and Resources

Comparing nursing salaries across Mountain West states? Use the NLC Compact States Guide to understand multistate license logistics for travel assignments. If you're evaluating CRNA programs and want to compare compensation by state, see the CRNA Career Guide 2026.