Moving between states / West Virginia

Flag of AlaskaAlaskatoFlag of West VirginiaWest Virginia, Electrician

Moving from Alaska to West Virginia as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Alaska has to do to work in West Virginia, what the move does to your pay, and who in West Virginia is hiring from out of state.

Reciprocity likely. West Virginia licenses electricians at state level through the West Virginia State Fire Marshal, Electrician Licensing, and reciprocity with a few states for licence holders who passed an equivalent exam. Your Alaska licence comes from the Alaska Department of Labor, Mechanical Inspection, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary West Virginia takes roughly $2,024 a year more than Alaska does, because you are leaving a state with no income tax on wages.

SalaryAlaska state taxWest Virginia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$0$1,350-$1,350
$60,000$0$2,024-$2,024
$90,000$0$3,037-$3,037

Rough figures for a single filer: exact in the flat-rate and no-tax states, approximated at 70% of the top bracket in the progressive ones. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Alaska to West Virginia

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Alaska certificate stays on the Alaska Board of Nursing (Certified Nurse Aide program); to work in West Virginia you apply to the West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure and Certification, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. It accepts an active certificate in good standing from another state; there is no retest if your record is clean. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.

RN and LPN: Alaska to West Virginia

Endorsement, six to twelve weeks. Alaska is not in the compact, so your Alaska licence is single-state. Apply to the West Virginia board for licensure by endorsement (Nursys verification, fingerprints, the board's fee); six to twelve weeks is normal, so start before you give notice. Because West Virginia is a compact state, ask for the new licence to be issued as a multistate licence: from then on it works in every compact state.

CDL: Alaska to West Virginia

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a West Virginia resident you surrender the Alaska CDL at a West Virginia driver licence office, pass the vision test, pay the fee, and your endorsements carry over. A hazmat endorsement needs a fresh TSA threat assessment in West Virginia. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

  • Ascend West Virginia: $12,000 over two years plus outdoor perks. For remote workers who move to one of the participating communities (Morgantown, Lewisburg, Shepherdstown and others).

Going the other way? Alaska has Permanent Fund Dividend. See moving from West Virginia to Alaska.

Openings filed in West Virginia

14 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by West Virginia employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Alaska to West Virginia

Tell us your trade and your licence. We write the steps for your case, check the job offer for scams, and keep your resume ready for West Virginia employers.

Plan my move to West Virginia

Same move, by trade

CNA: Alaska to West Virginia · RN or LPN: Alaska to West Virginia · Truck driver: Alaska to West Virginia · All licences: Alaska to West Virginia

From Alaska to the states next to West Virginia

Ohio (progressive, top rate 3.5%) · Pennsylvania (flat 3.07% state income tax) · Maryland (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Virginia (progressive, top rate 5.75%) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax)

To West Virginia from the states next to Alaska

Everything about working in West Virginia · All moves between states · All 50 states

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