Nurse Staffing Costs to Increase in 2025: Solutions Health Systems Need Now

Travel nursing demand is on the rise again, with the Staffing Industry Association reporting a 13% increase in recent weeks. JobRobotix, a leading job clearinghouse, highlights that the national average pay for a travel nurse has climbed to $92 per hour, up from $85 during the summer. While these rates remain below the pandemic highs, travel nursing costs for hospitals have remained staggering: $51.3 billion in 2023, up from just $15 billion pre-pandemic.

This rising demand comes as health systems face razor-thin operating margins, ongoing workforce shortages, and increasing pressures to deliver high-quality care amidst financial constraints. For many hospitals, the reliance on travel nursing—once seen as a short-term solution—has become an unsustainable cost driver, with ripple effects on staffing stability, employee retention, and patient outcomes.

Over the last 12 years, travel nursing rates have followed a cyclical pattern, and today's trends suggest we're entering another upward phase. For health systems, the question isn't whether travel nurse costs will continue to rise but how to build a resilient workforce strategy to weather these fluctuations. By proactively addressing these challenges now, hospitals can stabilize labor costs, reduce dependency on external forces, and ensure a more adaptable and sustainable workforce in the future.