Mississippi travel nurse pay 2026: $95,779, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Mississippi
Travel RN contracts in Mississippi post an average base of $95,779 annualised — 5% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 31st of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Mississippi compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Mississippi average $78,950, 3rd-lowest in the country, against a $95,779 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. Mississippi salary guide.
Licensing for a Mississippi assignment
Mississippi is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a Mississippi assignment with no separate application, which is why Mississippi can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The Mississippi Board of Nursing charges $100 and quotes 3–5 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Mississippi income tax: flat 4.4%, charged on wages earned in Mississippi wherever your tax home is — so compare a Mississippi contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Mississippi state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Mississippi's travel markets are Jackson, Gulfport. Regional price parity is 85.2 against a national 100, so Mississippi costs run 14.8% below average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Mississippi demand
Among lowest baseline RN wages but elevated travel/specialty pay reflects persistent rural hospital shortages and Delta-region recruitment difficulty.
Ratio law: Mississippi 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 Mississippi contract
What moves Mississippi rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Jackson, Gulfport, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Mississippi's $95,779 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Mississippi contract
Get the Mississippi license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Mississippi?
About $95,779 annualised posted base, 5% below the national $101,132 and 31st of 51.
Do I need a Mississippi license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers Mississippi.
Are Mississippi travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Mississippi
Related Mississippi guides
Mississippi RN salary · Mississippi licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.