NextChapter

Best cities for mid-career professionals in the West Coast

Mountain View leads the West Coast for mid-career professionals: 68% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 56% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Mountain View, CA: 68%
  • #2 Bellevue, WA: 66%
  • #3 Livermore, CA: 65%
  • 71 cities ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 56% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Mountain View CA68%
  2. 2Bellevue WA66%
  3. 3Livermore CA65%
  4. 4San Carlos CA65%
  5. 5Newark CA63%
  6. 6Berkeley CA62%
  7. 7Everett WA61%
  8. 8San Francisco CA61%
  9. 9Carlsbad CA61%
  10. 10San Mateo CA60%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Mountain View leads on 68%, and #10 San Mateo is at 60%.
  • Livermore reaches #3 on a sample of 117 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 12,335 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

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

    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

  2. 2

    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

  3. 3

    Livermore CA

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    76
    All openings
    117
    Median posted pay
    $152k

    Hiring most here: Formfactor, Fremont Bank, LAM Research

    Based on 117 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Livermore

  4. 4

    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

  5. 5

    Newark CA

    63%

    Mid-career openings
    86
    All openings
    137
    Median posted pay
    $172k

    Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Applied Industrial Technologies, Stratus Technologies

    Based on 137 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Newark

  6. 6

    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

  7. 7

    Everett WA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    119
    All openings
    195
    Median posted pay
    $183k

    Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, Helion

    Based on 195 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Everett

  8. 8

    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

  9. 9

    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

  10. 10

    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

  11. 11

    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

  12. 12

    Milpitas CA

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    163
    All openings
    271
    Median posted pay
    $165k

    Hiring most here: Cisco Systems, Psiquantum, KLA

    Based on 271 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milpitas

  13. 13

    Sunnyvale CA

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    987
    All openings
    1,655
    Median posted pay
    $212k

    Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Amazon, Wayve

    Based on 1,655 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sunnyvale

  14. 14

    Seattle WA

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    3,347
    All openings
    5,635
    Median posted pay
    $180k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,635 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  15. 15

    Fremont CA

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    301
    All openings
    510
    Median posted pay
    $169k

    Hiring most here: LAM Research, Coherent, Agility Robotics

    Based on 510 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fremont

  16. 16

    San Leandro CA

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    61
    All openings
    104
    Median posted pay
    $173k

    Hiring most here: Fuse, Pacific Fusion, Sirenopt

    Based on 104 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Leandro

  17. 17

    Burbank CA

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    86
    All openings
    147
    Median posted pay
    $138k

    Hiring most here: Paramount, Crane, Sphere Entertainment

    Based on 147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Burbank

  18. 18

    Menlo Park CA

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    262
    All openings
    449
    Median posted pay
    $195k

    Hiring most here: Snowflake, Hippocratic AI, Exponent

    Based on 449 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Menlo Park

  19. 19

    Torrance CA

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    433
    All openings
    745
    Median posted pay
    $165k

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 745 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  20. 20

    Richland WA

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    61
    All openings
    105
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: Battelle Memorial Institute (PNNL), Sargent & Lundy, Prosidian Consultng

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Richland

  21. 21

    Long Beach CA

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    507
    All openings
    876
    Median posted pay
    $155k

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 876 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  22. 22

    Santa Monica CA

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    187
    All openings
    327
    Median posted pay
    $167k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Snap, FIGS

    Based on 327 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Monica

  23. 23

    Kent WA

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    85
    All openings
    149
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, Amazon

    Based on 149 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Kent

  24. 24

    Palmdale CA

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    75
    All openings
    132
    Median posted pay
    $139k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman Systems

    Based on 132 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Palmdale

  25. 25

    Santa Ana CA

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    157
    All openings
    277
    Median posted pay
    $170k

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 277 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

Full ranking

All 71 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Mountain View CA68%1,637
2Bellevue WA66%1,455
3Livermore CA65%117
4San Carlos CA65%211
5Newark CA63%137
6Berkeley CA62%249
7Everett WA61%195
8San Francisco CA61%12,335
9Carlsbad CA61%313
10San Mateo CA60%960
11Palo Alto CA60%1,263
12Milpitas CA60%271
13Sunnyvale CA60%1,655
14Seattle WA59%5,635
15Fremont CA59%510
16San Leandro CA59%104
17Burbank CA59%147
18Menlo Park CA58%449
19Torrance CA58%745
20Richland WA58%105
21Long Beach CA58%876
22Santa Monica CA57%327
23Kent WA57%149
24Palmdale CA57%132
25Santa Ana CA57%277
26Bothell WA57%138
27Kirkland WA56%167
28Huntington Beach CA56%105
29Hillsboro OR56%187
30Vancouver WA56%163
31Culver City CA55%252
32Portland OR55%837
33Glendale CA55%195
34Spokane WA55%157
35Corona CA55%148
36Santa Clara CA54%1,689
37Pleasanton CA54%189
38Newport Beach CA54%310
39Beaverton OR53%120
40Irvine CA53%1,587
41Tacoma WA53%123
42Goleta CA53%110
43El Segundo CA53%959
44Pasadena CA53%278
45San Jose CA52%2,552
46Renton WA51%134
47Redwood City CA51%514
48Anaheim CA51%180
49Beverly Hills CA51%151
50Oakland CA51%609
51Foster City CA51%517
52Roseville CA50%167
53Walnut Creek CA50%177
54San Diego CA50%3,240
55Los Angeles CA50%5,439
56Hayward CA50%109
57Santa Barbara CA49%154
58Alameda CA48%215
59Santa Rosa CA47%154
60Orange CA46%142
61Redmond WA46%1,166
62Modesto CA46%105
63Riverside CA45%176
64Fresno CA45%214
65Emeryville CA44%122
66Sacramento CA44%1,431
67Brea CA43%101
68Salem OR41%123
69Eugene OR40%112
70Bakersfield CA38%116
71Stockton CA36%121

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 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 mid-career professionals in the west coast?
Mountain View leads the West Coast for mid-career professionals: 68% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 56% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
71 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 71 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 in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs-in-the-west-coast

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

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

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