NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in New England

Springfield leads New England for junior jobs: 38% 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 Springfield, MA: 38%
  • #2 Portland, ME: 34%
  • #3 Andover, MA: 33%
  • 28 cities ranked in New England
  • Data as of November 2026

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

  1. 1Springfield MA38%
  2. 2Portland ME34%
  3. 3Andover MA33%
  4. 4Greenwich CT32%
  5. 5Manchester NH30%
  6. 6New Haven CT30%
  7. 7Quincy MA29%
  8. 8Westborough MA28%
  9. 9Woburn MA27%
  10. 10Providence RI27%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 38%, and #10 Providence is at 27%.
  • New Haven is the largest market in the top ten, with 304 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

    Springfield MA

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    40
    All openings
    105
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: MassMutual

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  2. 2

    Portland ME

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    191
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Unum Group, BerryDunn, Springborn Staffing

    Based on 191 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Portland

  3. 3

    Andover MA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    52
    All openings
    160
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: RTX, Vicor, Mercury Systems

    Based on 160 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Andover

  4. 4

    Greenwich CT

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    45
    All openings
    142
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: iCapital, AQR Capital

    Based on 142 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Greenwich

  5. 5

    Manchester NH

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    47
    All openings
    158
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Allegro Microsystems, Eversource Energy

    Based on 158 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Manchester

  6. 6

    New Haven CT

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    90
    All openings
    304
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: Yale University, Yale New Haven Health, Knights of Columbus

    Based on 304 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New Haven

  7. 7

    Quincy MA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    169
    Openings with pay posted
    54%

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Anduril, J.Jill

    Based on 169 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Quincy

  8. 8

    Westborough MA

    28%

    Entry-level openings
    33
    All openings
    116
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Olympus America, Astellas (ADP)

    Based on 116 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Westborough

  9. 9

    Woburn MA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    180
    Openings with pay posted
    30%

    Hiring most here: RTX, Spear Bio, VEIR

    Based on 180 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Woburn

  10. 10

    Providence RI

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    55
    All openings
    207
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Gilbane, Brown University, Women and Infants Hospital

    Based on 207 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Providence

  11. 11

    Worcester MA

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    45
    All openings
    171
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Umass Memorial Health Care, Milford Regional Medical Center

    Based on 171 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Worcester

  12. 12

    Hartford CT

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    96
    All openings
    366
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy

    Based on 366 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hartford

  13. 13

    Danbury CT

    25%

    Entry-level openings
    26
    All openings
    106
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, Creative Financial Staffing

    Based on 106 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Danbury

  14. 14

    Stamford CT

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    82
    All openings
    336
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: Philip Morris International, Gartner, Charter Communications

    Based on 336 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Stamford

  15. 15

    Norwood MA

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    28
    All openings
    117
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: Moderna, Home Market Foods, Illinois Tool Works

    Based on 117 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Norwood

  16. 16

    Newton MA

    23%

    Entry-level openings
    26
    All openings
    111
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: Panera Brands, Siemens Healthineers, The RMR Group

    Based on 111 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newton

  17. 17

    Marlborough MA

    22%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    258
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: RTX, Danaher, Hologic

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Marlborough

  18. 18

    Framingham MA

    22%

    Entry-level openings
    47
    All openings
    213
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: Staples, Bose, TJX Companies

    Based on 213 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Framingham

  19. 19

    Lexington MA

    21%

    Entry-level openings
    53
    All openings
    253
    Openings with pay posted
    29%

    Hiring most here: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Lincoln Lab), Takeda Development Center Americas, Kiniksa Pharmaceuticals International

    Based on 253 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lexington

  20. 20

    Somerville MA

    21%

    Entry-level openings
    73
    All openings
    354
    Openings with pay posted
    66%

    Hiring most here: Formlabs, Tulip Interfaces, Generate Biomedicines

    Based on 354 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Somerville

  21. 21

    Burlington MA

    20%

    Entry-level openings
    45
    All openings
    227
    Openings with pay posted
    29%

    Hiring most here: Veracode, Vericel, Tufts Medicine Care AT Home

    Based on 227 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Burlington

  22. 22

    Waltham MA

    20%

    Entry-level openings
    124
    All openings
    634
    Openings with pay posted
    34%

    Hiring most here: Boston Dynamics, Anduril Industries, Xometry

    Based on 634 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waltham

  23. 23

    Lowell MA

    18%

    Entry-level openings
    26
    All openings
    145
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: Macom, UKG

    Based on 145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lowell

  24. 24

    Boston MA

    18%

    Entry-level openings
    943
    All openings
    5,338
    Openings with pay posted
    30%

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Confidential, Takeda Development Center Americas

    Based on 5,338 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  25. 25

    Wilmington MA

    18%

    Entry-level openings
    29
    All openings
    165
    Openings with pay posted
    30%

    Hiring most here: Onto Innovation, L3HARRIS Technologies, Symbotic

    Based on 165 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Wilmington

Full ranking

All 28 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield MA38%105
2Portland ME34%191
3Andover MA33%160
4Greenwich CT32%142
5Manchester NH30%158
6New Haven CT30%304
7Quincy MA29%169
8Westborough MA28%116
9Woburn MA27%180
10Providence RI27%207
11Worcester MA26%171
12Hartford CT26%366
13Danbury CT25%106
14Stamford CT24%336
15Norwood MA24%117
16Newton MA23%111
17Marlborough MA22%258
18Framingham MA22%213
19Lexington MA21%253
20Somerville MA21%354
21Burlington MA20%227
22Waltham MA20%634
23Lowell MA18%145
24Boston MA18%5,338
25Wilmington MA18%165
26Bedford MA17%201
27Watertown MA16%146
28Cambridge MA13%1,204

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 new england?
Springfield leads New England for junior jobs: 38% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 22% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
28 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 28 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 New England,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-new-england

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

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

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