Moving between states / Minnesota

Flag of OhioOhiotoFlag of MinnesotaMinnesota, Truck driver

Moving from Ohio to Minnesota as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Ohio 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 Ohio 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 takes roughly $2,667 a year more than Ohio does.

SalaryOhio state taxMinnesota state taxDifference a year
$40,000$980$2,758-$1,778
$60,000$1,470$4,137-$2,667
$90,000$2,205$6,206-$4,001

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 Ohio: most cities add a 1 to 2.5% municipal income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Ohio to Minnesota

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Ohio certificate stays on the Ohio Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; 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: Ohio to Minnesota

Endorsement needed. Minnesota is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Ohio multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Minnesota Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Ohio licence stays valid for compact states.

Electrician: Ohio to Minnesota

Exam likely. Minnesota licenses at state level through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry and reciprocates with other state boards, but Ohio licenses locally through the Ohio Construction Industry Licensing Board (contractors) and city building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Minnesota journeyman exam.

  • Harmony new-home rebate: $5,000 to $12,000. For anyone building a new home in the city of Harmony.

Going the other way? Ohio has Hamilton Talent Attraction Program. See moving from Minnesota to Ohio.

Openings filed in Minnesota

72 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Minnesota employers who could not fill them locally.

Your own route from Ohio 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 Minnesota

Same move, by trade

CNA: Ohio to Minnesota · RN or LPN: Ohio to Minnesota · Electrician: Ohio to Minnesota · All licences: Ohio to Minnesota

From Ohio 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 Ohio

Michigan · Indiana · Kentucky · West Virginia · Pennsylvania

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

Moving for a job? Start with your state.

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

Pick the state