Healthcare Salary and Job Market in the US 2026

You want to know what healthcare work pays in the US right now, and whether anyone is actually hiring. Demand is real. Almost nobody is telling you what the job pays.

What the job market looks like right now#

On 14 October 2026, the JobRise live jobs feed listed 2,216 open healthcare roles in the United States on the healthcare jobs hub. Of those, 1,090 were posted in the last 30 days, and 889 in the last 7 days alone. Most of the visible demand is very fresh.

That last number is the one to watch. Postings move fast right now.

For context, the whole US feed carried 13,720 open listings across every category, with 8,471 posted in the last 30 days, and the JobRise Hiring Report for the US tracks those country-wide numbers. Healthcare is a large slice of that, not a niche corner.

These are counts of open listings on one site, not a market survey. Treat them as a dated snapshot of what is being advertised, not as a measure of total employment.

Who is hiring#

A handful of employers dominate the healthcare listings, and Commonwealth Medical Services has 929 open roles, which is over 40 percent of the slice on its own, though it may be a recruiter or staffing firm rather than a single hospital system. Phoenix Home Care and Hospice has 171, AdvisaCare has 143, and Amazing Care Home Health Services has 130.

Below that, the numbers drop fast. ICBD sits at 41. Serenity Mental Health Centers has 40, Elite Care Management, Inc. has 30, Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry has 27, The Recovery Village has 26, and Radias Health has 24.

Home health, hospice, mental health, and dental all show up repeatedly, which tells you where the churn and the openings are. That pattern matters when you pick a specialty.

The busiest cities are smaller than you would expect: Greenville with 43 listings, Rapid City with 42, Grand Forks with 28, Indiana with 28, and Abilene with 25. If you are flexible on location, mid-size cities are where the posting volume is concentrated right now.

Full-time, part-time, and contract#

Of the 2,216 healthcare listings, 1,575 are full-time, 587 are part-time, and 54 are contract. Part-time work is a real share of this market, especially in home care and caregiving, so read the job type before you fall in love with a rate.

Sample open roles give a sense of the range of work being posted: "LPN/RN Pediatric Home Care" at Phoenix Home Care and Hospice, "Mental Health Practitioner (Hennepin County ACT)" at Radias Health, "Dental Surgical Assistant" at Mountain State Oral & Facial Surgery, "Part-Time Medical Assistant Mohs - Voorhees NJ" at QualDerm Partners, "Caregiver" at Caring for Family of Companies, "Health Coach Manager" and "Health Coach" at Future PLC, and "Children's Caregiver" at Forward Family Care, LLC.

Lots of home care here. Plan for driving between patients.

The pay transparency problem#

Here is the blunt part: not one listing in this slice shows a salary. Zero out of 2,216. You will not find a posted rate on any of these healthcare roles, which means every pay conversation happens after you have already invested time in applying and interviewing.

That is legal in many US states, and common in healthcare, where pay is often banded by facility, shift, and certification rather than advertised. The burden of finding the number falls on you. Ask early. Ask in writing.

Do not let anyone tell you the range is "competitive" without attaching a figure to it. That word is meaningless.

Entry-level openings exist but are rare: 15 of 2,216 listings carry entry-level framing, such as "Youth Recovery Case Manager (Entry-Level Welcome)" at Recover Medical Group or "New Graduate Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant" at NIVA Health. New graduates should apply broadly and expect to negotiate harder, because the posting gives them no anchor.

Typical pay ranges by seniority#

Because no listings here quote pay, the ranges below come from commonly reported US healthcare figures, not from this data. They vary a lot by state, facility type, shift, and certification, so treat them as rough orientation only and check current official sources such as the US Bureau of Labor Statistics or your state licensing board before you plan around any number.

• Caregiver or home health aide, entry level: often roughly $14 to $20 per hour, sometimes higher in high-cost metros or overnight shifts.
• Certified Medical Assistant or LPN: commonly in the $18 to $30 per hour range, with shift differentials on top.
• Registered Nurse: often reported around $65,000 to $95,000 per year, with wide spread by specialty and region.
• Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant: frequently reported in the $110,000 to $135,000 per year range, higher in acute care or underserved areas.
• Nurse or clinical manager: commonly $90,000 to $125,000 per year, depending on team size and budget responsibility.

