Travel Nurse Pay in Kansas (2026)

Key numbers at a glance

Travel nurse pay in Kansas: the numbers

Kansas employed 33,800 registered nurses as of May 2025, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. The median RN wage was $79,320 ($38.14/hr) per year against a mean of $82,360 ($39.60/hr), with a 10th percentile of $63,180 and a 90th percentile of $100,840.

Note where the money concentrates: the 75th percentile ($94,700) and 90th ($100,840) pull well away from the median, because the Kansas City–area hospitals on the eastern edge pay meaningfully more than the rest of the state. For a traveler that means an Overland Park or Kansas City, Kansas contract and a rural western Kansas contract are different markets wearing the same license — quotes differ accordingly, and rural coverage-need lines can surprise you on the upside.

The hedged range below covers both. Verify live offers with your recruiter, especially for rural critical-access assignments, which can appear and vanish quickly.

All BLS figures on this page: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 release (bls.gov/oes). Wage figures are for staff registered nurses (SOC 29-1141), all industries — travel packages are quoted separately and are inherently variable. See the full list on our travel nurse pay by state hub.

How stipends change the math in Kansas

Stipend caps follow the federal GSA tables: Kansas City–area lodging rates are the highest in the state, Wichita moderate, rural counties lower (current tables at gsa.gov/perdiem). Kansas rents are low by national standards, so stipends typically cover real housing with room to spare — the state's quiet advantage.

Illustrative math: $25/hr × 36 guaranteed hours = $900/week taxable. Subtract roughly $103 federal, $69 FICA and $50 Kansas tax at a hedged 5.6% marginal rate, leaving about $678. Add $1,500 housing and $400 M&IE — $1,900 tax-free — for a take-home near $2,578/week, about $72/hour blended, roughly $33,500 over 13 weeks. Run your own numbers in the take-home calculator and compare contracts using the blended rate method; remember that a Kansas City, Missouri contract across the line changes the tax story.

Stipends remain tax-free only with a valid tax home and duplicated expenses — the standard federal rule, enforced by audit risk rather than by Kansas.

Kansas income tax: two brackets, top 5.58%

Kansas keeps a simple two-bracket graduated system for 2026: 5.20% on the first $23,000 of taxable income for single filers ($46,000 joint) and 5.58% above that, per the Kansas Department of Revenue's rate schedules. A working traveler's taxable wages almost always sit at the 5.58% margin, so model Kansas as roughly 5.6% on your taxable pay. Nonresidents file a Kansas return (form K-40) on Kansas-sourced wages. Watch the Missouri border: Kansas and Missouri do not have income tax reciprocity, so a Kansas resident taking a Kansas City, Missouri contract — a common pairing — generally files in both states with a credit at home. Confirm your position with a CPA.

Tax figures here are 2026 planning rates from official state sources and the Tax Foundation's 2026 tables — confirm your own filing position with the relevant state revenue department or a CPA; this page is not tax advice.

Licensure in Kansas: compact member

Kansas is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact and has been since implementation on July 1, 2019 (per NCSBN). A multistate license from your compact home state covers Kansas assignments with no separate application — convenient for the Kansas/Missouri travel corridor, though remember Missouri itself is also compact while your multistate privileges still depend on your primary residence. Verify your license status on the NCSBN site before you sign. Compact status per the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (ncsbn.org).

Where the demand is in Kansas

Wichita is Kansas's volume market — Ascension Via Christi and Wesley Medical Center generate steady medical-surgical, ICU and ER traveler demand. The Kansas City side (Overland Park, the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas) pays more and behaves like the larger metro it belongs to. Topeka's Stormont Vail adds mid-size demand, and the web of rural critical-access hospitals across western Kansas posts intermittent premium-need lines that can out-quote the cities when coverage gaps open.

Stipend ceilings everywhere follow the federal per-diem tables for your assignment location — gsa.gov/perdiem.