Moving between states / Oregon

Flag of ArkansasArkansastoFlag of OregonOregon

Moving from Arkansas to Oregon for work

What moves with you from Arkansas to Oregon: your licence, your take-home pay, and the programs that pay people to come. Every line below is computed from the two states' rules.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Oregon takes roughly $2,520 a year more than Arkansas does.

SalaryArkansas state taxOregon state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,092$2,772-$1,680
$60,000$1,638$4,158-$2,520
$90,000$2,457$6,237-$3,780

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 Oregon: Portland metro adds local taxes on higher incomes. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Arkansas to Oregon

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Arkansas certificate stays on the Arkansas Office of Long Term Care, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Oregon you apply to the Oregon State Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing 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.

RN and LPN: Arkansas to Oregon

Endorsement needed. Oregon is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Arkansas multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Oregon Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Arkansas licence stays valid for compact states.

Electrician: Arkansas to Oregon

Reciprocity likely. Oregon licenses electricians at state level through the Oregon Building Codes Division, Electrical and Elevator Board, and reciprocity with a short list of western states for general journeymen. Your Arkansas licence comes from the Arkansas Department of Labor and Licensing, Electrical Section, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Arkansas to Oregon

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Oregon resident you surrender the Arkansas CDL at a Oregon 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 Oregon. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in Oregon 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 Oregon to Arkansas.

Openings filed in Oregon

76 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Oregon employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Arkansas to Oregon

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 Oregon employers.

Plan my move to Oregon

Same move, by trade

CNA: Arkansas to Oregon · RN or LPN: Arkansas to Oregon · Electrician: Arkansas to Oregon · Truck driver: Arkansas to Oregon

From Arkansas to the states next to Oregon

Washington (no state income tax) · Idaho (flat 5.3% state income tax) · Nevada (no state income tax) · California (progressive, top rate 13.3%)

To Oregon from the states next to Arkansas

Missouri · Tennessee · Mississippi · Louisiana · Texas · Oklahoma

Everything about working in Oregon · All moves between states · All 50 states

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

Licence transfer, what the state takes from your pay, and who pays you to come. Free, no account.

Pick the state