Moving between states / Minnesota

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Moving from Oregon to Minnesota as a CDL holder

What a CDL holder licensed in Oregon 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 Oregon 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

Oregon and Minnesota take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.

SalaryOregon state taxMinnesota state taxDifference a year
$40,000$2,772$2,758+$14
$60,000$4,158$4,137+$21
$90,000$6,237$6,206+$31

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. Property and sales tax are not in it.

CNA: Oregon to Minnesota

Transfers by reciprocity. Your Oregon certificate stays on the Oregon State Board of Nursing, Certified Nursing Assistant 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: Oregon to Minnesota

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

Electrician: Oregon to Minnesota

Reciprocity likely. Minnesota licenses electricians at state level through the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, and reciprocity with a group of states for journeymen licensed by exam who worked a year in the trade. Your Oregon licence comes from the Oregon Building Codes Division, Electrical and Elevator Board, a state body, which is what a reciprocity application needs: ask it for a verification letter before you move.

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

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 Oregon 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: Oregon to Minnesota · RN or LPN: Oregon to Minnesota · Electrician: Oregon to Minnesota · All licences: Oregon to Minnesota

From Oregon 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 Oregon

Washington · Idaho · Nevada · California

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

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