Moving between states / Missouri
Arkansasto
Missouri, CNAMoving from Arkansas to Missouri as a certified nursing assistant
What a certified nursing assistant licensed in Arkansas has to do to work in Missouri, what the move does to your pay, and who in Missouri is hiring from out of state.
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Arkansas certificate stays on the Arkansas Office of Long Term Care, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Missouri you apply to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Certified Nurse Assistant 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.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Missouri takes roughly $336 a year more than Arkansas does.
| Salary | Arkansas state tax | Missouri state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,092 | $1,316 | -$224 |
| $60,000 | $1,638 | $1,974 | -$336 |
| $90,000 | $2,457 | $2,961 | -$504 |
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. In Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis add a 1% earnings tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.
RN and LPN: Arkansas to Missouri
Works on day one. Both Arkansas and Missouri are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Arkansas is valid in Missouri the day you arrive. Once Missouri is your primary residence, apply there for a Missouri multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Arkansas to Missouri
Licensed by the city. Missouri has no state electrician licence; the Missouri Division of Professional Registration (optional statewide licence) and city building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. A voluntary statewide electrical contractor licence exists since 2021; day-to-day licensing is still by city and county, many of which reciprocate with each other. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Arkansas state licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.
CDL: Arkansas to Missouri
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Missouri resident you surrender the Arkansas CDL at a Missouri 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 Missouri. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Missouri pay you to come?
No statewide program in Missouri pays people to move in. Towns sometimes list an offer through MakeMyMove, and employers in short-staffed trades pay relocation themselves; ask for it in writing before you accept.
Going the other way? Arkansas has Life Works Here (Northwest Arkansas). See moving from Missouri to Arkansas.
Openings filed in Missouri
93 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Missouri employers who could not fill them locally.
- Senior Banker II - Watkins Crossing Financial CenterBank of America · Kansas City
- Landscape LaborerKC Sprinkler Pros · Kansas City · $20.65 to 24/hr
- 35-3023.00 Fast Food & Counter Workers – Mobile Food ConcessDizon's Food, LLC · St. Louis · $17.77 to 21.57/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorsFarmRight Solutions, LLC · New Cambria · $18.71/hr
- Graders and Sorters, Agricultural ProductsT&H Feedlot · Sedgewickville · $15/hr
- Farmworkers, Farm & Ranch AnimalsShow-Me Farms · Polo · $15/hr
Your own route from Arkansas to Missouri
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 Missouri employers.
Plan my move to MissouriSame move, by trade
RN or LPN: Arkansas to Missouri · Electrician: Arkansas to Missouri · Truck driver: Arkansas to Missouri · All licences: Arkansas to Missouri
From Arkansas to the states next to Missouri
Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Illinois (flat 4.95% state income tax) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Kansas (progressive, top rate 5.58%) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%)
To Missouri from the states next to Arkansas
Tennessee · Mississippi · Louisiana · Texas · Oklahoma
Everything about working in Missouri · All moves between states · All 50 states