Moving between states / Missouri

Flag of OhioOhiotoFlag of MissouriMissouri, RN or LPN

Moving from Ohio to Missouri as a registered or practical nurse

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

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

What the move does to your paycheck

On a $60,000 salary Missouri takes roughly $504 a year more than Ohio does.

SalaryOhio state taxMissouri state taxDifference a year
$40,000$980$1,316-$336
$60,000$1,470$1,974-$504
$90,000$2,205$2,961-$756

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 Missouri: Kansas City and St. Louis add a 1% earnings tax. In Ohio: most cities add a 1 to 2.5% municipal income tax. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Ohio to Missouri

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Ohio certificate stays on the Ohio Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry; to work in Missouri you apply to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, Certified Nurse 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: Ohio to Missouri

Licensed by the city. Missouri has no state electrician licence; the Missouri Division of Professional Registration (optional statewide licence) and city building departments decide what card you need, and it can differ between cities. A voluntary statewide electrical contractor licence exists since 2021; day-to-day licensing is still by city and county, many of which reciprocate with each other. Ask the contractor hiring you which municipality the first job is in and apply to that one. Your Ohio local licence is evidence of hours, not a licence there.

CDL: Ohio to Missouri

Transfers at the DMV. A commercial driver's licence transfers like any licence: within 30 days of becoming a Missouri resident you surrender the Ohio CDL at a Missouri 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 Missouri. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.

No statewide program in Missouri 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? Ohio has Hamilton Talent Attraction Program. See moving from Missouri to Ohio.

Openings filed in Missouri

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

Your own route from Ohio to Missouri

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 Missouri employers.

Plan my move to Missouri

Same move, by trade

CNA: Ohio to Missouri · Electrician: Ohio to Missouri · Truck driver: Ohio to Missouri · All licences: Ohio to Missouri

From Ohio to the states next to Missouri

Iowa (flat 3.8% state income tax) · Illinois (flat 4.95% state income tax) · Kentucky (flat 4% state income tax) · Tennessee (no state income tax) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Oklahoma (progressive, top rate 4.75%) · Kansas (progressive, top rate 5.58%) · Nebraska (progressive, top rate 5.2%)

To Missouri from the states next to Ohio

Michigan · Indiana · Kentucky · West Virginia · Pennsylvania

Everything about working in Missouri · 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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