10 Best Travel Nurse Agencies for 2026 (Ranked)

Key takeaway: The 10 best travel nurse agencies for 2026 are: Aya Healthcare, AMN Healthcare, Cross Country Healthcare, Medical Solutions, Fusion Medical Staffing, TotalMed (Travel Nurse Across America), Trusted Health, Nomad Health, Host Healthcare, and Triage Staffing. Aya and AMN lead for hospitals that need a managed service provider and national fill rates; Fusion, TotalMed/TNAA, Host, and Triage lead for nurse experience and recruiter quality; Trusted Health and Nomad lead for transparent, app-based matching.

Travel nurse agencies supply registered nurses and allied clinicians on 8 to 26 week contracts to hospitals, health systems, and outpatient facilities that cannot fill shifts with permanent staff. The agency recruits, credentials, pays, and houses the clinician; the facility pays an hourly bill rate, often through a vendor management system (VMS) run by a managed service provider (MSP).

The market has swung hard. Staffing Industry Analysts estimated that US travel nurse revenue peaked near $38 billion in 2022 before falling toward roughly $17 billion in 2024 as pandemic premiums unwound, while the Bureau of Labor Statistics still projects about 194,500 registered nurse openings each year through 2033. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing's 2024 workforce study found that about 138,000 nurses had left the profession since 2022 and that roughly 40 percent of the remaining workforce intend to leave by 2029, which keeps demand for travelers structurally high even at lower rates.

This list ranks agencies by hospital-side reliability, clinician experience, specialty coverage, and pricing transparency. For permanent and leadership hiring, see our healthcare recruiting firms list, and for broader per diem and allied coverage see healthcare staffing agencies.

How did we evaluate travel nurse agencies?

The 10 agencies at a glance

The 10 best travel nurse agencies

1. Aya Healthcare

Type: Travel nurse and allied staffing, MSP and VMS Headquarters: San Diego, CA Best for: Health systems that want one vendor for travel nurses, allied, locums, and workforce technology

Aya Healthcare is the largest travel nurse agency in the United States, with a nationwide traveler pool, its own vendor management technology, and managed service programs for hospital systems. It expanded through acquisitions, including Qualivis and Polaris, and offers rapid response and strike staffing alongside standard 13 week contracts. Aya is Joint Commission certified and carries strong traveler reviews for recruiter responsiveness and app-based job search.

Strengths:

• Largest traveler database and highest volume of open contracts
• Integrated MSP and VMS for health systems
• Rapid response, crisis, and labor disruption teams

Limitations:

• Large agency; recruiter quality varies by team
• MSP model can crowd out smaller vendors at client facilities

2. AMN Healthcare

Type: Healthcare workforce solutions, travel nurse and allied staffing Headquarters: Dallas, TX Best for: Large health systems that want travel nursing bundled with locums, interim leadership, language services, and workforce analytics

AMN Healthcare is a publicly traded workforce solutions company whose nurse and allied segment places travel nurses under the AMN, American Mobile, Onward Healthcare, and Medical Express brands. It runs one of the largest MSP books in healthcare, operates the ShiftWise VMS, and layers in locum tenens, interim leadership, and predictive analytics. AMN is the default enterprise choice for systems that want a single strategic partner.

Strengths:

• Broadest service portfolio of any healthcare staffing company
• Long-standing MSP relationships with major systems
• Public company governance and reporting

Limitations:

• Enterprise focus; small facilities get less attention
• Markups reflect scale and service breadth

3. Cross Country Healthcare

Type: Travel nurse, allied, and workforce solutions Headquarters: Boca Raton, FL Best for: Hospitals and health systems seeking an MSP alternative to AMN and Aya with strong education and home health coverage

Cross Country Healthcare has placed travel nurses since 1986 and pairs its Cross Country Nurses brand with the Intellify VMS, MSP services, education staffing, and home care. It has invested heavily in technology and recruiter training and is a frequent primary or secondary vendor at academic medical centers. Cross Country is Joint Commission certified and offers a well-regarded traveler app.

