NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Northeast

York leads the Northeast for junior jobs: 50% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 24% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 York, PA: 50%
  • #2 Lancaster, PA: 39%
  • #3 Springfield, MA: 38%
  • 70 cities ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 24% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1York PA50%
  2. 2Lancaster PA39%
  3. 3Springfield MA38%
  4. 4Bronx NY37%
  5. 5King of Prussia PA36%
  6. 6Queens NY35%
  7. 7Edison NJ34%
  8. 8Syracuse NY34%
  9. 9United PA34%
  10. 10Portland ME34%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: York leads on 50%, and #10 Portland is at 34%.
  • Syracuse is the largest market in the top ten, with 419 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

    York PA

    50%

    Entry-level openings
    61
    All openings
    122
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Johnson Controls International

    Based on 122 openings.

    Jobs and employers in York

  2. 2

    Lancaster PA

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    165
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: Turner Construction, PNC Financial Services Group, Armstrong Elevator Company

    Based on 165 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lancaster

  3. 3

    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

  4. 4

    Bronx NY

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    71
    All openings
    190
    Openings with pay posted
    6%

    Hiring most here: Bronxworks, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Argus Community

    Based on 190 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bronx

  5. 5

    King of Prussia PA

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    125
    All openings
    347
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

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

    Based on 347 openings.

    Jobs and employers in King of Prussia

  6. 6

    Queens NY

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    37
    All openings
    105
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: Samaritan Daytop Village, Skanska USA, NEW York Edge

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Queens

  7. 7

    Edison NJ

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    42
    All openings
    122
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Xoriant, DHL

    Based on 122 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Edison

  8. 8

    Syracuse NY

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    143
    All openings
    419
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Upstate Medical University, Hidden Level, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 419 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Syracuse

  9. 9

    United PA

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    79
    All openings
    234
    Openings with pay posted
    28%

    Based on 234 openings.

  10. 10

    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

  11. 11

    Pittsburgh PA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    530
    All openings
    1,592
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC

    Based on 1,592 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pittsburgh

  12. 12

    Mechanicsburg PA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    145
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: Gallagher, Arthur J. Gallagher, Gallagher Bassett

    Based on 145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mechanicsburg

  13. 13

    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

  14. 14

    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

  15. 15

    Harrisburg PA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    94
    All openings
    300
    Openings with pay posted
    22%

    Hiring most here: GSK, Michels, Parsons

    Based on 300 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Harrisburg

  16. 16

    Melville NY

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    158
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: Estee Lauder Companies, Langan, Leviton

    Based on 158 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Melville

  17. 17

    Conshohocken PA

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    161
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: Hamilton Lane, Skanska USA, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals

    Based on 161 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Conshohocken

  18. 18

    Rochester NY

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    160
    All openings
    537
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund, Rochester Institute of Technology

    Based on 537 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rochester

  19. 19

    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

  20. 20

    White Plains NY

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    68
    All openings
    229
    Openings with pay posted
    26%

    Hiring most here: New York Power Authority, FormativGroup, RWE Clean Energy

    Based on 229 openings.

    Jobs and employers in White Plains

  21. 21

    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

  22. 22

    Bethlehem PA

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    34
    All openings
    115
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: Moravian University, Langan

    Based on 115 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bethlehem

  23. 23

    Allentown PA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    218
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: PPL, Apci Credit Union, Thermo Fisher Scientific

    Based on 218 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Allentown

  24. 24

    Albany NY

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    116
    All openings
    397
    Openings with pay posted
    25%

    Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union

    Based on 397 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Albany

  25. 25

    Exton PA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    36
    All openings
    124
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: West Pharmaceutical Services, Bentley Systems, NextGen Security

    Based on 124 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Exton

Full ranking

All 70 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1York PA50%122
2Lancaster PA39%165
3Springfield MA38%105
4Bronx NY37%190
5King of Prussia PA36%347
6Queens NY35%105
7Edison NJ34%122
8Syracuse NY34%419
9United PA34%234
10Portland ME34%191
11Pittsburgh PA33%1,592
12Mechanicsburg PA33%145
13Andover MA33%160
14Greenwich CT32%142
15Harrisburg PA31%300
16Melville NY30%158
17Conshohocken PA30%161
18Rochester NY30%537
19Manchester NH30%158
20White Plains NY30%229
21New Haven CT30%304
22Bethlehem PA30%115
23Allentown PA29%218
24Albany NY29%397
25Exton PA29%124
26Quincy MA29%169
27Buffalo NY29%461
28Westborough MA28%116
29Malvern PA27%115
30Brooklyn NY27%693
31Woburn MA27%180
32Providence RI27%207
33Worcester MA26%171
34Hartford CT26%366
35Philadelphia PA25%1,960
36Parsippany NJ25%274
37Horsham PA25%117
38Danbury CT25%106
39Stamford CT24%336
40Reading PA24%215
41Newark NJ24%455
42Norwood MA24%117
43Newton MA23%111
44Berkeley Heights NJ23%121
45Secaucus NJ23%121
46Florham Park NJ23%140
47Piscataway NJ23%127
48Camden NJ23%180
49Iselin NJ23%154
50Marlborough MA22%258
51New York NY22%22,145
52Framingham MA22%213
53Lexington MA21%253
54Somerville MA21%354
55Burlington MA20%227
56Waltham MA20%634
57Jersey City NJ19%679
58Lowell MA18%145
59Trenton NJ18%118
60Boston MA18%5,338
61Wilmington MA18%165
62Bedford MA17%201
63Morristown NJ17%248
64Princeton NJ17%439
65Bridgewater NJ16%170
66Watertown MA16%146
67Ithaca NY15%108
68Hoboken NJ13%122
69Cambridge MA13%1,204
70Radnor PA13%128

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 northeast?
York leads the Northeast for junior jobs: 50% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 24% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
70 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 70 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 Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-northeast

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

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

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