Utah travel nurse pay 2026: $92,068, compact state
Last reviewed: by Jayson Minagawa, BSN, RN
What travel nurses earn in Utah
Travel RN contracts in Utah post an average base of $92,068 annualised — 9% below the national travel average of $101,132, and 40th of 51 states and DC.
Posted base, not take-home: stipend calculator · pay calculator.
How Utah compares for staff work
Staff RNs in Utah average $90,950, 30th of 51 states and DC, against a $92,068 posted travel base — so the travel premium here is intact. Utah salary guide.
Licensing for a Utah assignment
Utah is a Nurse Licensure Compact state. A multistate license from your primary state of residence starts a Utah assignment with no separate application, which is why Utah can take a contract beginning in two weeks. Without one, endorsement is the route. The Utah Division of Professional Licensing charges $65 and quotes 3–5 weeks.
Tax, stipends and your tax home
Utah income tax: flat 4.55%, charged on wages earned in Utah wherever your tax home is — so compare a Utah contract on net, and check reciprocity if you are working near the Utah state line.
Stipend rules are federal: tax home guide.
Where the contracts are
Utah's travel markets are Salt Lake City, Provo. Regional price parity is 94.5 against a national 100, so Utah costs run 5.5% below average, and its GSA-linked stipends move with it.
What drives Utah demand
Intermountain Health and University of Utah Health dominate. CRNA refreshed for 2026 — prior BLS $133K was anomalously low.
Ratio law: Utah 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 Utah contract
What moves Utah rates: negotiation cycles at the systems in Salt Lake City, Provo, and any stretch where one is short in a specialty. Crisis work runs well above Utah's $92,068 posted average. Seasonality is national: travel nursing guide.
Before you sign a Utah contract
Get the Utah license cost, guaranteed hours and cancellation terms in writing. Red flags.
Common questions
How much do travel nurses make in Utah?
About $92,068 annualised posted base, 9% below the national $101,132 and 40th of 51.
Do I need a Utah license to travel there?
No — a multistate compact license covers Utah.
Are Utah travel stipends tax-free?
Only with a real tax home you are away from. See the tax guide.
Travel nursing in states bordering Utah
Related Utah guides
Utah RN salary · Utah licensure · travel nursing quick start · agency comparison.