Strengths:

• Decades of travel nurse history and compliance infrastructure
• Intellify VMS and MSP capability
• Strong school nurse and education staffing adjacent practice

Limitations:

• Smaller traveler pool than Aya or AMN
• Public company cost pressure has thinned recruiter headcount at times

4. Medical Solutions

Type: Travel nurse and allied staffing, MSP Headquarters: Omaha, NE Best for: Facilities that want a top five agency with a reputation for recruiter relationships and flexible contract lengths

Medical Solutions is one of the largest independent travel nurse agencies, offering travel, local contract, per diem, and crisis staffing, along with a workforce solutions division that runs MSP programs. It acquired C&A Industries (Aureus Medical) and is known among nurses for its personable recruiters, pet-friendly housing policies, and bonuses. Medical Solutions is Joint Commission certified.

Strengths:

• High traveler satisfaction and loyalty
• MSP and workforce solutions for mid-size systems
• Broad allied health coverage through Aureus

Limitations:

• Less workforce technology than Aya or AMN
• Pay packages can lag the largest agencies in hot markets

5. Fusion Medical Staffing

Type: Travel nurse, allied, and long-term care staffing Headquarters: Omaha, NE Best for: Nurses and facilities that value transparent pay packages and highly rated recruiters

Fusion Medical Staffing places travel nurses, allied professionals, laboratory and cardiopulmonary staff, home health, and long-term care clinicians nationwide. It consistently ranks near the top of traveler review sites for recruiter quality and transparency, posts pay ranges publicly, and offers day-one benefits. Fusion is Joint Commission certified and has grown quickly without an MSP arm, which keeps it vendor-neutral.

Strengths:

• Top-tier traveler reviews and recruiter retention
• Public pay transparency
• Strong long-term care and allied coverage

Limitations:

• No MSP or VMS offering
• Mid-size traveler pool compared with the top three

6. TotalMed (Travel Nurse Across America)

Type: Travel nurse, allied, and workforce solutions Headquarters: Appleton, WI Best for: Facilities that want a top ten agency combining TotalMed's scale with TNAA's clinician support model

TotalMed is a top ten healthcare staffing company that now operates Travel Nurse Across America (TNAA), the North Little Rock agency known since 1999 for its clinical liaison team, paid sick leave, and guaranteed hours options; tnaa.com now redirects to TotalMed. The combined company places travel nurses, allied professionals, and locums, offers MSP services, and is Joint Commission certified.

Strengths:

• TNAA clinical liaison and traveler support programs
• Combined nursing, allied, and locums coverage
• MSP capability for mid-size systems

Limitations:

• Brand integration still settling for travelers who knew TNAA
• Smaller specialty bench than Aya or AMN

7. Trusted Health

Type: Tech-enabled travel nurse staffing and workforce platform Headquarters: San Francisco, CA Best for: Nurses who want transparent, self-serve job matching and health systems adopting internal float pool technology

Trusted Health built a nurse-facing platform that shows pay, location, and shift details up front, matches nurses to contracts with a Nurse Advocate rather than a commissioned recruiter, and extends the same technology to health systems through Trusted Works, an internal resource pool product. It is Joint Commission certified and has raised significant venture funding to compete with legacy agencies on experience and price.

Strengths:

• Transparent pay packages and app-based matching
• Trusted Works lets systems build internal travel programs
• Salaried Nurse Advocates instead of commission-driven recruiters

Limitations:

• Smaller client footprint than legacy agencies
• Platform model offers less hands-on support in some markets

8. Nomad Health

Type: Online travel nurse and allied marketplace Headquarters: New York, NY Best for: Facilities that want lower markups through a digital marketplace and nurses who want to apply directly to posted jobs

Nomad Health operates a digital marketplace where travel nurses and allied clinicians see pay and job details and apply directly, with Nomad handling credentialing, payroll, and compliance as the employer of record. It has grown into one of the larger travel nurse agencies by volume and emphasizes lower overhead than traditional recruiter-driven models. Nomad is Joint Commission certified.

Strengths:

• Self-serve marketplace with upfront pay
• Fast credentialing and onboarding workflow
• Lower cost structure passed through to facilities and nurses

Limitations:

• Less personal recruiter relationship
• Venture-backed; has restructured during market downturns

9. Host Healthcare

Type: Travel nurse, allied, and therapy staffing Headquarters: San Diego, CA Best for: Nurses and therapists who prioritize benefits and recruiter attentiveness; facilities seeking strong West Coast coverage

Host Healthcare places travel nurses, therapists, and allied professionals and consistently earns high rankings from traveler review sites for recruiter communication, benefits, and housing support. It offers day-one medical coverage, a 401(k) match, and a loyalty program, and has particular depth in California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Southwest. Host is Joint Commission certified.

