NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in California

Bakersfield leads California for junior jobs: 42% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 22% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Bakersfield, CA: 42%
  • #2 Stockton, CA: 38%
  • #3 Fresno, CA: 38%
  • 54 cities ranked in California
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 22% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Bakersfield CA42%
  2. 2Stockton CA38%
  3. 3Fresno CA38%
  4. 4Santa Rosa CA37%
  5. 5Brea CA37%
  6. 6Riverside CA36%
  7. 7Anaheim CA36%
  8. 8Hayward CA34%
  9. 9Corona CA32%
  10. 10Orange CA32%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Bakersfield leads on 42%, and #10 Orange is at 32%.
  • Fresno is the largest market in the top ten, with 214 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

Entry-level hiring is concentrated in some metro areas and thin in others. The share of openings pitched at entry or early-career level shows where a first or second job is easiest to find.

How to use it

If you are early in your career, start your search in the places near the top and read their employer lists. Places lower down can still have entry roles, but they make up a smaller part of what is open.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Bakersfield CA

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    116
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Creative Financial Staffing, Clinica Sierra Vista

    Based on 116 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bakersfield

  2. 2

    Stockton CA

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    121
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: Amazon

    Based on 121 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Stockton

  3. 3

    Fresno CA

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    81
    All openings
    214
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, University Of California San Francisco Foundation, Creative Financial Staffing

    Based on 214 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fresno

  4. 4

    Santa Rosa CA

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    154
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: Keysight Technologies

    Based on 154 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Rosa

  5. 5

    Brea CA

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    37
    All openings
    101
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: Envista Holdings, Emeraldtechnologies, Howmet Aerospace

    Based on 101 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Brea

  6. 6

    Riverside CA

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    63
    All openings
    176
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: Kaiser Permanente, Pyramid Global Hospitality

    Based on 176 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Riverside

  7. 7

    Anaheim CA

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    180
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Legrand North America

    Based on 180 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Anaheim

  8. 8

    Hayward CA

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    37
    All openings
    109
    Openings with pay posted
    28%

    Hiring most here: Skydio, Pulse Biosciences, 1X Technologies

    Based on 109 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hayward

  9. 9

    Corona CA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    148
    Openings with pay posted
    39%

    Hiring most here: Monster Energy Company, Lubrizol, Gallagher

    Based on 148 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Corona

  10. 10

    Orange CA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    142
    Openings with pay posted
    23%

    Hiring most here: UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Alignment Healthcare, Aecom

    Based on 142 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Orange

  11. 11

    Sacramento CA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    457
    All openings
    1,431
    Openings with pay posted
    27%

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, BKF Engineers

    Based on 1,431 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  12. 12

    Long Beach CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    272
    All openings
    876
    Openings with pay posted
    53%

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 876 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  13. 13

    Santa Ana CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    86
    All openings
    277
    Openings with pay posted
    44%

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 277 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  14. 14

    Walnut Creek CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    54
    All openings
    177
    Openings with pay posted
    23%

    Hiring most here: Lewis Brisbois, Stantec, Brown and Caldwell

    Based on 177 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Walnut Creek

  15. 15

    Huntington Beach CA

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    32
    All openings
    105
    Openings with pay posted
    24%

    Hiring most here: Mach Industries, Karman Sd, BJs RESTAURANTS

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Huntington Beach

  16. 16

    Beverly Hills CA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    151
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: Fashion Nova, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Cedars Sinai

    Based on 151 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Beverly Hills

  17. 17

    Santa Barbara CA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    154
    Openings with pay posted
    34%

    Hiring most here: AppFolio, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Arthrex

    Based on 154 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Barbara

  18. 18

    Modesto CA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    30
    All openings
    105
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: E. & J. Gallo, Tenet Healthcare, Sutter Health

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Modesto

  19. 19

    Roseville CA

    28%

    Entry-level openings
    47
    All openings
    167
    Openings with pay posted
    26%

    Hiring most here: Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Adventist Health, Juniper Networks

    Based on 167 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Roseville

  20. 20

    Emeryville CA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    33
    All openings
    122
    Openings with pay posted
    43%

    Hiring most here: Profluent, Tanium, Eko

    Based on 122 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Emeryville

  21. 21

    Pasadena CA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    74
    All openings
    278
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: Kaiser Permanente, California Institute Of Technology, East West Bank

    Based on 278 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pasadena

  22. 22

    Torrance CA

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    194
    All openings
    745
    Openings with pay posted
    43%

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 745 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  23. 23

    El Segundo CA

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    249
    All openings
    959
    Openings with pay posted
    38%

    Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries

    Based on 959 openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  24. 24

    Los Angeles CA

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    1,311
    All openings
    5,439
    Openings with pay posted
    31%

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 5,439 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Los Angeles

  25. 25

    Newark CA

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    33
    All openings
    137
    Openings with pay posted
    57%

    Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Applied Industrial Technologies, Stratus Technologies

    Based on 137 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

Full ranking

All 54 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Bakersfield CA42%116
2Stockton CA38%121
3Fresno CA38%214
4Santa Rosa CA37%154
5Brea CA37%101
6Riverside CA36%176
7Anaheim CA36%180
8Hayward CA34%109
9Corona CA32%148
10Orange CA32%142
11Sacramento CA32%1,431
12Long Beach CA31%876
13Santa Ana CA31%277
14Walnut Creek CA31%177
15Huntington Beach CA30%105
16Beverly Hills CA29%151
17Santa Barbara CA29%154
18Modesto CA29%105
19Roseville CA28%167
20Emeryville CA27%122
21Pasadena CA27%278
22Torrance CA26%745
23El Segundo CA26%959
24Los Angeles CA24%5,439
25Newark CA24%137
26San Leandro CA24%104
27Irvine CA24%1,587
28Burbank CA24%147
29Fremont CA23%510
30Culver City CA23%252
31Pleasanton CA23%189
32San Diego CA23%3,240
33Goleta CA23%110
34Glendale CA23%195
35Milpitas CA23%271
36San Carlos CA22%211
37Alameda CA21%215
38Newport Beach CA21%310
39Carlsbad CA20%313
40Livermore CA20%117
41Sunnyvale CA19%1,655
42Palo Alto CA19%1,263
43San Jose CA19%2,552
44Oakland CA19%609
45San Francisco CA18%12,335
46Santa Monica CA17%327
47Menlo Park CA17%449
48Redwood City CA16%514
49Santa Clara CA16%1,689
50San Mateo CA15%960
51Palmdale CA14%132
52Berkeley CA14%249
53Mountain View CA13%1,637
54Foster City CA11%517

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, read from the full posting text.

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

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 junior jobs in california?
Bakersfield leads California for junior jobs: 42% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 22% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
54 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 54 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, read from the full posting text. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. Internships are left out. 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 junior jobs in California,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-california

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-california">Best cities for junior jobs in California (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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