NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Great Lakes

La Crosse leads the Great Lakes for junior jobs: 49% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 30% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 La Crosse, WI: 49%
  • #2 Green Bay, WI: 45%
  • #3 Lansing, MI: 45%
  • 53 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 30% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1La Crosse WI49%
  2. 2Green Bay WI45%
  3. 3Lansing MI45%
  4. 4Dublin OH43%
  5. 5Auburn Hills MI43%
  6. 6Neenah WI42%
  7. 7Appleton WI41%
  8. 8Rockford IL39%
  9. 9Akron OH39%
  10. 10Toledo OH39%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: La Crosse leads on 49%, and #10 Toledo is at 39%.
  • Akron is the largest market in the top ten, with 323 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

    La Crosse WI

    49%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    118
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: Trane U.s., Gundersen Health, Kwik Trip

    Based on 118 openings.

    Jobs and employers in La Crosse

  2. 2

    Green Bay WI

    45%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    143
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Michels, W.W. Grainger

    Based on 143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Green Bay

  3. 3

    Lansing MI

    45%

    Entry-level openings
    102
    All openings
    229
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, Auto-Owners Insurance, Sparrow Clinton Hospital

    Based on 229 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lansing

  4. 4

    Dublin OH

    43%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    134
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Oclc, Univar Solutions, Amazon

    Based on 134 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dublin

  5. 5

    Auburn Hills MI

    43%

    Entry-level openings
    68
    All openings
    160
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Alten Technology USA, Stellantis, Nexteer

    Based on 160 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Auburn Hills

  6. 6

    Neenah WI

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    42
    All openings
    101
    Openings with pay posted
    2%

    Hiring most here: Plexus, Michels, Menasha

    Based on 101 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Neenah

  7. 7

    Appleton WI

    41%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    156
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: Illinois Tool Works, Ducommun, Oshkosh

    Based on 156 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Appleton

  8. 8

    Rockford IL

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    145
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: RTX, Woodward, Top Echelon Network (recruiter member boards)

    Based on 145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rockford

  9. 9

    Akron OH

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    126
    All openings
    323
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: FirstEnergy Akron, Babcock International Group PLC/ADR, Firstenergy

    Based on 323 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Akron

  10. 10

    Toledo OH

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    71
    All openings
    184
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

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

    Based on 184 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Toledo

  11. 11

    Cincinnati OH

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    551
    All openings
    1,451
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern Financial Group

    Based on 1,451 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  12. 12

    Peoria IL

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    63
    All openings
    167
    Openings with pay posted
    23%

    Hiring most here: Osf Healthcare System, Caterpillar, Nexstar Media Group

    Based on 167 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Peoria

  13. 13

    Springfield IL

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    121
    All openings
    323
    Openings with pay posted
    32%

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

    Based on 323 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  14. 14

    Naperville IL

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    72
    All openings
    196
    Openings with pay posted
    24%

    Hiring most here: KeHE, viaPhoton, Wipfli

    Based on 196 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Naperville

  15. 15

    Madison WI

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    193
    All openings
    526
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

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

    Based on 526 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  16. 16

    Schaumburg IL

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    87
    All openings
    242
    Openings with pay posted
    30%

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 242 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  17. 17

    Troy MI

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    91
    All openings
    258
    Openings with pay posted
    6%

    Hiring most here: Aptiv, Publicis Groupe, Flagstar Bank, National Association

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Troy

  18. 18

    Grand Rapids MI

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    154
    All openings
    439
    Openings with pay posted
    6%

    Hiring most here: Corewell Health, Acrisure, BDO USA

    Based on 439 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Grand Rapids

  19. 19

    Cleveland OH

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    319
    All openings
    917
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 917 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  20. 20

    Mundelein IL

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    88
    All openings
    255
    Openings with pay posted
    31%

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 255 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  21. 21

    Columbus OH

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    693
    All openings
    2,024
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, American Electric Power

    Based on 2,024 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  22. 22

    Evansville IN

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    42
    All openings
    124
    Openings with pay posted
    2%

    Hiring most here: Deaconess Womens Hospital Of Southern Indiana, Old National Bank, Deaconess Homecare

    Based on 124 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Evansville

  23. 23

    Mason OH

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    50
    All openings
    151
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Cintas, L3HARRIS Technologies, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 151 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mason

  24. 24

    Dayton OH

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    147
    All openings
    446
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: University of Dayton, Modern Technology Solutions, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 446 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dayton

  25. 25

    St. Paul MN

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    73
    All openings
    232
    Openings with pay posted
    38%

    Hiring most here: George Konik Associates, Thomson Reuters, Mortenson

    Based on 232 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Paul

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1La Crosse WI49%118
2Green Bay WI45%143
3Lansing MI45%229
4Dublin OH43%134
5Auburn Hills MI43%160
6Neenah WI42%101
7Appleton WI41%156
8Rockford IL39%145
9Akron OH39%323
10Toledo OH39%184
11Cincinnati OH38%1,451
12Peoria IL38%167
13Springfield IL37%323
14Naperville IL37%196
15Madison WI37%526
16Schaumburg IL36%242
17Troy MI35%258
18Grand Rapids MI35%439
19Cleveland OH35%917
20Mundelein IL35%255
21Columbus OH34%2,024
22Evansville IN34%124
23Mason OH33%151
24Dayton OH33%446
25St. Paul MN31%232
26Evanston IL31%109
27Oak Brook IL30%148
28Bloomington MN30%200
29Milwaukee WI30%909
30Fort Wayne IN30%293
31Detroit MI29%786
32Aurora IL29%133
33Indianapolis IN28%1,496
34Northbrook IL28%192
35Carmel IN26%148
36Jeffersonville IN26%126
37Waukesha WI25%122
38Rochester MN25%182
39Ann Arbor MI25%362
40Minneapolis MN25%1,313
41Southfield MI24%242
42Downers Grove IL23%147
43Chicago IL22%8,033
44Oakbrook Terrace IL22%153
45Novi MI21%152
46Rosemont IL20%102
47Lisle IL19%131
48Rolling Meadows IL19%283
49Eden Prairie MN18%363
50Maple Grove MN17%100
51New Albany OH16%152
52Lake Forest IL16%111
53Minnetonka MN16%121

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 the great lakes?
La Crosse leads the Great Lakes for junior jobs: 49% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 30% 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 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 the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-great-lakes

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-great-lakes">Best cities for junior 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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