NextChapter

Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Great Lakes

Lake Forest leads the Great Lakes for director and executive jobs: 33% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 18% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Lake Forest, IL: 33%
  • #2 Eden Prairie, MN: 31%
  • #3 Minnetonka, MN: 31%
  • 53 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 18% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Lake Forest IL33%
  2. 2Eden Prairie MN31%
  3. 3Minnetonka MN31%
  4. 4Evanston IL27%
  5. 5Chicago IL26%
  6. 6Mundelein IL25%
  7. 7Northbrook IL24%
  8. 8Aurora IL24%
  9. 9Indianapolis IN21%
  10. 10Detroit MI20%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Lake Forest (33%) is well clear of Detroit at #10 (20%).
  • Evanston reaches #4 on a sample of 109 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

Director, VP and executive openings are rare and cluster in headquarters cities. Their share of local openings shows where leadership hiring happens.

How to use it

Senior searches depend on a small number of employers. Follow the employers listed under each city and watch their openings page.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Lake Forest IL

    33%

    Director and above
    37
    All openings
    111
    Median posted pay
    $167k

    Hiring most here: W.W. Grainger, Reynolds Consumer Products, Novolex

    Based on 111 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lake Forest

  2. 2

    Eden Prairie MN

    31%

    Director and above
    114
    All openings
    363
    Median posted pay
    $139k

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

    Based on 363 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

  3. 3

    Minnetonka MN

    31%

    Director and above
    37
    All openings
    121
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Legrand North America

    Based on 121 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minnetonka

  4. 4

    Evanston IL

    27%

    Director and above
    29
    All openings
    109
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: Northwestern University, UL Standards & Engagement, Prime Healthcare

    Based on 109 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Evanston

  5. 5

    Chicago IL

    26%

    Director and above
    2,050
    All openings
    8,033
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Confidential, Mars

    Based on 8,033 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  6. 6

    Mundelein IL

    25%

    Director and above
    64
    All openings
    255
    Median posted pay
    $134k

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  7. 7

    Northbrook IL

    24%

    Director and above
    47
    All openings
    192
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: UL Solutions, Astellas (ADP), Medline Industries

    Based on 192 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Northbrook

  8. 8

    Aurora IL

    24%

    Director and above
    32
    All openings
    133
    Median posted pay
    $100k

    Hiring most here: Entegris, HelloFresh

    Based on 133 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Aurora

  9. 9

    Indianapolis IN

    21%

    Director and above
    313
    All openings
    1,496
    Median posted pay
    $124k

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

    Based on 1,496 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  10. 10

    Detroit MI

    20%

    Director and above
    161
    All openings
    786
    Median posted pay
    $126k

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

    Based on 786 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  11. 11

    Rosemont IL

    20%

    Director and above
    20
    All openings
    102
    Median posted pay
    $99k

    Hiring most here: Reyes Holdings, Regal Rexnord, US Foods

    Based on 102 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rosemont

  12. 12

    Neenah WI

    19%

    Director and above
    19
    All openings
    101
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: Plexus, Michels, Menasha

    Based on 101 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Neenah

  13. 13

    Minneapolis MN

    18%

    Director and above
    242
    All openings
    1,313
    Median posted pay
    $130k

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

    Based on 1,313 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  14. 14

    Downers Grove IL

    18%

    Director and above
    27
    All openings
    147
    Median posted pay
    $110k

    Hiring most here: Zachry, Regal Rexnord, Glanbia

    Based on 147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Downers Grove

  15. 15

    Milwaukee WI

    18%

    Director and above
    166
    All openings
    909
    Median posted pay
    $115k

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

    Based on 909 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  16. 16

    Rochester MN

    18%

    Director and above
    32
    All openings
    182
    Median posted pay
    $93k

    Hiring most here: Mayo Clinic, Gilbane, Via

    Based on 182 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rochester

  17. 17

    Naperville IL

    17%

    Director and above
    34
    All openings
    196
    Median posted pay
    $120k

    Hiring most here: KeHE, viaPhoton, Wipfli

    Based on 196 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Naperville

  18. 18

    Madison WI

    17%

    Director and above
    89
    All openings
    526
    Median posted pay
    $106k

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

    Based on 526 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  19. 19

    Oak Brook IL

    17%

    Director and above
    25
    All openings
    148
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: Hub Group, Sotera Health

    Based on 148 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oak Brook

  20. 20

    Springfield IL

    16%

    Director and above
    53
    All openings
    323
    Median posted pay
    $125k

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

    Based on 323 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  21. 21

    Schaumburg IL

    16%

    Director and above
    39
    All openings
    242
    Median posted pay
    $110k

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 242 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  22. 22

    Carmel IN

    16%

    Director and above
    23
    All openings
    148
    Median posted pay
    $86k

    Hiring most here: Allegion, Belden, CNO Financial Group

    Based on 148 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Carmel

  23. 23

    Cleveland OH

    15%

    Director and above
    136
    All openings
    917
    Median posted pay
    $100k

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 917 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  24. 24

    Green Bay WI

    15%

    Director and above
    21
    All openings
    143
    Median posted pay
    $105k

    Hiring most here: Michels, W.W. Grainger

    Based on 143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Green Bay

  25. 25

    Toledo OH

    14%

    Director and above
    26
    All openings
    184
    Median posted pay
    $84k

    Hiring most here: Owens Corning, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Turner Construction

    Based on 184 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Toledo

Full ranking

All 53 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Lake Forest IL33%111
2Eden Prairie MN31%363
3Minnetonka MN31%121
4Evanston IL27%109
5Chicago IL26%8,033
6Mundelein IL25%255
7Northbrook IL24%192
8Aurora IL24%133
9Indianapolis IN21%1,496
10Detroit MI20%786
11Rosemont IL20%102
12Neenah WI19%101
13Minneapolis MN18%1,313
14Downers Grove IL18%147
15Milwaukee WI18%909
16Rochester MN18%182
17Naperville IL17%196
18Madison WI17%526
19Oak Brook IL17%148
20Springfield IL16%323
21Schaumburg IL16%242
22Carmel IN16%148
23Cleveland OH15%917
24Green Bay WI15%143
25Toledo OH14%184
26Cincinnati OH14%1,451
27Columbus OH14%2,024
28Bloomington MN14%200
29Rolling Meadows IL13%283
30Ann Arbor MI13%362
31Troy MI13%258
32La Crosse WI13%118
33Dublin OH13%134
34St. Paul MN13%232
35Rockford IL12%145
36Grand Rapids MI12%439
37Waukesha WI12%122
38Lisle IL12%131
39Peoria IL12%167
40Fort Wayne IN12%293
41Dayton OH12%446
42Novi MI12%152
43Lansing MI12%229
44Southfield MI12%242
45Mason OH11%151
46Akron OH11%323
47Jeffersonville IN10%126
48Auburn Hills MI10%160
49Maple Grove MN10%100
50Appleton WI7%156
51Evansville IN6%124
52New Albany OH5%152
53Oakbrook Terrace IL3%153

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

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 on employer career sites, verified in the last week. 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 cities for director and executive jobs in the great lakes?
Lake Forest leads the Great Lakes for director and executive jobs: 33% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 18% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
53 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 53 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. 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 cities for director and executive jobs in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-great-lakes

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

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

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