Travel Nurses & Contract Healthcare Surge Across New Hampshire

A large share of new job postings in New Hampshire right now are short‑term, on‑site travel and contract healthcare roles — and the numbers are hard to ignore. Based on listings on NH Hired from the last week, roughly 59 out of 134 new healthcare openings (~44%) were travel or contract positions. They span towns from Manchester, Portsmouth and Dover to Keene, Lebanon and Plymouth and cover a wide mix of specialties: Med‑Surg, ICU, ED, L&D, IR/Cath Lab, CT/MRI, Respiratory, and Physical Therapy among them. Most ask for about 1–2 years of experience and offer significantly higher weekly pay than many permanent roles.

Why that matters: these are not niche postings tucked away in one hospital system. They’re a widespread, state‑wide response to a shortage of permanent staff, and they’re changing how hospitals cover shifts and how clinicians consider short‑term work.

What the data shows — short and sharp

The NH Hired snapshot from last week gives a clear, immediate picture: travel and contract healthcare roles make up roughly 44% of new healthcare listings. Concrete pay examples from those listings include travel CT/MRI/radiology technologists advertising weekly pay as high as $3,263 (annualized roughly $169,676) and travel RNs with weekly pay between approximately $1,791 and $3,162 (annualized roughly $93,000–$164,000). Most of these roles are explicitly on‑site and list 1–2 years of experience as the baseline requirement.

Those listing numbers track with what staffing agencies and regional reporting have been seeing in 2025–2026: contracts that commonly run 13 weeks (with extensions), hourly rates that climbed into ranges like $70–$95/hr for ICU travel nurses, $55–$75/hr for travel therapists, $45–$60/hr for radiology technologists and $50–$70/hr for MRI specialists, and weekly pay packages that often top $2,400 when housing stipends and reimbursements are included. Some agencies (Aureus, CrossCountry, Maxim and others) have reported monthly housing stipends commonly between $1,500–$2,000 to make short assignments workable.

A few quick clarifications on the pay math you’ll see: when listings give a weekly rate, multiplying by 52 gives an “annualized” number — but remember contracts are often 13 weeks, not year‑round, and packages may include housing or travel reimbursement that isn’t taxable salary in the same way. Always read the full compensation package.

Why travel and contract roles have surged

Several forces are converging in New Hampshire:

• Staffing shortages across multiple hospitals and outpatient centers. The towns showing the most activity on NH Hired (Manchester, Portsmouth, Dover, Keene, Lebanon, Plymouth) reflect places where permanent staffing gaps have been most acute.
• An aging workforce and retirements that accelerated after the pandemic, shrinking the pool of experienced permanent clinicians.
• Post‑COVID patient volumes and shifts in care delivery that increased demand for acute and specialty coverage.
• The practical need for flexible, immediate coverage — travel clinicians are a faster way to fill gaps than recruiting permanent hires, especially for specialized shifts like ICU nights or IR/Cath Lab coverage.

For health systems facing urgent operational pressure, paying premium weekly rates plus stipends is often less disruptive than delaying procedures or cancelling services. But it’s an expensive and temporary fix.

What this means for clinicians considering travel work

If you’re a nurse or allied health professional in New Hampshire, the current market offers several clear opportunities — and tradeoffs.

• Pay and flexibility: travel contracts are paying well right now. Weekly pay often exceeds what local hospital staff earn week‑to‑week, and housing stipends/travel reimbursements can boost total compensation significantly. For clinicians who want to bank cash, pay down debt, or avoid a long commute, short assignments are attractive.

• Experience barrier is lower than you might think: many listings on NH Hired ask for only 1–2 years of relevant experience. That opens travel work to relatively early‑career clinicians who are comfortable stepping into new units quickly.

• The reality of on‑site work: most travel roles listed are on‑site. If you were hoping for remote or hybrid arrangements, those are rare in direct patient care specialties.

• Short contracts, variable schedule: many assignments are 13 weeks with the possibility of extension. That provides flexibility but less continuity of care and benefits than a permanent role. If you prefer predictable schedules and benefits like PTO and tuition reimbursement, weigh that against the higher short‑term pay of travel work.

• Agency terms matter: pay formats, whether you’re W‑2 or 1099, housing stipend structure, health benefits and tax withholding vary by agency. Verify the details before you sign. Ask for a written breakdown: base hourly/week, stipend, reimbursements, overtime policy, shift differentials, credentialing fees, and who covers malpractice or license reciprocity costs.

• Career considerations: travel experience can broaden your skill set quickly—working in different units and systems builds adaptability and clinical breadth. But frequent short assignments can also make it harder to access internal advancement programs, tuition assistance, or leadership tracks at a single health system.

Practical tips for clinicians

• Vet agencies: ask other local clinicians about their experiences with specific agencies. Look for transparent pay breakdowns and timely pay stubs.
• Confirm license requirements: New Hampshire participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact? (Check current status and reciprocity). Radiology and therapy credentials may have state‑specific rules.
• Negotiate housing and reimbursements: if an assignment requires relocation, a housing stipend or arranged housing can make a big difference in net pay.
• Keep records: track reimbursements, stipend terms, and hours worked — it’ll help at tax time and if any disputes arise.

What employers and hiring managers should read from this

The surge in travel and contract listings is a signal, not a solution. Short‑term staffing can keep services running, but it carries operational and financial costs and can affect patient continuity and team morale.

• Cost pressure: paying premium hourly and contractor rates plus stipends is expensive over time. The concentration of travel roles in nearly half of recent postings suggests many facilities are relying on a costly patch rather than rebuilding permanent capacity.

• Retention is the lever: longer‑term savings come from investing in retention — predictable schedules, competitive permanent pay, sign‑on and retention bonuses tied to tenure, upskilling and clinical ladder programs, and mental health/burnout supports.

• Build a pipeline: partnerships with community colleges, regional nursing programs, and allied health training programs will help. Apprenticeships, residency programs for new grads, and robust preceptor programs shorten the time to competent, retained staff.

• Strategic use of travelers: use travel staff to cover true short‑term peaks and planned leave rather than structural staffing gaps. Make sure travelers have good orientation and are integrated into unit workflows to minimize safety and quality risks.

• Tracking and forecasting: monitor trends on platforms like NH Hired and internal scheduling systems to identify recurring gaps (e.g., nights in ICU, weekend IR coverage) that could be solved with shift redesign or targeted hiring.

Market signals and what to watch next

Right now the mix — dozens of travel postings across multiple towns and specialties — suggests this is more than seasonal noise. Look for these signs over the coming months:

• If travel contract volumes stay high or grow, the market is signaling sustained structural shortages rather than a temporary blip.
• If weekly pay stays elevated or housing stipends remain common, expect pressure on hospital margins and potential downstream impacts on services or elective schedules.
• If more permanent roles begin to include sign‑on and retention bonuses, that’s a sign employers are pivoting from reliance on travelers to rebuilding staff.

Bottom line

New Hampshire’s healthcare hiring picture right now is one of heavy reliance on travel and contract roles — nearly half of last week’s postings on NH Hired were short‑term clinicians and technologists covering a broad set of specialties. For clinicians, that means high pay and flexibility if you’re willing to take on short assignments and the logistics of on‑site work. For employers, it’s a clear warning: travel staff are an important stopgap, but long‑term stability will require investment in permanent staff pipelines and retention strategies.

NH Hired’s recent listings give a practical, on‑the‑ground look at how hospitals and outpatient centers are responding to staffing shortages across Manchester, Portsmouth, Dover, Keene, Lebanon and Plymouth. Keep watching local postings and agency trends — they’re often the first indicator that a market is shifting.