Moving between states / New Mexico
Kansasto
New Mexico, Truck driverMoving from Kansas to New Mexico as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Kansas has to do to work in New Mexico, what the move does to your pay, and who in New Mexico 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 New Mexico resident you surrender the Kansas CDL at a New Mexico 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 New Mexico. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
Kansas and New Mexico take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.
| Salary | Kansas state tax | New Mexico state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,562 | $1,652 | -$90 |
| $60,000 | $2,344 | $2,478 | -$134 |
| $90,000 | $3,515 | $3,717 | -$202 |
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: Kansas to New Mexico
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Kansas certificate stays on the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in New Mexico you apply to the New Mexico Department of Health, 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: Kansas to New Mexico
Works on day one. Both Kansas and New Mexico are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Kansas is valid in New Mexico the day you arrive. Once New Mexico is your primary residence, apply there for a New Mexico multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Kansas to New Mexico
Exam likely. New Mexico licenses at state level through the New Mexico Construction Industries Division and reciprocates with other state boards, but Kansas licenses locally through the City and county building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the New Mexico journeyman exam.
Does New Mexico pay you to come?
No statewide program in New Mexico 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? Kansas has Choose Topeka and Rural Opportunity Zones. See moving from New Mexico to Kansas.
Openings filed in New Mexico
63 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by New Mexico employers who could not fill them locally.
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorsWalther Farms LLC - NM · Farmington · $12.35/hr
- Heavy and Tractor-trailer Truck DriversRorros Trucking LLC · Artesia · $19.85/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorDesert Diamond Trucking LLC · Loving · $15.96/hr
- Breeding AssistantMJ Farms · Veguita · $15.96/hr
- Farm WorkerBilly the Kid Produce · Deming · $12.35/hr
- Agricultural Equipment OperatorMimbres Ranch, LLC · Deming · $12.35/hr
Your own route from Kansas to New Mexico
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 New Mexico employers.
Plan my move to New MexicoSame move, by trade
CNA: Kansas to New Mexico · RN or LPN: Kansas to New Mexico · Electrician: Kansas to New Mexico · All licences: Kansas to New Mexico
From Kansas to the states next to New Mexico
Colorado (flat 4.4% state income tax) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Texas (no state income tax) · Arizona (flat 2.5% state income tax) · Utah (flat 4.5% state income tax)
To New Mexico from the states next to Kansas
Nebraska · Missouri · Oklahoma · Colorado
Everything about working in New Mexico · All moves between states · All 50 states