Best cities for junior jobs in North Carolina
Key facts
- #1 Asheville, NC: 44%
- #2 Fayetteville, NC: 43%
- #3 Wilmington, NC: 41%
- 11 cities ranked in North Carolina
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 31% across all cities in our data.
- 1Asheville NC44%
- 2Fayetteville NC43%
- 3Wilmington NC41%
- 4Winston Salem NC40%
- 5Greensboro NC35%
- 6Raleigh NC33%
- 7Greenville NC32%
- 8Charlotte NC30%
- 9Morrisville NC29%
- 10Durham NC25%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Asheville (44%) is well clear of Durham at #10 (25%).
- Charlotte is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,402 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
Asheville NC
44%
- Entry-level openings
- 61
- All openings
- 139
- Openings with pay posted
- 16%
Hiring most here: RTX, Eaton, Rha Health Services
Based on 139 openings.
- 2
Fayetteville NC
43%
- Entry-level openings
- 52
- All openings
- 121
- Openings with pay posted
- 20%
Hiring most here: Veterans Health Administration, Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration
Based on 121 openings.
- 3
Wilmington NC
41%
- Entry-level openings
- 84
- All openings
- 204
- Openings with pay posted
- 12%
Hiring most here: Corning, Novant Health, Acadia Healthcare Company
Based on 204 openings.
- 4
Winston Salem NC
40%
- Entry-level openings
- 42
- All openings
- 104
- Openings with pay posted
- 9%
Hiring most here: Wake Forest University
Based on 104 openings.
- 5
Greensboro NC
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 155
- All openings
- 446
- Openings with pay posted
- 12%
Hiring most here: Cone Health, Kaiser Permanente, Guilford County Schools
Based on 446 openings.
- 6
Raleigh NC
33%
- Entry-level openings
- 506
- All openings
- 1,515
- Openings with pay posted
- 16%
Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX
Based on 1,515 openings.
- 7
Greenville NC
32%
- Entry-level openings
- 39
- All openings
- 122
- Openings with pay posted
- 6%
Hiring most here: ECU Health, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Based on 122 openings.
- 8
Charlotte NC
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 1,027
- All openings
- 3,402
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas
Based on 3,402 openings.
- 9
Morrisville NC
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 47
- All openings
- 164
- Openings with pay posted
- 10%
Hiring most here: Teleflex, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alcami Home
Based on 164 openings.
- 10
Durham NC
25%
- Entry-level openings
- 198
- All openings
- 804
- Openings with pay posted
- 7%
Hiring most here: Duke University, Duke Health, GSK
Based on 804 openings.
- 11
Cary NC
23%
- Entry-level openings
- 55
- All openings
- 242
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Epic Games, Wake County Public School System, Garmin
Based on 242 openings.
Full ranking
All 11 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Asheville NC | 44% | 139 |
| 2 | Fayetteville NC | 43% | 121 |
| 3 | Wilmington NC | 41% | 204 |
| 4 | Winston Salem NC | 40% | 104 |
| 5 | Greensboro NC | 35% | 446 |
| 6 | Raleigh NC | 33% | 1,515 |
| 7 | Greenville NC | 32% | 122 |
| 8 | Charlotte NC | 30% | 3,402 |
| 9 | Morrisville NC | 29% | 164 |
| 10 | Durham NC | 25% | 804 |
| 11 | Cary NC | 23% | 242 |
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 north carolina?
- Asheville leads North Carolina for junior jobs: 44% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 31% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 11 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 11 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
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in North Carolina
- Best college towns for entry-level and junior jobs
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Northeast
- Best college towns for junior jobs in New England
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mid-Atlantic
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Southeast
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Southwest
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for junior jobs in North Carolina,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-north-carolina
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-north-carolina">Best cities for junior jobs in North Carolina (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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