Moving between states / Alaska
Pennsylvaniato
Alaska, Truck driverMoving from Pennsylvania to Alaska as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Pennsylvania has to do to work in Alaska, what the move does to your pay, and who in Alaska 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 Alaska resident you surrender the Pennsylvania CDL at a Alaska 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 Alaska. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
On a $60,000 salary Alaska leaves you roughly $1,842 a year more than Pennsylvania does, because Alaska has no state income tax on wages.
| Salary | Pennsylvania state tax | Alaska state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,228 | $0 | +$1,228 |
| $60,000 | $1,842 | $0 | +$1,842 |
| $90,000 | $2,763 | $0 | +$2,763 |
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 Pennsylvania: municipalities add an earned income tax, 1% in most places and 3.75% in Philadelphia. Property and sales tax are not in it.
CNA: Pennsylvania to Alaska
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Pennsylvania certificate stays on the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry (Pennsylvania Department of Education, administered by Credentia); to work in Alaska you apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing (Certified Nurse Aide program) 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: Pennsylvania to Alaska
Endorsement needed. Alaska is not in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so your Pennsylvania multistate licence does not work there. Apply to the Alaska Board of Nursing for licensure by endorsement before you move; it commonly takes six to twelve weeks. Your Pennsylvania licence stays valid for compact states.
Electrician: Pennsylvania to Alaska
Exam likely. Alaska licenses at state level through the Alaska Department of Labor, Mechanical Inspection and reciprocates with other state boards, but Pennsylvania licenses locally through the City and county building departments, which is not a party to those agreements. Expect to document your hours and sit the Alaska journeyman exam.
Does Alaska pay you to come?
- Permanent Fund Dividend: roughly $1,000 to $1,700 a year. For every resident after a full calendar year in the state; not a relocation grant, but paid every year.
Openings filed in Alaska
11 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Alaska employers who could not fill them locally.
- Fish Roe TechnicianNorth Pacific Seafoods, Inc. · Kodiak · $20.62 to 37/hr
- Shop HelperInterior Alaska Roofing, Inc. · Fairbanks · $21.43 to 30/hr
- Surimi and Roe TechnicianPremier Pacific Seafoods, Inc. · Bering Sea and North Pacific · $21.31/hr
- Surimi and Roe TechnicianWestward Seafoods, Inc. · Unalaska · $24.65 to 40/hr
- Pollock Roe TechnicianWestward Seafoods, Inc. · Unalaska · $18.23/hr
- Assistant Store Manager Aurora CenterAT&T · Fairbanks
Your own route from Pennsylvania to Alaska
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 Alaska employers.
Plan my move to AlaskaSame move, by trade
CNA: Pennsylvania to Alaska · RN or LPN: Pennsylvania to Alaska · Electrician: Pennsylvania to Alaska · All licences: Pennsylvania to Alaska
From Pennsylvania to the states next to Alaska
To Alaska from the states next to Pennsylvania
New York · New Jersey · Delaware · Maryland · West Virginia · Ohio
Everything about working in Alaska · All moves between states · All 50 states