Moving between states / Minnesota
Californiato
Minnesota, Truck driverMoving from California to Minnesota as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in California has to do to work in Minnesota, what the move does to your pay, and who in Minnesota is hiring from out of state.
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Minnesota resident you surrender the California CDL at a Minnesota 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 Minnesota. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Minnesota leaves you roughly $1,449 a year more than California does, because Minnesota's rate is lower.
| Salary | California state tax | Minnesota state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $3,724 | $2,758 | +$966 |
| $60,000 | $5,586 | $4,137 | +$1,449 |
| $90,000 | $8,379 | $6,206 | +$2,173 |
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 California: plus a 1.1% payroll tax for disability insurance. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: California to Minnesota
Transfers by reciprocity. Your California certificate stays on the California Department of Public Health, Aide and Technician Certification Section; to work in Minnesota you apply to the Minnesota Department of Health, 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: California to Minnesota
Endorsement needed. Neither California nor Minnesota is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Minnesota Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement: verification of your California licence through Nursys, a fingerprint background check and the fee. Start before you give notice; six to twelve weeks is normal.
Electrician: California to Minnesota
Reciprocity likely. Minnesota licenses electricians at state level through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and reciprocity with a group of states for journeymen licensed by exam who worked a year in the trade. Your California licence comes from the Division of Industrial Relations (certification) and Contractors State License Board (C-10), a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.
Does Minnesota pay you to come?
- Harmony new-home rebate: $5,000 to $12,000. For anyone building a new home in the city of Harmony.
Openings filed in Minnesota
72 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Minnesota employers who could not fill them locally.
- Ag Equipment OperatorAvalon Ridge LLC · Roseau · $20.45/hr
- Farm Laborer - Seasonal livestockRAGUSE FAMILY PARTNERSHIP · WHEATON · $18.73/hr
- Loan Sales SpecialistOneMain Financial · Rochester
- FarmworkerIdeal Farms, Inc. · Doran · $15.63/hr
- FarmworkerNew Horizon Dairy · Hoffman · $15.63/hr
- Farmworker/LaborerHickory Orchard, LLC · La Crescent · $15.63/hr
Your own route from California to Minnesota
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 Minnesota employers.
Plan my move to MinnesotaSame move, by trade
CNA: California to Minnesota · RN or LPN: California to Minnesota · Electrician: California to Minnesota · All licences: California to Minnesota
From California to the states next to Minnesota
North Dakota (progressive, top rate 2.5%) · South Dakota (no state income tax) · Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Wisconsin (progressive, top rate 7.65%)
To Minnesota from the states next to California
Everything about working in Minnesota · All moves between states · All 50 states