Moving between states / West Virginia

Flag of LouisianaLouisianatoFlag of West VirginiaWest Virginia, Electrician

Moving from Louisiana to West Virginia as a journeyman electrician

What a journeyman electrician licensed in Louisiana 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 Louisiana licence comes from the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors, 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 $224 a year more than Louisiana does.

SalaryLouisiana state taxWest Virginia state taxDifference a year
$40,000$1,200$1,350-$150
$60,000$1,800$2,024-$224
$90,000$2,700$3,037-$337

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: Louisiana to West Virginia

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Louisiana certificate stays on the Louisiana Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; 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: Louisiana to West Virginia

Works on day one. Both Louisiana and West Virginia are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Louisiana is valid in West Virginia the day you arrive. Once West Virginia is your primary residence, apply there for a West Virginia multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.

CDL: Louisiana 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 Louisiana 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).

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 Louisiana 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.

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

From Louisiana 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 Louisiana

Texas · Arkansas · Mississippi

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

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