Labor & Delivery Travel Nurse Jobs
Filter open L&D contracts by shift, pay, state, and contract length, then shortlist the assignments that fit.
Drop your number and we’ll text you the moment a matching job opens.
Two-Patient Care on L&D Assignments
Labor and delivery travel nurse jobs open in high-volume birthing units nationwide, where RNs manage two patients at once, mother and newborn, across labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum care. The work can swing from a calm induction to an emergency cesarean within minutes, so surgical readiness shapes every assignment. Most contracts run 13 weeks with extensions common, and they span large urban birthing centers and small rural maternity floors. Because births do not pause for the calendar, open L&D assignments stay active year-round and currently cluster across California, Texas, and Washington. Nurses crossing state lines can confirm compact-license eligibility before they commit.
Current L&D travel pay, by the contract
Updated todayMost current L&D assignments cluster in a tight band, and the chart marks the median to test any offer against the market. Pay above that band tends to follow high-volume delivery units and weekend or night coverage.
L&D Markets Where Pay Holds Up Best
Updated todayEach L&D market here comes with a sourced demand read, so you can weigh how short a region is staffed against what an assignment actually pays after housing. Rank the table by take-home, then filter for no-tax states or the shift you want.
| State | Open jobs | Compact | Median pay | Income tax | Market outlook | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 3 | No | $2,853 | $1,723 | 0% | Surplus statewide; Vegas/Reno growth keeps demand high HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| North Dakota | 3 | Yes ✓ | $2,646 | $1,074 | up to 2.5% (graduated) | Statewide surplus; frontier/oil-region demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Montana | 4 | Yes ✓ | $2,655 | $1,520 | up to 5.65% (graduated) | Above balance; frontier/rural coverage drives demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| California | 34 | No | $2,900 | $2,599 | up to 13.3% (graduated) | ~78,000 RNs not working in nursing (57% age 65+) CA BRN · UCSF 2022 | |
| Washington | 15 | Yes ✓ | $2,744 | $2,013 | 0% | Among 10 largest RN shortages · ~17% by 2038 (~15,020 FTE) HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| New Mexico | 6 | Yes ✓ | $2,477 | $1,295 | up to 5.9% (graduated) | Slight RN shortage (~2% by 2038); below-avg density HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Wisconsin | 9 | Yes ✓ | $2,422 | $1,251 | up to 7.65% (graduated) | Surplus statewide; distribution & specialty-mix demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Oregon | 8 | No | $2,513 | $1,706 | up to 9.9% (graduated) | ~6% RN shortfall by 2038; Portland-anchored HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Colorado | 10 | Yes ✓ | $2,512 | $1,839 | 4.4% flat | ~15% RN shortfall by 2030 (~10,000 nurses) CO Center for Nursing · Mercer | |
| Kansas | 5 | Yes ✓ | $2,343 | $1,122 | up to 5.58% (graduated) | Above balance; rural hospitals at closure risk HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| New Hampshire | 7 | Yes ✓ | $2,495 | $2,030 | 0% | ~7% RN shortfall by 2038; aging population HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Iowa | 9 | Yes ✓ | $2,275 | $1,097 | 3.8% flat | Near balance; rural/critical-access distribution demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Indiana | 8 | Yes ✓ | $2,304 | $1,233 | 2.95% flat | ~5,000 more nurses needed by 2031 (72% of need met) Indiana Hospital Assn. · IU Bowen | |
| Illinois | 7 | No | $2,371 | $1,558 | 4.95% flat | ~27% of RNs plan to retire within 5 years IL Nursing Workforce Center | |
| Kentucky | 7 | Yes ✓ | $2,255 | $1,104 | 3.5% flat | Near balance; metro + rural Appalachian demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Arizona | 10 | Yes ✓ | $2,376 | $1,706 | 2.5% flat | Population & retiree growth sustain metro demand BLS Occupational Outlook | |
| Missouri | 4 | Yes ✓ | $2,219 | $1,136 | up to 4.7% (graduated) | Statewide balance; KC/STL turnover + rural gaps HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Massachusetts | 12 | No | $2,475 | $2,289 | 5.0% flat + 4% surtax >$1M (top 9.0%) | Surplus statewide; turnover/specialty-driven demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Alabama | 4 | Yes ✓ | $2,180 | $1,076 | up to 5.0% (graduated) | Statewide surplus; demand in rural/non-metro facilities HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Michigan | 6 | No | $2,221 | $1,309 | 4.25% flat | 22,000+ unfilled nursing roles projected by 2030 Michigan Health Council 2024 | |
| Oklahoma | 9 | Yes ✓ | $2,162 | $1,120 | up to 4.5% (graduated) | Among 10 largest RN shortages · ~13% by 2038 HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Arkansas | 4 | Yes ✓ | $2,060 | $1,061 | up to 3.7% (graduated) | Above balance; rural/critical-access gaps HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Ohio | 7 | Yes ✓ | $2,014 | $1,219 | 2.75% flat | Surplus statewide; high-acuity & rural distribution demand HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| Louisiana | 5 | Yes ✓ | $1,967 | $1,127 | 3.0% flat | Among 10 largest RN shortages · ~11% by 2038 (~5,680 FTE) HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term | |
| North Carolina | 13 | Yes ✓ | $2,004 | $1,373 | 3.99% flat | ~12,500 RN shortfall by 2033 (~11%) NC Nursecast · UNC Sheps | |
| Texas | 23 | Yes ✓ | $2,014 | $1,517 | 0% | 57,000+ RN shortfall by 2032 (~16%) TX DSHS 2024 · 739 hospitals | |
| Tennessee | 6 | Yes ✓ | $1,923 | $1,176 | 0% | 8,500+ RN shortfall projected by 2035 TN Hospital Assn. | |
| Virginia | 10 | Yes ✓ | $2,008 | $1,741 | up to 5.75% (graduated) | Among 10 largest RN shortages · ~8% by 2038 (~8,020 FTE) HRSA 2023–2038 · long-term |

