Moving from Maine to Texas as a journeyman electrician
What a journeyman electrician licensed in Maine has to do to work in Texas, what the move does to your pay, and who in Texas is hiring from out of state.
Reciprocity likely. Texas licenses electricians at state level through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, and TDLR reciprocates journeyman and master licences with a handful of states and otherwise waives the exam for nobody. Your Maine licence comes from the Maine Electricians' Examining Board, 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 Texas leaves you roughly $3,003 a year more than Maine does, because Texas has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Maine state tax | Texas state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $2,002 | $0 | +$2,002 |
| $60,000 | $3,003 | $0 | +$3,003 |
| $90,000 | $4,505 | $0 | +$4,505 |
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: Maine to Texas
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Maine certificate stays on the Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants and Direct Care Workers; to work in Texas you apply to the Texas Health and Human Services, Nurse Aide Registry for reciprocity. Reciprocity for an active, unencumbered CNA from another state registry; Texas adds you to its registry rather than issuing a certificate. Most registries list you within two to six weeks.
RN and LPN: Maine to Texas
Works on day one. Both Maine and Texas are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Maine is valid in Texas the day you arrive. Once Texas is your primary residence, apply there for a Texas multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
CDL: Maine to Texas
Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Texas resident you surrender the Maine CDL at a Texas 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 Texas. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
Does Texas pay you to come?
No statewide program in Texas 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? Maine has Student Loan Repayment Tax Credit. See moving from Texas to Maine.
Openings filed in Texas
609 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Texas employers who could not fill them locally.
- Application Support Engineer - Mid LevelUSAA · San Antonio
- Materials PlannerBechtel · Houston
- Lead Process EngineerBechtel · Houston
- Lead Process EngineerBechtel · Houston
- Expediting SpecialistBechtel · Houston
- Labor Relations SpecialistBechtel · Houston
Your own route from Maine to Texas
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CNA: Maine to Texas · RN or LPN: Maine to Texas · Truck driver: Maine to Texas · All licences: Maine to Texas
From Maine to the states next to Texas
New Mexico (progressive, top rate 5.9%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Louisiana (flat 3% state income tax)
To Texas from the states next to Maine
Everything about working in Texas · All moves between states · All 50 states