{"h1":"Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Midwest","faq":[{"a":"Eden Prairie is the best all-round city for remote workers in the Midwest, with a score of 95 / 100.","q":"Which city ranks first: best all-round cities for remote workers in the midwest?"},{"a":"20 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 20 entries.","q":"How many cities are ranked?"},{"a":"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): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%. 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.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Eden Prairie is the best all-round city for remote workers in the Midwest, with a score of 95 / 100.","minN":100,"rows":[{"n":363,"bar":1,"key":"MN|eden prairie","sub":"MN","href":"/places/minnesota/city/eden-prairie","name":"Eden Prairie","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"45%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$141k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"162"}],"value":95.26315789473684,"change":null,"employers":["Unitedhealth Group","LHC Group","Illinois Tool Works"],"valueLabel":"95 / 100"},{"n":394,"bar":0.9447513812154696,"key":"IA|des moines","sub":"IA","href":"/places/iowa/city/des-moines","name":"Des Moines","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"17%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$147k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"68"}],"value":90,"change":null,"employers":["Principal Financial Group","OpenLoop","Olsson"],"valueLabel":"90 / 100"},{"n":8033,"bar":0.8895027624309392,"key":"IL|chicago","sub":"IL","href":"/places/illinois/city/chicago","name":"Chicago","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$135k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"516"}],"value":84.73684210526315,"change":null,"employers":["Publicis Groupe","Confidential","Mars"],"valueLabel":"85 / 100"},{"n":362,"bar":0.8729281767955801,"key":"MI|ann arbor","sub":"MI","href":"/places/michigan/city/ann-arbor","name":"Ann Arbor","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"12%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$159k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"45"}],"value":83.1578947368421,"change":null,"employers":["May Mobility","Torc Robotics","Thomson Reuters"],"valueLabel":"83 / 100"},{"n":1313,"bar":0.7458563535911603,"key":"MN|minneapolis","sub":"MN","href":"/places/minnesota/city/minneapolis","name":"Minneapolis","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"7%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$124k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"97"}],"value":71.05263157894737,"change":null,"employers":["Mortenson","Ameriprise Certificate","U.S. Bank"],"valueLabel":"71 / 100"},{"n":1496,"bar":0.6187845303867403,"key":"IN|indianapolis","sub":"IN","href":"/places/indiana/city/indianapolis","name":"Indianapolis","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"4%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$132k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"64"}],"value":58.94736842105263,"change":null,"employers":["Eli Lilly and Company","State of Indiana","Masco"],"valueLabel":"59 / 100"},{"n":2024,"bar":0.6077348066298343,"key":"OH|columbus","sub":"OH","href":"/places/ohio/city/columbus","name":"Columbus","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$120k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"118"}],"value":57.89473684210526,"change":null,"employers":["State of Ohio","Nationwide","American Electric Power"],"valueLabel":"58 / 100"},{"n":526,"bar":0.6022099447513813,"key":"WI|madison","sub":"WI","href":"/places/wisconsin/city/madison","name":"Madison","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"9%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$112k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"46"}],"value":57.36842105263158,"change":null,"employers":["Universities of Wisconsin [UW_Madison]","Creative Financial Staffing","Catalent Pharma Solutions"],"valueLabel":"57 / 100"},{"n":909,"bar":0.5801104972375691,"key":"WI|milwaukee","sub":"WI","href":"/places/wisconsin/city/milwaukee","name":"Milwaukee","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$122k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"56"}],"value":55.26315789473684,"change":null,"employers":["Michels","Rockwell Automation","Molson Coors Beverage"],"valueLabel":"55 / 100"},{"n":916,"bar":0.5386740331491713,"key":"MO|kansas city","sub":"MO","href":"/places/missouri/city/kansas-city","name":"Kansas City","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"5%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$125k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"44"}],"value":51.31578947368421,"change":null,"employers":["JE Dunn Construction","Catalent Pharma Solutions","Commerce Bank"],"valueLabel":"51 / 100"},{"n":786,"bar":0.4917127071823205,"key":"MI|detroit","sub":"MI","href":"/places/michigan/city/detroit","name":"Detroit","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"5%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$126k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"37"}],"value":46.8421052631579,"change":null,"employers":["Wayne