Strengths:

• Among the highest traveler satisfaction ratings
• Strong therapy and allied practice
• Competitive benefits and housing support

Limitations:

• Smaller national scale
• No MSP or workforce technology products

10. Triage Staffing

Type: Travel nurse, allied, and laboratory staffing Headquarters: Omaha, NE Best for: Travelers who want straight talk on pay and facilities that need laboratory, cardiopulmonary, and rehab therapy coverage alongside nursing

Triage Staffing is an Omaha-based agency known for its direct, no-nonsense communication style, transparent pay breakdowns, and strong allied divisions in laboratory, radiology, cardiopulmonary, and rehab therapy. It has grown steadily through traveler referrals and is Joint Commission certified. Triage is a good fit for facilities that want a mid-size vendor with specialty allied depth.

Strengths:

• Deep laboratory and allied health coverage
• Transparent pay packages and recruiter culture
• High referral and repeat traveler rates

Limitations:

• Smaller nursing pool than top five agencies
• Limited international and MSP services

How to choose a travel nurse agency as a facility

Start with the fill problem. Systems with hundreds of open travel contracts across many sites benefit from an MSP run by Aya, AMN, Cross Country, or Medical Solutions, because a single contract, VMS, and compliance standard reduce administrative load. Independent hospitals with a handful of openings often get better service and lower markups from a vendor-neutral agency such as Fusion, TotalMed, Host, or Triage, or from a marketplace such as Nomad or Trusted Health.

Compare bill rates against the total cost of a vacancy, not just against permanent wages. The American Hospital Association and industry analyses put the cost of a single RN vacancy, including overtime, lost capacity, and turnover, well above the contract premium. Ask every agency for its Joint Commission certification, its compliance file turnaround, its cancellation terms, and the share of its travelers who extend or return, because extensions are the cheapest way to hold a filled position.

Finally, review how the agency treats nurses. Public review sites, pay transparency, and recruiter tenure predict whether travelers will show up, stay, and extend. Our temp staffing agencies list covers the general contingent labor market if you also need non-clinical staff.

How Noon fits alongside travel nurse agencies

Travel agencies solve short-term coverage but do not fix the permanent vacancy rate that drives agency spend. Health systems increasingly build internal travel pools and direct recruiting programs to convert long-term contract spend into permanent hires. Noon is an AI recruiter that helps those teams run permanent nurse and allied hiring at scale: it sources candidates across the open web and licensing databases, screens them against role requirements, and runs personalized email and SMS outreach so recruiters spend their time on interviews rather than searches.

Noon offers one flat plan with unlimited roles and seats, so a system recruiting for dozens of permanent RN roles can run them all without per-seat fees. See pricing, compare it with specialized healthcare recruiting software, or read how an AI agent compares with a recruiting agency.

FAQ

What does a travel nurse agency do? A travel nurse agency recruits, credentials, employs, and pays registered nurses and allied clinicians who work short-term contracts, typically 13 weeks, at hospitals and health facilities with staffing gaps. The agency bills the facility an hourly rate and handles licensing, housing stipends, benefits, and compliance.

Which travel nurse agency is the largest? Aya Healthcare is generally considered the largest US travel nurse agency by revenue and open contracts, followed by AMN Healthcare and Cross Country Healthcare. Medical Solutions and Fusion Medical Staffing round out the largest independent agencies.

How much do travel nurse agencies charge hospitals? Bill rates vary by specialty, region, and urgency. In 2025 typical travel RN bill rates ran roughly $70 to $110 per hour for standard contracts, with crisis and strike rates higher. The agency keeps a markup that covers recruiter costs, benefits, housing stipends, compliance, and margin, usually 20 to 30 percent of the bill rate.

What is an MSP in healthcare staffing? A managed service provider (MSP) is an agency that runs a hospital system's entire contingent labor program, distributing orders to itself and subcontracted agencies through a vendor management system (VMS). Aya, AMN, Cross Country, and Medical Solutions are the most common MSPs in travel nursing.

How fast can a travel nurse agency fill a contract? Standard 13 week contracts usually fill in one to three weeks including credentialing. Rapid response and crisis teams at the largest agencies can place nurses in 48 to 72 hours at premium rates.

About the author

Rey Sivji works on growth at Noon AI and researched and compiled this list. Have a correction, a firm that belongs on it, or a question about choosing an agency? Email rey@noon.ai.