Idaho travel nurse pay 2026: $95,154, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Idaho
Travel RN contracts in Idaho post an average base of $95,154 annualised — 6% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 32nd of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Idaho compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Idaho average $92,710, 27th of 51 states and DC, against a $95,154 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. Idaho salary guide.
Licensing for a Idaho assignment
Idaho is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a Idaho assignment with no separate application, which is why Idaho can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The Idaho Board of Nursing charges $105 and quotes 3–4 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Idaho income tax: flat 5.695%, charged on wages earned in Idaho wherever your tax home is — so compare a Idaho contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Idaho state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Idaho's travel markets are Boise, Idaho Falls. Regional price parity is 92.7 against a national 100, so Idaho costs run 7.3% below average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Idaho demand
Boise metro growth outpaces nursing-school output; full NP practice authority and rural-hospital staffing pressure support strong wage growth.
Ratio law: Idaho has no statutory nurse-to-patient ratios, so staffing levels are set by each hospital rather than by statute. For a traveller that cuts both ways: there is no legal floor on the assignment you can be given, so the ratio you are quoted at interview is worth getting in writing, and it is worth asking what the unit runs at on nights and weekends rather than what the daytime policy says.
Timing a Idaho contract
What moves Idaho rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Boise, Idaho Falls, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Idaho's $95,154 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Idaho contract
Get the Idaho license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Idaho?
About $95,154 annualised posted base, 6% below the national $101,132 and 32nd of 51.
Do I need a Idaho license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers Idaho.
Are Idaho travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Idaho
Related Idaho guides
Idaho RN salary · Idaho licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.