The states with the most open travel nurse positions include California and Texas, according to data from Medical Solutions, the third-largest healthcare staffing firm in the US.

Medical Solutions’ data comes from the week ended Dec. 23. The top 10 states in terms of demand for travel nurses that week were:

1. California
2. Texas
3. Ohio
4. Massachusetts
5. Missouri
6. Pennsylvania 
7. New York 
8. North Carolina 
9. Virginia 
10. Arizona

California is a large state and it has mandated nursing ratios that help drive demand. However, Chase Farmer, chief commercial officer at Medical Solutions, noted California and Texas can switch between the No. 1 and No. 2 spots.

Texas tends to have a higher “snowbird” population than California, and Texas is seeing a lot of people move into the state, with many coming from California. It’s that population growth in the Lone Star State that is helping fuel demand.

The Houston, Austin and Dallas areas are among some of the fastest-growing in the US, Farmer said.

Arizona is also a snowbird state, though it falls lower on the list at No. 10. Farmer said demand in Arizona tends to be very seasonal. Arizona may already have a high number of travel nurses at work in the state, so the full demand in the state may not be completely represented just by looking at openings.