NextChapter

Best cities for mid-career professionals

Springfield leads the United States for mid-career professionals: 76% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 52% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Springfield, VA: 76%
  • #2 Mountain View, CA: 68%
  • #3 Ashburn, VA: 68%
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 52% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Springfield VA76%
  2. 2Mountain View CA68%
  3. 3Ashburn VA68%
  4. 4Chantilly VA66%
  5. 5Bellevue WA66%
  6. 6Fort Meade MD66%
  7. 7Sterling VA65%
  8. 8San Carlos CA65%
  9. 9Oak Ridge TN65%
  10. 10Herndon VA65%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 76%, and #10 Herndon is at 65%.
  • Mountain View is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,637 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 200 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Mid-career roles (mid-level, senior and manager) are spread differently from entry-level roles. This list shows where employers are hiring people with several years of experience.

How to use it

If you have five or more years behind you, start with the places at the top, then narrow by job family on the cities and employers pages.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Springfield VA

    76%

    Mid-career openings
    210
    All openings
    277
    Median posted pay
    $131k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 277 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  2. 2

    Mountain View CA

    68%

    Mid-career openings
    1,119
    All openings
    1,637
    Median posted pay
    $213k

    Hiring most here: Intuit, Google, Waymo

    Based on 1,637 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mountain View

  3. 3

    Ashburn VA

    68%

    Mid-career openings
    177
    All openings
    259
    Median posted pay
    $144k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, Pkaza

    Based on 259 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ashburn

  4. 4

    Chantilly VA

    66%

    Mid-career openings
    366
    All openings
    553
    Median posted pay
    $194k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Trinzic, Peraton

    Based on 553 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chantilly

  5. 5

    Bellevue WA

    66%

    Mid-career openings
    962
    All openings
    1,455
    Median posted pay
    $197k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 1,455 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bellevue

  6. 6

    Fort Meade MD

    66%

    Mid-career openings
    181
    All openings
    275
    Median posted pay
    $149k

    Hiring most here: Peraton, CACI International, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 275 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fort Meade

  7. 7

    Sterling VA

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    204
    All openings
    312
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, BAE Systems, Caci Technologies

    Based on 312 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sterling

  8. 8

    San Carlos CA

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    137
    All openings
    211
    Median posted pay
    $195k

    Hiring most here: 1X Technologies, Joby Aviation, Natera

    Based on 211 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Carlos

  9. 9

    Oak Ridge TN

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    133
    All openings
    205
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: UT-Battelle (ORNL), Centrus Energy, BWX Technologies

    Based on 205 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oak Ridge

  10. 10

    Herndon VA

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    549
    All openings
    849
    Median posted pay
    $163k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Peraton

    Based on 849 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Herndon

  11. 11

    Southfield MI

    64%

    Mid-career openings
    155
    All openings
    242
    Median posted pay
    $136k

    Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Sun Communities, Lear

    Based on 242 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Southfield

  12. 12

    Reston VA

    63%

    Mid-career openings
    518
    All openings
    828
    Median posted pay
    $160k

    Hiring most here: ICF International, CACI International, Anduril Industries

    Based on 828 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Reston

  13. 13

    Berkeley CA

    62%

    Mid-career openings
    155
    All openings
    249
    Median posted pay
    $166k

    Hiring most here: Form Energy, University of California, Berkeley, Rigetti Computing

    Based on 249 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Berkeley

  14. 14

    McLean VA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    724
    All openings
    1,182
    Median posted pay
    $160k

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 1,182 openings.

    Jobs and employers in McLean

  15. 15

    Rolling Meadows IL

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    173
    All openings
    283
    Median posted pay
    $95k

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

    Based on 283 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rolling Meadows

  16. 16

    Columbia MD

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    171
    All openings
    280
    Median posted pay
    $144k

    Hiring most here: HII Mission Technologies, CACI International, Grace Therapeutics

    Based on 280 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbia

  17. 17

    San Francisco CA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    7,493
    All openings
    12,335
    Median posted pay
    $215k

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 12,335 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  18. 18

    Carlsbad CA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    190
    All openings
    313
    Median posted pay
    $143k

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

    Based on 313 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Carlsbad

  19. 19

    Ann Arbor MI

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    219
    All openings
    362
    Median posted pay
    $153k

    Hiring most here: May Mobility, Torc Robotics, Thomson Reuters

    Based on 362 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  20. 20

    Annapolis Junction MD

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    133
    All openings
    220
    Median posted pay
    $149k

    Hiring most here: Peraton, General Dynamics Mission Systems, CACI International

    Based on 220 openings.