None of these are promises. Verify against current sources. Use the range as a starting point for a conversation, not a demand.

What US healthcare offers usually include#

US healthcare compensation is rarely just base pay, and you should expect some mix of shift differentials for evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays, often a few dollars per hour extra. Overtime rules under the FLSA matter enormously in a field built on 12-hour shifts and on-call coverage.

Sign-on bonuses are common in nursing and home health, sometimes paid in installments over one or two years with a clawback if you leave early. Read the repayment terms before you spend that money.

Expect health, dental, and vision insurance, plus retirement matching, usually a 401(k) with a company match up to a stated percent. Paid time off, sick leave, and sometimes tuition reimbursement or certification pay for maintaining licenses round out the usual package. Mileage reimbursement matters for home health and hospice roles that involve driving between patients.

Equity and stock are not standard outside of health tech or large publicly traded systems. There is no 13th-month salary or superannuation norm in the US; those are conventions in other countries. If a recruiter uses those terms, ask what the US equivalent actually is.

How to negotiate when no salary is posted#

The lack of a posted range is your opening, not your obstacle, so use the free salary negotiation guide to model your ask before you get on the call. Then follow this sequence.

• Ask for the range before the first interview: "Can you share the budgeted hourly rate or salary band for this role?"
• Do not give your current pay first. If pressed, say you are evaluating offers in a range and want to understand theirs.
• Research local norms for the specific metro and shift pattern, not just the national average.
• Once you have an offer, negotiate the full package: base, shift differential, differentials for certifications, sign-on bonus terms, and PTO.
• Get the final offer in writing, including bonus repayment terms and any non-compete or non-solicit language.

Here is a script that works when the recruiter dodges the question.

"I'm very interested in this role. Before we schedule the panel interview, can you confirm the hourly range and how shift differentials are applied? I want to make sure we're aligned on the compensation side so we both use our time well."

If they still refuse to give any number, that is data too. Employers who will not name a range before hours of interviews are employers who will fight you later. Walk away if it feels wrong.

A worked example of how to frame your ask: instead of "I was making $28 an hour, so I'd like more," say "Based on my LPN license, three years of pediatric home care experience, and the evening shift coverage this role requires, I'm targeting $31 to $34 per hour. Does that fit the band?" You gave a range tied to the job's actual demands, not your past.

A short plan for your search#

• Filter the healthcare jobs hub by city and job type before you apply, so you are not wasting time on part-time roles if you need full-time.
• Apply to roles posted in the last 7 days first, since 889 of the 1,090 recent listings are that fresh.
• Track every application in a spreadsheet with the posting date, recruiter contact, and any pay figure mentioned.
• Ask about pay at the first contact, not after the third interview.
• Keep your license, certifications, and background check paperwork ready, because healthcare hiring moves fast once an employer decides.

FAQ#

Are these healthcare job numbers reliable for planning my search?

They are counts of open listings on JobRise as of 14 October 2026, not a market survey or an employment statistic. Use them to see where demand is concentrated, and cross-check with official sources for anything you plan around financially.

Why do so few healthcare listings show pay?

Pay transparency laws in the US vary by state and often exempt healthcare roles or allow ranges instead of exact figures. Many healthcare employers also set pay by shift, certification, and facility, so they negotiate case by case.

Should I apply if the listing has no salary posted?

Yes, but ask for the range before investing in a long interview process. If an employer refuses to name any figure even after you ask directly, treat that as a red flag about how they handle pay conversations later.

What is a reasonable ask for a new graduate nurse role?

New graduate postings in this slice are rare, about 15 of 2,216, so apply broadly and anchor to your local market rather than national averages. Check current official sources such as the Bureau of Labor Statistics for your state and specialty before naming a number.

Do sign-on bonuses in healthcare come with strings?

Usually yes. Many are paid in installments over one or two years and must be repaid if you leave early, so read the repayment terms in the offer letter before you count that money as income.