State University","Henry Ford Health System","Accident Fund"],"valueLabel":"47 / 100"},{"n":596,"bar":0.4364640883977901,"key":"MO|st louis","sub":"MO","href":"/places/missouri/city/st-louis","name":"St. Louis","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"6%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$109k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"38"}],"value":41.57894736842105,"change":null,"employers":["Stifel Charitable","BJC HealthCare","Kforce"],"valueLabel":"42 / 100"},{"n":323,"bar":0.3259668508287293,"key":"IL|springfield","sub":"IL","href":"/places/illinois/city/springfield","name":"Springfield","rank":13,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"3%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$125k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"11"}],"value":31.05263157894737,"change":null,"employers":["State of Illinois","Army National Guard Units","Hshs Medical Group"],"valueLabel":"31 / 100"},{"n":242,"bar":0.3204419889502763,"key":"IL|schaumburg","sub":"IL","href":"/places/illinois/city/schaumburg","name":"Schaumburg","rank":14,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"5%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$110k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"13"}],"value":30.52631578947368,"change":null,"employers":["Motorola Solutions","Fictiv","Zurich"],"valueLabel":"31 / 100"},{"n":1451,"bar":0.3121546961325967,"key":"OH|cincinnati","sub":"OH","href":"/places/ohio/city/cincinnati","name":"Cincinnati","rank":15,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"3%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$115k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"44"}],"value":29.73684210526316,"change":null,"employers":["Medpace Holdings","Procter & Gamble","Western & Southern Financial Group"],"valueLabel":"30 / 100"},{"n":232,"bar":0.2900552486187846,"key":"MN|st paul","sub":"MN","href":"/places/minnesota/city/st-paul","name":"St. Paul","rank":16,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"3%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$123k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"8"}],"value":27.63157894736842,"change":null,"employers":["George Konik Associates","Thomson Reuters","Mortenson"],"valueLabel":"28 / 100"},{"n":577,"bar":0.2651933701657459,"key":"NE|omaha","sub":"NE","href":"/places/nebraska/city/omaha","name":"Omaha","rank":17,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"3%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$122k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"17"}],"value":25.26315789473684,"change":null,"employers":["Conagra Brands","Valmont","First National Bank of Omaha"],"valueLabel":"25 / 100"},{"n":446,"bar":0.2624309392265193,"key":"OH|dayton","sub":"OH","href":"/places/ohio/city/dayton","name":"Dayton","rank":18,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"2%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$131k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"8"}],"value":25,"change":null,"employers":["University of Dayton","Modern Technology Solutions","Odyssey Systems Consulting"],"valueLabel":"25 / 100"},{"n":255,"bar":0.2486187845303867,"key":"IL|mundelein","sub":"IL","href":"/places/illinois/city/mundelein","name":"Mundelein","rank":19,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"1%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$134k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"3"}],"value":23.68421052631579,"change":null,"employers":["Coda Search│Staffing"],"valueLabel":"24 / 100"},{"n":917,"bar":0.143646408839779,"key":"OH|cleveland","sub":"OH","href":"/places/ohio/city/cleveland","name":"Cleveland","rank":20,"stats":[{"label":"Remote share of openings","value":"3%"},{"label":"Pay after cost of living","value":"$108k"},{"label":"Remote openings","value":"27"}],"value":13.68421052631579,"change":null,"employers":["Flexjet","Sherwin Williams","KeyBank"],"valueLabel":"14 / 100"}],"slug":"best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers-in-the-midwest","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"midwest","kind":"region","name":"Midwest"},"title":"Best all-round cities for remote workers in the Midwest","family":"Best overall","method":["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): remote share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 30%, remote openings 30%.","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."],"builtAt":"2026-11-04T03:37:37.436Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"cremote","sources":["NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay","Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024"],"baseline":null,"keyFacts":["#1 Eden Prairie, MN: 95 / 100","#2 Des Moines, IA: 90 / 100","#3 Chicago, IL: 85 / 100","20 cities ranked in the Midwest","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["The lead is wide: Eden Prairie (95 / 100) is well clear of Kansas City at #10 (51 / 100).","Ann Arbor reaches #4 on a sample of 362 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."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-remote-workers-in-the-midwest"}