NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Midwest

Springfield is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Midwest, with a score of 71 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Springfield, IL: 71 / 100
  • #2 Cincinnati, OH: 64 / 100
  • #3 Mundelein, IL: 64 / 100
  • 20 cities ranked in the Midwest
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Springfield IL71 / 100
  2. 2Cincinnati OH64 / 100
  3. 3Mundelein IL64 / 100
  4. 4Columbus OH58 / 100
  5. 5Chicago IL54 / 100
  6. 6Kansas City MO54 / 100
  7. 7Ann Arbor MI53 / 100
  8. 8Cleveland OH52 / 100
  9. 9St. Louis MO52 / 100
  10. 10Schaumburg IL51 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 71 / 100, and #10 Schaumburg is at 51 / 100.
  • Schaumburg reaches #10 on a sample of 242 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

    71 / 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

    64 / 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

    64 / 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

    58 / 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

    Kansas City MO

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $125k
    Entry-level openings
    289

    Hiring most here: JE Dunn Construction, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Commerce Bank

    Based on 916 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Kansas City

  7. 7

    Ann Arbor MI

    53 / 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

  8. 8

    Cleveland OH

    52 / 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

  9. 9

    St. Louis MO

    52 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    35%
    Pay after cost of living
    $109k
    Entry-level openings
    209

    Hiring most here: Stifel Charitable, BJC HealthCare, Kforce

    Based on 596 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Louis

  10. 10

    Schaumburg IL

    51 / 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

  11. 11

    Madison WI

    51 / 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

  12. 12

    Dayton OH

    50 / 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

  13. 13

    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

  14. 14

    St. Paul MN

    46 / 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

  15. 15

    Minneapolis MN

    44 / 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

  16. 16

    Detroit MI

    40 / 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

  17. 17

    Omaha NE

    40 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    30%
    Pay after cost of living
    $122k
    Entry-level openings
    172

    Hiring most here: Conagra Brands, Valmont, First National Bank of Omaha

    Based on 577 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Omaha

  18. 18

    Milwaukee WI

    39 / 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

  19. 19

    Des Moines IA

    37 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    22%
    Pay after cost of living
    $147k
    Entry-level openings
    87

    Hiring most here: Principal Financial Group, OpenLoop, Olsson

    Based on 394 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Des Moines

  20. 20

    Eden Prairie MN

    32 / 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 20 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield IL71 / 100323
2Cincinnati OH64 / 1001,451
3Mundelein IL64 / 100255
4Columbus OH58 / 1002,024
5Chicago IL54 / 1008,033
6Kansas City MO54 / 100916
7Ann Arbor MI53 / 100362
8Cleveland OH52 / 100917
9St. Louis MO52 / 100596
10Schaumburg IL51 / 100242
11Madison WI51 / 100526
12Dayton OH50 / 100446
13Indianapolis IN49 / 1001,496
14St. Paul MN46 / 100232
15Minneapolis MN44 / 1001,313
16Detroit MI40 / 100786
17Omaha NE40 / 100577
18Milwaukee WI39 / 100909
19Des Moines IA37 / 100394
20Eden Prairie MN32 / 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 midwest?
Springfield is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Midwest, with a score of 71 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
20 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 20 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 Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-midwest

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-midwest">Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Midwest (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