  21. 21

    Huntsville AL

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    722
    All openings
    1,196
    Median posted pay
    $146k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, L3HARRIS Technologies, Blue Origin

    Based on 1,196 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Huntsville

  22. 22

    Honolulu HI

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    242
    All openings
    401
    Median posted pay
    $120k

    Hiring most here: Bank of Hawaii, First Hawaiian, Central Pacific Bank

    Based on 401 openings.

  23. 23

    Littleton CO

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    178
    All openings
    295
    Median posted pay
    $130k

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

    Based on 295 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Littleton

  24. 24

    San Mateo CA

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    579
    All openings
    960
    Median posted pay
    $232k

    Hiring most here: Roblox, Verkada, Skydio

    Based on 960 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Mateo

  25. 25

    Palo Alto CA

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    760
    All openings
    1,263
    Median posted pay
    $206k

    Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care

    Based on 1,263 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Palo Alto

Full ranking

All 100 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield VA76%277
2Mountain View CA68%1,637
3Ashburn VA68%259
4Chantilly VA66%553
5Bellevue WA66%1,455
6Fort Meade MD66%275
7Sterling VA65%312
8San Carlos CA65%211
9Oak Ridge TN65%205
10Herndon VA65%849
11Southfield MI64%242
12Reston VA63%828
13Berkeley CA62%249
14McLean VA61%1,182
15Rolling Meadows IL61%283
16Columbia MD61%280
17San Francisco CA61%12,335
18Carlsbad CA61%313
19Ann Arbor MI60%362
20Annapolis Junction MD60%220
21Huntsville AL60%1,196
22Honolulu HI60%401
23Littleton CO60%295
24San Mateo CA60%960
25Palo Alto CA60%1,263
26Englewood CO60%266
27Milpitas CA60%271
28Lenexa KS60%223
29Sunnyvale CA60%1,655
30Westminster CO59%264
31Seattle WA59%5,635
32Des Moines IA59%394
33Fremont CA59%510
34Spring TX59%338
35Menlo Park CA58%449
36Torrance CA58%745
37Colorado Springs CO58%712
38Long Beach CA58%876
39Cary NC58%242
40Grand Prairie TX58%204
41Overland Park KS57%454
42Santa Monica CA57%327
43Rochester NY57%537
44Arlington VA57%2,079
45Santa Ana CA57%277
46Alpharetta GA57%614
47Bethesda MD56%470
48Boise ID55%391
49Orlando FL55%1,343
50St. Paul MN55%232
51Culver City CA55%252
52Omaha NE55%577
53White Plains NY55%229
54Denver CO55%2,996
55Portland OR55%837
56Mesa AZ55%201
57Houston TX54%4,621
58Buffalo NY54%461
59Tulsa OK54%498
60Santa Clara CA54%1,689
61Framingham MA54%213
62Minneapolis MN54%1,313
63Aurora CO54%347
64Dayton OH54%446
65Austin TX54%6,257
66Irving TX54%948
67Newport Beach CA54%310
68Manassas VA53%236
69Memphis TN53%708
70Oklahoma City OK53%581
71Wichita KS53%237
72Lehi UT53%273
73Melbourne FL53%317
74Irvine CA53%1,587
75Phoenix AZ53%2,922
76El Segundo CA53%959
77Norfolk VA53%342
78Pasadena CA53%278
79Sarasota FL52%202
80San Jose CA52%2,552
81Cedar Rapids IA52%370
82Grand Rapids MI52%439
83Tempe AZ52%688
84Allentown PA52%218
85Greensboro NC52%446
86Fort Wayne IN52%293
87Reading PA52%215
88Reno NV52%311
89Chandler AZ52%473
90Marlborough MA52%258
91Salt Lake City UT52%1,102
92Charlotte NC52%3,402
93Lexington MA52%253
94Boulder CO52%454
95Bedford MA52%201
96Louisville KY52%2,319
97Dallas TX52%4,778
98Bloomington MN52%200
99Milwaukee WI51%909
100Charleston SC51%323

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at mid-level, senior individual-contributor or manager level, 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 200 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 mid-career professionals?
Springfield leads the United States for mid-career professionals: 76% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 52% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
100 cities have at least 200 openings, so the list has 100 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at mid-level, senior individual-contributor or manager level, 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 mid-career professionals,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs">Best cities for mid-career professionals (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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