NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Great Lakes

Springfield is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Great Lakes, with a score of 70 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Springfield, IL: 70 / 100
  • #2 Cincinnati, OH: 63 / 100
  • #3 Mundelein, IL: 63 / 100
  • 16 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Springfield IL70 / 100
  2. 2Cincinnati OH63 / 100
  3. 3Mundelein IL63 / 100
  4. 4Columbus OH55 / 100
  5. 5Chicago IL54 / 100
  6. 6Ann Arbor MI52 / 100
  7. 7Cleveland OH50 / 100
  8. 8Madison WI49 / 100
  9. 9Indianapolis IN49 / 100
  10. 10Dayton OH49 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 70 / 100, and #10 Dayton is at 49 / 100.
  • Mundelein reaches #3 on a sample of 255 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

New graduates need a place with many entry-level roles, pay that covers the cost of living and employers that state their pay. This list weighs those together and shows the weights, so it ranks the all-round picture rather than one number.

How to use it

Start with the top ten and read each city's numbers against what you value most. If one thing matters most to you, such as pay, switch to the single-measure list for it.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Springfield IL

    70 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    37%
    Pay after cost of living
    $125k
    Entry-level openings
    121

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

    Based on 323 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  2. 2

    Cincinnati OH

    63 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    38%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Entry-level openings
    551

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

    Based on 1,451 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  3. 3

    Mundelein IL

    63 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $134k
    Entry-level openings
    88

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  4. 4

    Columbus OH

    55 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    34%
    Pay after cost of living
    $120k
    Entry-level openings
    693

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

    Based on 2,024 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  5. 5

    Chicago IL

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $135k
    Entry-level openings
    1,759

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Confidential, Mars

    Based on 8,033 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  6. 6

    Ann Arbor MI

    52 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $159k
    Entry-level openings
    91

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

    Based on 362 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  7. 7

    Cleveland OH

    50 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $108k
    Entry-level openings
    319

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 917 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  8. 8

    Madison WI

    49 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    37%
    Pay after cost of living
    $112k
    Entry-level openings
    193

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

    Based on 526 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  9. 9

    Indianapolis IN

    49 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    28%
    Pay after cost of living
    $132k
    Entry-level openings
    425

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

    Based on 1,496 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  10. 10

    Dayton OH

    49 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $131k
    Entry-level openings
    147

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

    Based on 446 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dayton

  11. 11

    Schaumburg IL

    47 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $110k
    Entry-level openings
    87

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 242 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  12. 12

    St. Paul MN

    45 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $123k
    Entry-level openings
    73

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

    Based on 232 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Paul

  13. 13

    Milwaukee WI

    41 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    30%
    Pay after cost of living
    $122k
    Entry-level openings
    270

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

    Based on 909 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  14. 14

    Minneapolis MN

    41 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    25%
    Pay after cost of living
    $124k
    Entry-level openings
    325

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

    Based on 1,313 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  15. 15

    Detroit MI

    39 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    29%
    Pay after cost of living
    $126k
    Entry-level openings
    231

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

    Based on 786 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  16. 16

    Eden Prairie MN

    31 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    18%
    Pay after cost of living
    $141k
    Entry-level openings
    64

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

    Based on 363 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield IL70 / 100323
2Cincinnati OH63 / 1001,451
3Mundelein IL63 / 100255
4Columbus OH55 / 1002,024
5Chicago IL54 / 1008,033
6Ann Arbor MI52 / 100362
7Cleveland OH50 / 100917
8Madison WI49 / 100526
9Indianapolis IN49 / 1001,496
10Dayton OH49 / 100446
11Schaumburg IL47 / 100242
12St. Paul MN45 / 100232
13Milwaukee WI41 / 100909
14Minneapolis MN41 / 1001,313
15Detroit MI39 / 100786
16Eden Prairie MN31 / 100363

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): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 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 new graduates in the great lakes?
Springfield is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Great Lakes, with a score of 70 / 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): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 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 new graduates in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-great-lakes

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

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

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