Moving between states / Oregon

Flag of MassachusettsMassachusettstoFlag of OregonOregon, RN or LPN

Moving from Massachusetts to Oregon as a registered or practical nurse

What a registered or practical nurse licensed in Massachusetts has to do to work in Oregon, what the move does to your pay, and who in Oregon is hiring from out of state.

Endorsement needed. Neither Massachusetts nor Oregon is in the Nurse Licensure Compact. You apply to the Oregon Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement: verification of your Massachusetts licence through Nursys, a fingerprint background check and the fee. Start before you give notice; six to twelve weeks is normal.

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Oregon takes roughly $1,158 a year more than Massachusetts does.

SalaryMassachusetts state taxOregon state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,000$2,772-$772
$60,000$3,000$4,158-$1,158
$90,000$4,500$6,237-$1,737

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. In Massachusetts: plus 4% on income above about $1 million. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Massachusetts to Oregon

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Massachusetts certificate stays on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 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.

Electrician: Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts licence comes from the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

CDL: Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts 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.

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 Massachusetts 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: Massachusetts to Oregon · Electrician: Massachusetts to Oregon · Truck driver: Massachusetts to Oregon · All licences: Massachusetts to Oregon

From Massachusetts 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 Massachusetts

New Hampshire · Vermont · New York · Connecticut · Rhode Island

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

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

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