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CompactStates

Compact nursing states in the Midwest

The Midwest is mostly compact, with a few large exceptions that matter for cross-border work. Here is where each Midwest state stands.

Which Midwest states are compact nursing states?

Most of them. As of 2026, the majority of Midwest states are fully implemented compact nursing states — including Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, the Dakotas, Wisconsin, and Ohio. The notable exceptions are Illinois, Michigan, and Minnesota, which are not compact states — a detail that trips up nurses working across the region. Confirm current status below.

NLC member states ↗Last reviewed 2026-06-17

Midwest (12)

IllinoisNon-compact stateIndianaFull compact stateIowaFull compact stateKansasFull compact stateMichiganNon-compact stateMinnesotaNon-compact stateMissouriFull compact stateNebraskaFull compact stateNorth DakotaFull compact stateOhioFull compact stateSouth DakotaFull compact stateWisconsinFull compact state

When this region joined

Six of them began recognizing compact privilege on January 19, 2018, the day the enhanced compact took effect: Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Three arrived later: Kansas in 2019, Indiana in 2020 and Ohio in 2023 — the most recent being Ohio on January 1, 2023.

Dates are the day incoming privilege began, which is not always the day the board started issuing multistate licenses to its own residents — see how a state joins. Members without a verified date are omitted rather than guessed at; the full record is on the adoption timeline.

Where a multistate license stops at a state line here

These are the land borders in this region where a compact state meets one that has never joined. Each is a line people cross without thinking, and licensure changes at it — which matters most to whoever lives on one side and picks up shifts on the other. Each neighbour below links through to what that particular pairing means.

  • Indiana (compact) meets two states that never joined: Illinois and Michigan. An Indiana multistate license reaches none of those lines.
  • Iowa (compact) meets two states that never joined: Illinois and Minnesota. An Iowa multistate license reaches none of those lines.
  • Kentucky (compact) meets one state that never joined: Illinois. A Kentucky multistate license does not reach across that line.
  • Missouri (compact) meets one state that never joined: Illinois. A Missouri multistate license does not reach across that line.
  • Wisconsin (compact) meets three states that never joined: Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota. A Wisconsin multistate license reaches none of those lines.
  • Ohio (compact) meets one state that never joined: Michigan. An Ohio multistate license does not reach across that line.
  • North Dakota (compact) meets one state that never joined: Minnesota. A North Dakota multistate license does not reach across that line.
  • South Dakota (compact) meets one state that never joined: Minnesota. A South Dakota multistate license does not reach across that line.

Borders with jurisdictions that have enacted the compact but not yet implemented it are deliberately excluded: that is a temporary state of affairs rather than a standing one, and tracked separately. Every seam in the country, mapped.

Status shown as of 2026-06-17. Compact law changes — always confirm with the relevant board of nursing.

Frequently asked questions

No. Illinois is not currently a Nurse Licensure Compact state. Legislation has been introduced but not enacted, so Illinois residents hold single-state licenses and compact privilege does not apply there.

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