Illinois travel nurse pay 2026: $97,999, non-compact
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Illinois
Travel RN contracts in Illinois post an average base of $97,999 annualised — 3% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 24th of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Illinois compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Illinois average $94,360, 23rd of 51 states and DC, against a $97,999 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. Illinois salary guide.
Licensing for a Illinois assignment
Illinois is not a compact state, so every assignment needs a Illinois license in hand before the first shift — a multistate license does not cover you. The Illinois Department of Financial & Professional Regulation charges $143 and quotes 6–14 weeks. Start the application before you have a confirmed contract: agencies expedite and pay, but none of them shortens the Board's queue.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Illinois income tax: flat 4.95%, charged on wages earned in Illinois wherever your tax home is — so compare a Illinois contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Illinois state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Illinois's travel markets are Chicago. Regional price parity is 98.8 against a national 100, so Illinois costs run 1.2% below average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Illinois demand
Mandated public monthly staffing-ratio disclosure; strong INA union presence in Chicago.
Ratio law: Illinois 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 Illinois contract
What moves Illinois rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Chicago, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Illinois's $97,999 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Illinois contract
Get the Illinois license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Illinois?
About $97,999 annualised posted base, 3% below the national $101,132 and 24th of 51.
Do I need a Illinois license to travel there?
Yes — Illinois takes no compact license, so endorse before your first shift ($143, 6–14 weeks).
Are Illinois travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Illinois
Related Illinois guides
Illinois RN salary · Illinois licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.