NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Midwest

La Crosse leads the Midwest 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%
  • 69 cities ranked in the Midwest
  • 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. 4Lincoln NE43%
  5. 5Dublin OH43%
  6. 6Auburn Hills MI43%
  7. 7Neenah WI42%
  8. 8Appleton WI41%
  9. 9Springfield MO40%
  10. 10Rockford IL39%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: La Crosse leads on 49%, and #10 Rockford is at 39%.
  • Lansing is the largest market in the top ten, with 229 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

    Lincoln NE

    43%

    Entry-level openings
    91
    All openings
    210
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Nelnet Servicing, General Dynamics OTS, Hudl

    Based on 210 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lincoln

  5. 5

    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

  6. 6

    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

  7. 7

    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

  8. 8

    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

  9. 9

    Springfield MO

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    82
    All openings
    205
    Openings with pay posted
    3%

    Hiring most here: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Coxhealth, Jack Henry & Associates

    Based on 205 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  10. 10

    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

  11. 11

    Sioux Falls SD

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    83
    All openings
    212
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: Sioux Center Health, Marshfield Clinic, Trinzic

    Based on 212 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sioux Falls

  12. 12

    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

  13. 13

    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

  14. 14

    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

  15. 15

    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

  16. 16

    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

  17. 17

    Kansas City KS

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    55
    All openings
    148
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Dairy Farmers of America, Amazon, Kansas City Kansas Community College

    Based on 148 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Kansas City

  18. 18

    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

  19. 19

    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

  20. 20

    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

  21. 21

    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

  22. 22

    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

  23. 23

    St. Louis MO

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    209
    All openings
    596
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: Stifel Charitable, BJC HealthCare, Kforce

    Based on 596 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Louis

  24. 24

    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

  25. 25

    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

Full ranking

All 69 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1La Crosse WI49%118
2Green Bay WI45%143
3Lansing MI45%229
4Lincoln NE43%210
5Dublin OH43%134
6Auburn Hills MI43%160
7Neenah WI42%101
8Appleton WI41%156
9Springfield MO40%205
10Rockford IL39%145
11Sioux Falls SD39%212
12Akron OH39%323
13Toledo OH39%184
14Cincinnati OH38%1,451
15Peoria IL38%167
16Springfield IL37%323
17Kansas City KS37%148
18Naperville IL37%196
19Madison WI37%526
20Schaumburg IL36%242
21Troy MI35%258
22Grand Rapids MI35%439
23St. Louis MO35%596
24Cleveland OH35%917
25Mundelein IL35%255
26Columbus OH34%2,024
27Lenexa KS34%223
28Evansville IN34%124
29Mason OH33%151
30Dayton OH33%446
31Wichita KS33%237
32Kansas City MO32%916
33St. Paul MN31%232
34Evanston IL31%109
35Oak Brook IL30%148
36Jefferson City MO30%125
37Bloomington MN30%200
38Omaha NE30%577
39Overland Park KS30%454
40Milwaukee WI30%909
41Fargo ND30%165
42Fort Wayne IN30%293
43Detroit MI29%786
44Aurora IL29%133
45Columbia MO29%133
46Indianapolis IN28%1,496
47Northbrook IL28%192
48Topeka KS28%112
49Carmel IN26%148
50Jeffersonville IN26%126
51Cedar Rapids IA26%370
52Waukesha WI25%122
53Rochester MN25%182
54Ann Arbor MI25%362
55Minneapolis MN25%1,313
56Southfield MI24%242
57Downers Grove IL23%147
58Des Moines IA22%394
59Chicago IL22%8,033
60Oakbrook Terrace IL22%153
61Novi MI21%152
62Rosemont IL20%102
63Lisle IL19%131
64Rolling Meadows IL19%283
65Eden Prairie MN18%363
66Maple Grove MN17%100
67New Albany OH16%152
68Lake Forest IL16%111
69Minnetonka 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 midwest?
La Crosse leads the Midwest 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?
69 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 69 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 Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-midwest

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

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

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