Moving between states / Louisiana
Pennsylvaniato
Louisiana, Truck driverMoving from Pennsylvania to Louisiana as a CDL holder
What a CDL holder licensed in Pennsylvania has to do to work in Louisiana, what the move does to your pay, and who in Louisiana 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 Louisiana resident you surrender the Pennsylvania CDL at a Louisiana 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 Louisiana. Your driving record follows you through the federal CDLIS system.
What the move does to your paycheck
Pennsylvania and Louisiana take about the same from a $60,000 salary; the difference is under $150 a year either way.
| Salary | Pennsylvania state tax | Louisiana state tax | Difference a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | $1,228 | $1,200 | +$28 |
| $60,000 | $1,842 | $1,800 | +$42 |
| $90,000 | $2,763 | $2,700 | +$63 |
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 Louisiana
Transfers by reciprocity. Your Pennsylvania certificate stays on the Pennsylvania Nurse Aide Registry (Pennsylvania Department of Education, administered by Credentia); to work in Louisiana you apply to the Louisiana Department of Health, Nurse Aide 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: Pennsylvania to Louisiana
Works on day one. Both Pennsylvania and Louisiana are in the Nurse Licensure Compact. A multistate RN or LPN licence from Pennsylvania is valid in Louisiana the day you arrive. Once Louisiana is your primary residence, apply there for a Louisiana multistate licence; most boards allow 30 to 60 days.
Electrician: Pennsylvania to Louisiana
Exam likely. Louisiana licenses at state level through the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors 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 Louisiana journeyman exam.
Does Louisiana pay you to come?
No statewide program in Louisiana 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 Louisiana
371 open positions filed with the Department of Labor by Louisiana employers who could not fill them locally.
- Business Banking Relationship Manager - New Orleans MarketBank of America · New Orleans
- General farmworkerFruge' Aquafarms, Inc. · Branch · $15.81/hr
- FarmworkerBuster's Crawfish · Roanoke · $10.42/hr
- General Farm WorkerKade Fontenot · Iowa · $10.42/hr
- FarmworkerLIVE OAK AVOCADOS LLC · Belle Chasse · $10.42/hr
- General FarmworkersFontenot & Buller Farms Gen Ptr · Ville Platte · $10.42/hr
Your own route from Pennsylvania to Louisiana
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 Louisiana employers.
Plan my move to LouisianaSame move, by trade
CNA: Pennsylvania to Louisiana · RN or LPN: Pennsylvania to Louisiana · Electrician: Pennsylvania to Louisiana · All licences: Pennsylvania to Louisiana
From Pennsylvania to the states next to Louisiana
Texas (no state income tax) · Arkansas (progressive, top rate 3.9%) · Mississippi (flat 4.4% state income tax)
To Louisiana from the states next to Pennsylvania
New York · New Jersey · Delaware · Maryland · West Virginia · Ohio
Everything about working in Louisiana · All moves between states · All 50 states