Washington vs Oregon

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I am planning to move to the Pacific Northwest next year. I'm not a new grad and I have a solid resume with many years acute care experience, telemetry and neuro. My question is this: which is a better state to be a nurse in? Are there differences in acuity, ratios, pay? (Posting this on Washington board as well to get as many different opinions as possible).

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From the jobs I've looked at it seems like Oregon pays nurses more in general, almost comparable to here in California.

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Anyone have any opinions? I've been looking at Portland, but with Vancouver so close and with cheaper housing it's hard to decide which way to go. I want to get my nursing license before I start applying but don't want to have to get one in both OR and WA, would like to narrow down my search.

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It's true Oregon pays more hourly but the state income tax is much higher. There is no state tax in Washington

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

A lot of people work in Oregon and live in Vancouver, the communte from Vancouver to a lot of the Portland area hospitals. Oregon does pay more than WA.

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I was offered a position in both Portland and Vancouver and made the decision without doing too much research to live in Vancouver. I'm glad because my cost of living is lower, my pay is equal and I don't have 10% taken out of each check for income tax. If I want to shop tax free I can go across the river or show my oregon ID.

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I should edit to say that my pay within my health system is equal whether in OR or WA. I'm not sure what other companies are offering. But I'm making 10$ an hour more than I was in Maryland so I am happy.

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Specializes in ED.
I was offered a position in both Portland and Vancouver and made the decision without doing too much research to live in Vancouver. I'm glad because my cost of living is lower, my pay is equal and I don't have 10% taken out of each check for income tax. If I want to shop tax free I can go across the river or show my oregon ID.

Are you saying that if you live in WA and work in OR you don't get the state income tax for OR? I don't quite understand cause you also said you have an OR license?

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I was offered a position in both Portland and Vancouver and made the decision without doing too much research to live in Vancouver. I'm glad because my cost of living is lower, my pay is equal and I don't have 10% taken out of each check for income tax. If I want to shop tax free I can go across the river or show my oregon ID.

How do you have an Oregon ID if you live in Washington? Thanks for the information, it does seem like living in Vancouver you get the best of both worlds.

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I, too am deciding on Oregon or Washington and would like to understand the particulars of living in WA and working in Oregon.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

I did the opposite, lived in OR and worked in WA ( only cause I was a new grad and it was only place to hire me)

Even though it was a WA based company I paid my OR income tax.

I imagine that it would be the same the other way around if one lived in WA and worked in OR....no income tax taken out.

The nice thing about living in Vancouver is the cost of living is lower than Portland. I just bought a house in a suburb of Portland, if I went across the river to Vancouver I could have gotten a lot more house for the same amount of money...sigh I wanted my kids in the same school district.

OR doesn't have sales tax, and we don't pump our own gas.

OR pays a little more, that company that hired me as a new grad in Vancouver I transferred to one of their OR facilities and got $3 raise.

W

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If you live in WA but work in OR you do pay OR income tax.

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