Travel Nurse Pay in New Hampshire (2026)
New Hampshire pays near-Boston wages with no income tax on wages at all — and as a compact state, it starts fast. Here are the verified BLS numbers, hedged package ranges, and the border-hopper tax math travelers should understand.
By the NursePayLab editorial team · Updated $1
Key numbers at a glance
| Measure | Figure | What it means for travelers |
|---|---|---|
| RN employment (New Hampshire) | 15,390 | Small market — thin benches, fast gaps (per BLS OEWS, May 2025) |
| Median RN wage | $99,700/yr ($47.93/hr) | Near-Boston staff baseline that anchors bill rates |
| Mean RN wage | $97,900/yr ($47.07/hr) | Below the median — a compressed, evenly-paid market |
| Entry RN (10th pct) | $75,610/yr | Floor of the market |
Travel nurse pay in New Hampshire: the numbers
New Hampshire employed 15,390 registered nurses as of May 2025, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey — about 22.5 RN jobs per 1,000 in the state. The median RN wage was $99,700/year ($47.93/hr) with a mean of $97,900 ($47.07/hr), a 10th percentile of $75,610 and a 90th percentile of $123,190.
Two details stand out (per BLS, May 2025). First, the median of $99,700 is remarkably high for a small state — New England's wage pressure extends well beyond Boston, and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's academic market in Lebanon plus the seacoast systems compete for the same nurses Massachusetts does. Second, the mean sits slightly below the median, the reverse of most markets: a compressed, evenly-paid RN workforce with less top-end skew than big-city tables. For travelers, the 75th–90th percentile band ($108,400 to $123,190) marks where hospitals stretch, and travel bill rates float above it when the small market's thin benches run short — which, in a state with fewer than 16,000 staff RNs, happens seasonally and fast.
The hedged range below reflects Lebanon and the seacoast over the rest of the state. Verify live offers with your recruiter.
| Measure | Figure | What it means for travelers |
|---|---|---|
| RN employment (New Hampshire) | 15,390 | Small market — thin benches, fast gaps (per BLS OEWS, May 2025) |
| Median RN wage | $99,700/yr ($47.93/hr) | Near-Boston staff baseline that anchors bill rates |
| Mean RN wage | $97,900/yr ($47.07/hr) | Below the median — a compressed, evenly-paid market |
| Entry RN (10th pct) | $75,610/yr | Floor of the market |
| Experienced RN (75th–90th pct) | $108,400–$123,190/yr | Where bill rates cluster |
| Typical travel package (hedged) | roughly $2,300–$3,000/week gross | Taxable wage + stipends; varies by specialty and season — verify with recruiters |
| State income tax (2026) | None on wages (I&D tax repealed 2025) | Take-home tracks gross closely |
| Nurse Licensure Compact | Yes — member since Jan. 19, 2018 | Multistate license works; fast starts possible |
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 New Hampshire
Stipend caps follow the federal GSA per-diem tables, and New Hampshire's geography writes the script: the Boston-adjacent southern tier carries some of the highest lodging caps in New England, the seacoast runs high in summer, and the Upper Valley around Lebanon is solid academic-market territory (current tables at gsa.gov/perdiem). Rents follow the same gradient, so a Nashua contract can feel like a Massachusetts cost base with a New Hampshire tax picture — the stipend-to-rent ratio is the number to check, city by city.
Illustrative math: $25/hr × 36 guaranteed hours = $900/week taxable. Subtract roughly $103 federal and $69 FICA — and nothing for state income tax, because New Hampshire does not tax wages — leaving about $728. Add $1,250 housing plus $400 M&IE — $1,650 tax-free — for a take-home near $2,380/week, about $66/hour blended, roughly $30,900 over 13 weeks. Compare that with the same gross earned across the border: Massachusetts' flat 5% would trim roughly $45/week from the taxable portion. That difference compounds over a 13-week contract, which is why you should run both scenarios through the take-home calculator and compare by blended rate before choosing sides of the state line.
The standing rule is federal and unchanged: stipends are tax-free only with a valid tax home and duplicated living expenses. The tax home guide applies in full in tax-free states.
New Hampshire taxes: no wage tax, and now no investment tax either
New Hampshire never taxed wages, and as of January 1, 2025 its interest-and-dividends tax is repealed as well — confirmed by the New Hampshire Department of Revenue Administration — making the state one of the few with effectively no personal income tax at all. For travelers, an assignment in New Hampshire means no state return on wages earned there. The border reality check: New Hampshire residents who take Massachusetts contracts owe Massachusetts' flat 5% nonresident tax on taxable wages (the two states have no reciprocity agreement), while the reverse — a Massachusetts resident working in New Hampshire — owes tax to Massachusetts as their home state. Confirm your overall position with a CPA who handles multistate healthcare workers.
Tax figures here are 2026 planning information from official state sources — confirm your own filing position with a CPA; this page is not tax advice.
Licensure in New Hampshire: compact member since 2018
New Hampshire is a full member of the Nurse Licensure Compact — implemented January 19, 2018, per the NCSBN map. A multistate RN license from your compact home state covers New Hampshire assignments with no separate application, and for New Hampshire residents the home-state license is itself the multistate license — a practical advantage for travelers based in the Granite State working compact assignments nationally. The contrast that matters regionally: Massachusetts, next door, has enacted the compact but has no implementation date, so Boston contracts still require a separate Massachusetts license. Verify current status at nursecompact.com.
Where the demand is in New Hampshire
Lebanon is the academic anchor: Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center is northern New England's referral destination and its deepest source of specialty traveler lines — ICU, NICU, OR and oncology above all — in a small-town rental market that tightens hard at semester starts. Manchester runs the volume market with Catholic Medical Center and the Elliot, Nashua adds southern-tier community lines that pull Boston-level census at lower rents, and Portsmouth Regional anchors the seacoast with a seasonal summer swell. The North Country's critical-access hospitals use travelers to cover gaps their small benches cannot, often with quieter rates but housing included. Fall foliage season compresses the rental market statewide — book housing early, and weigh the stipend versus agency housing choice accordingly.
Stipend ceilings everywhere follow the federal per-diem tables for your assignment location — gsa.gov/perdiem.
FAQ
How much do travel nurses make in New Hampshire?
Per BLS OEWS (May 2025), the median staff RN in New Hampshire earns $99,700/year. Travel packages typically quote $2,300–$3,000/week gross, with the Dartmouth-Hitchcock academic market in Lebanon and the seacoast at the top — verify offers with recruiters.
Is New Hampshire a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Yes — New Hampshire has been a compact member since January 19, 2018, per NCSBN. A multistate license from your compact home state covers New Hampshire assignments with no separate application.
Does New Hampshire tax wages?
No. New Hampshire never taxed wages, and its interest-and-dividends tax was repealed for periods beginning January 1, 2025, per the NH Department of Revenue Administration — effectively no personal income tax at all.
Are stipends taxed in New Hampshire?
Stipends are tax-free federally when you maintain a valid tax home and duplicated living expenses — and New Hampshire adds no income tax on top. Only federal tax and FICA touch a New Hampshire contract.
I live in New Hampshire and want a Boston contract. What changes?
Two things: Massachusetts is not yet a compact state you can practice in, so you need a Massachusetts license by endorsement, and Massachusetts taxes nonresident wages at a flat 5% — there is no reciprocity agreement with New Hampshire. Stipends are unaffected.
What is a good blended rate in New Hampshire?
An illustrative $2,380/week take-home over 36 hours is about $66/hour blended. With no state income tax, a New Hampshire offer keeps roughly what a noticeably larger gross would net next door in Massachusetts.