Nurses and clinicians, you’re in demand! And that means more jobs, and potentially more earnings, too. If you're looking for opportunities to upgrade your paycheck, here are the best-paying nursing and allied health jobs to consider.
- Looking for a higher-paying job? Search hundreds of contract and per diem opportunities at the HealthTrust jobsite
Best-Paying Nursing & Allied Health Jobs in 2025
Call it the reality of day-to-day life. But for most of us, pay is usually top of mind when searching for a new job. If you're looking to maximize your earnings, here are the highest-paying nursing and allied health jobs to consider, along with tips on how to earn the most and links so you can browse opportunities right now.
Registered Nurse (RN) Jobs
Nursing pay has surged since the pandemic, and many RN jobs are now as lucrative as careers that require an advanced degree, like NPs or CRNAs.
- How much will you earn as an RN in 2025? $94,480 is the current average RN salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). However, some specialties — like progressive care, ICU and CVOR — often pay much more.
- What are the highest-paying RN specialties? Some specialties pay more than others. For instance, demand has spiked for ICU and dialysis nurses in many states. Learn more in our rundown of the 5 hottest RN specialties for 2025.
- How to make the most money in 2025: Because they're temporary, contract roles often pay much more than permanent positions — almost $3,000 per week, in some cases. And if you work a travel job in your local area, you'll still get the additional stipends that make traveling so profitable.
- Job Search PRO TIP: Got dialysis experience? You'll find the biggest collection of dialysis RN jobs on the at healthtrustjobs.com!
Travel Nursing Jobs
Yes, travelers are RNs. But because traveling pays more than standard jobs, most experts consider travel nursing a separate job category. For instance, some of the highest-paying travel jobs at the HealthTrust jobsite offer a total of around $2,500 per week, for a yearly average of about $130,000.
- How much will you earn? $80,000 to $140,000 is the current range for travel nurses, with your final pay decided by how much you choose to work.
- What are the highest-paying travel nursing specialties? Right now, the most in-demand nursing specialties are med/surg, telemetry and ICU, but that can quickly change! Take a look at our latest Travel Job Release for more details.
- What are the best states for travel nurse jobs in 2025? Did you know that you can find more travel jobs in Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, and Florida than any other state? Check out our current travel RN jobs to see what's hot right now.
- How to make the most money in 2025: Right now, Alaska and New Hampshire offer some of the highest pay in the U.S.A. And when you travel to a state with a lower cost of living, you can boost your earnings even more.
- Job search PRO TIP: If you're already in the HealthTrust network, you can find exclusive jobs on the Go HWS app — download it for Android or Apple today.
Technologist Jobs
Like RNs, there are a huge variety of different types of technologists, and some of them pay more than others. You can also earn more when you work a travel job.
- How much will you earn? $60,000 to $130,000. While the BLS considers both technologists and technicians in its average pay calculation of $60,780, technologists make considerably more, with many HealthTrust contract jobs offering $2,500 per week, for an average salary of $130,000.
- Do travel jobs pay more? Yes! When you factor in the housing and travel stipends, weekly pay for travel radiology and cath lab techs can exceed $2,600 at the HealthTrust travel jobsite.
- What are the highest-paying technologist jobs? The highest-paying specialties at the HealthTrust jobsite currently include radiology, ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and cath lab techs.
Physical & Occupational Therapist (PT/OT) Jobs
Yes, they're two distinctly different jobs. But there's also a lot of overlap in PT and OT, and demand for both is skyrocketing. In fact, the BLS estimates the growth rate for both careers to be much higher than the average American job, so you can expect those pay rates to keep climbing.
- How much will you earn? $99,710 is the current average salary for PTs (BLS) and $96,370 for OTs (BLS).
- Do travel jobs pay more? In general, yes. For instance, when you factor in travel stipends, contract jobs currently available at the HealthTrust jobsite include opportunities for $2,100 and higher, or about $110,000 per year.
- How to make the most money: The highest-paying jobs for both disciplines are in home health, where PTs make an average of $107,870 and OTs make $104,790, followed by hospitals and nursing facilities.
Respiratory Therapist (RT/CRT/RRT) Jobs
Respiratory therapists might not earn as much as OTs, PTs, or RNs. But, unlike those careers, most RT jobs require only an associate's degree. That makes RTs some of the best-paying healthcare jobs you can get without an advanced degree. Even better, demand for RTs is sky high, so future increases are likely.
- How much will you earn? $77,960 is the current average salary for RTs (BLS).
- Do travel jobs pay more? Yes! Because RTs are in such high demand, many employers are willing to pay you to travel to them. You can learn more about traveling as an RT here, or browse open travel jobs here.
- How to make the most money in 2025: Some travel RT jobs currently available at the HealthTrust jobsite offer around $2,000 a week, for a total of about $100,000 each year when you factor in travel and housing stipends — well above the BLS average.
Interim Leadership and Management Jobs
The need for temporary workers in healthcare isn't limited to travel nurses and clinicians. Demand is also surging for interim managers — including experienced RNs — to step in while organizations work to replace long-term leaders.
- How much will you earn? $110,680 is the BLS average for clinical leaders. However, because these jobs are so critical, interim managers can earn $200,000 or more — especially if you have skills and experience to offer.
- What are the highest-paying nurse manager specialties? Nurse managers working in med/surg, emergency room, and other hospital settings tend to earn more than those working in nursing facilities, home health, or other settings.
- How to make the most money in 2025: As with most healthcare jobs, leadership experience will help you earn more. Not only do senior-level nurses tend to earn more in general, but some of the best-paying RN jobs are for interim directors in med/surg, ER and case management. See more here.
Your Source for the Best-Paying Healthcare Jobs
As always, you can trust HealthTrust to connect you with the best-paying nursing and allied healthcare jobs, across the U.S.A. See what's available: Search hundreds of local, travel, and per diem jobs now.
