NextChapter

Best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the Great Lakes

Chicago is the best all-round city for mid-career professionals in the Great Lakes, with a score of 83 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Chicago, IL: 83 / 100
  • #2 Ann Arbor, MI: 74 / 100
  • #3 Minneapolis, MN: 70 / 100
  • 16 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Chicago IL83 / 100
  2. 2Ann Arbor MI74 / 100
  3. 3Minneapolis MN70 / 100
  4. 4Indianapolis IN68 / 100
  5. 5Milwaukee WI58 / 100
  6. 6Dayton OH56 / 100
  7. 7Eden Prairie MN55 / 100
  8. 8Detroit MI54 / 100
  9. 9Columbus OH48 / 100
  10. 10St. Paul MN48 / 100

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Chicago (83 / 100) is well clear of St. Paul at #10 (48 / 100).
  • St. Paul reaches #10 on a sample of 232 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Chicago is the largest market in the top ten, with 8,033 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Mid-career professionals look for depth of experienced roles, pay that holds up after the cost of living and room to move up. This list weighs those together, with published weights.

How to use it

Use it to shortlist places for a move or a search, then check the employers hiring in your function. The weights are a judgment, so use the single-measure lists when one factor decides it.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Chicago IL

    83 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    50%
    Pay after cost of living
    $135k
    Mid-career openings
    4,056

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Confidential, Mars

    Based on 8,033 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  2. 2

    Ann Arbor MI

    74 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    60%
    Pay after cost of living
    $159k
    Mid-career openings
    219

    Hiring most here: May Mobility, Torc Robotics, Thomson Reuters

    Based on 362 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  3. 3

    Minneapolis MN

    70 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    54%
    Pay after cost of living
    $124k
    Mid-career openings
    708

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Ameriprise Certificate, U.S. Bank

    Based on 1,313 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  4. 4

    Indianapolis IN

    68 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    49%
    Pay after cost of living
    $132k
    Mid-career openings
    728

    Hiring most here: Eli Lilly and Company, State of Indiana, Masco

    Based on 1,496 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  5. 5

    Milwaukee WI

    58 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    51%
    Pay after cost of living
    $122k
    Mid-career openings
    468

    Hiring most here: Michels, Rockwell Automation, Molson Coors Beverage

    Based on 909 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  6. 6

    Dayton OH

    56 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    54%
    Pay after cost of living
    $131k
    Mid-career openings
    240

    Hiring most here: University of Dayton, Modern Technology Solutions, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 446 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dayton

  7. 7

    Eden Prairie MN

    55 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    47%
    Pay after cost of living
    $141k
    Mid-career openings
    171

    Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Illinois Tool Works

    Based on 363 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

  8. 8

    Detroit MI

    54 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    48%
    Pay after cost of living
    $126k
    Mid-career openings
    378

    Hiring most here: Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System, Accident Fund

    Based on 786 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  9. 9

    Columbus OH

    48 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    50%
    Pay after cost of living
    $120k
    Mid-career openings
    1,010

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, American Electric Power

    Based on 2,024 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  10. 10

    St. Paul MN

    48 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    55%
    Pay after cost of living
    $123k
    Mid-career openings
    128

    Hiring most here: George Konik Associates, Thomson Reuters, Mortenson

    Based on 232 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Paul

  11. 11

    Cleveland OH

    38 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    50%
    Pay after cost of living
    $108k
    Mid-career openings
    458

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 917 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  12. 12

    Mundelein IL

    37 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    37%
    Pay after cost of living
    $134k
    Mid-career openings
    94

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  13. 13

    Cincinnati OH

    34 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    47%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Mid-career openings
    685

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern Financial Group

    Based on 1,451 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  14. 14

    Springfield IL

    29 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    46%
    Pay after cost of living
    $125k
    Mid-career openings
    148

    Hiring most here: State of Illinois, Army National Guard Units, Hshs Medical Group

    Based on 323 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  15. 15

    Madison WI

    26 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    46%
    Pay after cost of living
    $112k
    Mid-career openings
    242

    Hiring most here: Universities of Wisconsin [UW_Madison], Creative Financial Staffing, Catalent Pharma Solutions

    Based on 526 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  16. 16

    Schaumburg IL

    21 / 100

    Mid-career share of openings
    48%
    Pay after cost of living
    $110k
    Mid-career openings
    115

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 242 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

Full ranking

All 16 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Chicago IL83 / 1008,033
2Ann Arbor MI74 / 100362
3Minneapolis MN70 / 1001,313
4Indianapolis IN68 / 1001,496
5Milwaukee WI58 / 100909
6Dayton OH56 / 100446
7Eden Prairie MN55 / 100363
8Detroit MI54 / 100786
9Columbus OH48 / 1002,024
10St. Paul MN48 / 100232
11Cleveland OH38 / 100917
12Mundelein IL37 / 100255
13Cincinnati OH34 / 1001,451
14Springfield IL29 / 100323
15Madison WI26 / 100526
16Schaumburg IL21 / 100242

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): mid-career share of openings 35%, pay after cost of living 30%, mid-career openings 20%, director-and-above share 15%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked.

A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. Data as of November 2026.

Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.

Questions

Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the great lakes?
Chicago is the best all-round city for mid-career professionals in the Great Lakes, with a score of 83 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
16 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 16 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): mid-career share of openings 35%, pay after cost of living 30%, mid-career openings 20%, director-and-above share 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
How often is it updated?
Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.

More rankings

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-mid-career-professionals-in-the-great-lakes

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-mid-career-professionals-in-the-great-lakes">Best all-round cities for mid-career professionals in the Great Lakes (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.

Applying and hearing nothing back?

Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.

Already a member? Log in

Get my Market Reality Assessment

Run a workforce board, job center or economic development office, or hire in the places and industries on this list?

Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers.

See how organizations use it