NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Mountain West

Fort Collins leads the Mountain West for junior jobs: 37% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 28% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Fort Collins, CO: 37%
  • #2 Sparks, NV: 34%
  • #3 Boise, ID: 32%
  • 19 cities ranked in the Mountain West
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 28% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Fort Collins CO37%
  2. 2Sparks NV34%
  3. 3Boise ID32%
  4. 4Las Vegas NV31%
  5. 5Reno NV31%
  6. 6Centennial CO30%
  7. 7Aurora CO29%
  8. 8Littleton CO28%
  9. 9Salt Lake City UT28%
  10. 10Englewood CO27%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Fort Collins leads on 37%, and #10 Englewood is at 27%.
  • Sparks reaches #2 on a sample of 122 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Salt Lake City is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,102 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

    Fort Collins CO

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    154
    Openings with pay posted
    32%

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Woodward, Advanced Energy

    Based on 154 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fort Collins

  2. 2

    Sparks NV

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    42
    All openings
    122
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet

    Based on 122 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sparks

  3. 3

    Boise ID

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    124
    All openings
    391
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

    Based on 391 openings.

  4. 4

    Las Vegas NV

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    308
    All openings
    980
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4

    Based on 980 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Las Vegas

  5. 5

    Reno NV

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    95
    All openings
    311
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment

    Based on 311 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Reno

  6. 6

    Centennial CO

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    162
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: United Launch Alliance, Mastec, American Civil Constructors

    Based on 162 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Centennial

  7. 7

    Aurora CO

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    99
    All openings
    347
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX

    Based on 347 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Aurora

  8. 8

    Littleton CO

    28%

    Entry-level openings
    83
    All openings
    295
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services

    Based on 295 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Littleton

  9. 9

    Salt Lake City UT

    28%

    Entry-level openings
    309
    All openings
    1,102
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 1,102 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Salt Lake City

  10. 10

    Englewood CO

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    73
    All openings
    266
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin

    Based on 266 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Englewood

  11. 11

    Lehi UT

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    74
    All openings
    273
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Podium, Pattern Group, Texas Instruments

    Based on 273 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lehi

  12. 12

    Colorado Springs CO

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    192
    All openings
    712
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 712 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Colorado Springs

  13. 13

    Boulder CO

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    119
    All openings
    454
    Openings with pay posted
    31%

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing

    Based on 454 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boulder

  14. 14

    Broomfield CO

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    77
    All openings
    294
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures

    Based on 294 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Broomfield

  15. 15

    Denver CO

    25%

    Entry-level openings
    760
    All openings
    2,996
    Openings with pay posted
    28%

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 2,996 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Denver

  16. 16

    Longmont CO

    25%

    Entry-level openings
    25
    All openings
    101
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Sens Usa, Blue Origin, Ursa Major Technologies

    Based on 101 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Longmont

  17. 17

    Westminster CO

    22%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    264
    Openings with pay posted
    42%

    Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro

    Based on 264 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Westminster

  18. 18

    Louisville CO

    19%

    Entry-level openings
    27
    All openings
    139
    Openings with pay posted
    28%

    Hiring most here: Infleqtion, Sierra Space, Garmin

    Based on 139 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Louisville

  19. 19

    Greenwood Village CO

    19%

    Entry-level openings
    32
    All openings
    168
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: CoBank ACB, Black & Veatch, Charter Communications

    Based on 168 openings.

Full ranking

All 19 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Fort Collins CO37%154
2Sparks NV34%122
3Boise ID32%391
4Las Vegas NV31%980
5Reno NV31%311
6Centennial CO30%162
7Aurora CO29%347
8Littleton CO28%295
9Salt Lake City UT28%1,102
10Englewood CO27%266
11Lehi UT27%273
12Colorado Springs CO27%712
13Boulder CO26%454
14Broomfield CO26%294
15Denver CO25%2,996
16Longmont CO25%101
17Westminster CO22%264
18Louisville CO19%139
19Greenwood Village CO19%168

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 mountain west?
Fort Collins leads the Mountain West for junior jobs: 37% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 28% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
19 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 19 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 Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-mountain-west

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

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

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