NextChapter

Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Midwest

Chicago has the most software and engineering openings in the Midwest: 1,140 openings, in a market where engineering is 21% of openings across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Chicago, IL: 1,140 openings
  • #2 Indianapolis, IN: 327 openings
  • #3 Columbus, OH: 316 openings
  • 59 cities ranked in the Midwest
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 21% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Chicago IL1,140 openings
  2. 2Indianapolis IN327 openings
  3. 3Columbus OH316 openings
  4. 4Cincinnati OH252 openings
  5. 5Minneapolis MN241 openings
  6. 6Cedar Rapids IA181 openings
  7. 7Milwaukee WI172 openings
  8. 8Cleveland OH164 openings
  9. 9Overland Park KS138 openings
  10. 10Kansas City MO131 openings

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Chicago (1,140 openings) is well clear of Kansas City at #10 (131 openings).
  • Chicago is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,140 engineering openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 30 engineering openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Engineering hiring clusters in a handful of metros. Counting engineering openings shows where the demand for software and engineering skills is deepest.

How to use it

Use it to decide where to network and which employers to follow. A big market also means more competition, so compare it with the pay and entry-level lists.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Chicago IL

    1,140 openings

    Share of all openings
    14%
    Median engineering pay
    $150k
    All openings
    8,033

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Confidential, Mars

    Based on 1,140 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  2. 2

    Indianapolis IN

    327 openings

    Share of all openings
    22%
    Median engineering pay
    $125k
    All openings
    1,496

    Hiring most here: Eli Lilly and Company, State of Indiana, Masco

    Based on 327 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  3. 3

    Columbus OH

    316 openings

    Share of all openings
    16%
    Median engineering pay
    $115k
    All openings
    2,024

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, American Electric Power

    Based on 316 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  4. 4

    Cincinnati OH

    252 openings

    Share of all openings
    17%
    Median engineering pay
    $113k
    All openings
    1,451

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Procter & Gamble, Western & Southern Financial Group

    Based on 252 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  5. 5

    Minneapolis MN

    241 openings

    Share of all openings
    18%
    Median engineering pay
    $133k
    All openings
    1,313

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Ameriprise Certificate, U.S. Bank

    Based on 241 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  6. 6

    Cedar Rapids IA

    181 openings

    Share of all openings
    49%
    Median engineering pay
    $126k
    All openings
    370

    Hiring most here: RTX, Transamerica, BAE Systems

    Based on 181 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cedar Rapids

  7. 7

    Milwaukee WI

    172 openings

    Share of all openings
    19%
    Median engineering pay
    $115k
    All openings
    909

    Hiring most here: Michels, Rockwell Automation, Molson Coors Beverage

    Based on 172 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  8. 8

    Cleveland OH

    164 openings

    Share of all openings
    18%
    Median engineering pay
    $110k
    All openings
    917

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 164 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  9. 9

    Overland Park KS

    138 openings

    Share of all openings
    30%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    454

    Hiring most here: Black & Veatch, Steadily, QTS Data Centers

    Based on 138 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Overland Park

  10. 10

    Kansas City MO

    131 openings

    Share of all openings
    14%
    Median engineering pay
    $140k
    All openings
    916

    Hiring most here: JE Dunn Construction, Catalent Pharma Solutions, Commerce Bank

    Based on 131 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Kansas City

  11. 11

    Detroit MI

    127 openings

    Share of all openings
    16%
    Median engineering pay
    $144k
    All openings
    786

    Hiring most here: Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System, Accident Fund

    Based on 127 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  12. 12

    Ann Arbor MI

    123 openings

    Share of all openings
    34%
    Median engineering pay
    $147k
    All openings
    362

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

    Based on 123 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  13. 13

    Omaha NE

    118 openings

    Share of all openings
    20%
    Median engineering pay
    $116k
    All openings
    577

    Hiring most here: Conagra Brands, Valmont, First National Bank of Omaha

    Based on 118 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Omaha

  14. 14

    Fort Wayne IN

    113 openings

    Share of all openings
    39%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    293

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, RTX, L3HARRIS Technologies

    Based on 113 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fort Wayne

  15. 15

    Dayton OH

    111 openings

    Share of all openings
    25%
    Median engineering pay
    $129k
    All openings
    446

    Hiring most here: University of Dayton, Modern Technology Solutions, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 111 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dayton

  16. 16

    St. Louis MO

    108 openings

    Share of all openings
    18%
    Median engineering pay
    $98k
    All openings
    596

    Hiring most here: Stifel Charitable, BJC HealthCare, Kforce

    Based on 108 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Louis

  17. 17

    Lenexa KS

    102 openings

    Share of all openings
    46%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    223

    Hiring most here: Weeks Marine, Kiewit, Kiewit Corporation (Peter Kiewit Sons')

    Based on 102 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lenexa

  18. 18

    Grand Rapids MI

    99 openings

    Share of all openings
    23%
    Median engineering pay
    $106k
    All openings
    439

    Hiring most here: Corewell Health, Acrisure, BDO USA

    Based on 99 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Grand Rapids

  19. 19

    Madison WI

    87 openings

    Share of all openings
    17%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    526

    Hiring most here: Universities of Wisconsin [UW_Madison], Creative Financial Staffing, Catalent Pharma Solutions

    Based on 87 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  20. 20

    Des Moines IA

    78 openings

    Share of all openings
    20%
    Median engineering pay
    $130k
    All openings
    394

    Hiring most here: Principal Financial Group, OpenLoop, Olsson

    Based on 78 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Des Moines

  21. 21

    Eden Prairie MN

    76 openings

    Share of all openings
    21%
    Median engineering pay
    $140k
    All openings
    363

    Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Illinois Tool Works

    Based on 76 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

  22. 22

    Auburn Hills MI

    71 openings

    Share of all openings
    44%
    Median engineering pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings
    160

    Hiring most here: Alten Technology USA, Stellantis, Nexteer

    Based on 71 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Auburn Hills

  23. 23

    Wichita KS

    67 openings

    Share of all openings
    28%
    Median engineering pay
    $130k
    All openings
    237

    Hiring most here: Spirit AeroSystems, Shield AI, Cargill

    Based on 67 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Wichita

  24. 24

    Akron OH

    62 openings

    Share of all openings
    19%
    Median engineering pay
    $90k
    All openings
    323

    Hiring most here: FirstEnergy Akron, Babcock International Group PLC/ADR, Firstenergy

    Based on 62 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Akron

  25. 25

    Southfield MI

    62 openings

    Share of all openings
    26%
    Median engineering pay
    $138k
    All openings
    242

    Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Sun Communities, Lear

    Based on 62 engineering openings.

    Jobs and employers in Southfield

Full ranking

All 59 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Chicago IL1,140 openings1,140
2Indianapolis IN327 openings327
3Columbus OH316 openings316
4Cincinnati OH252 openings252
5Minneapolis MN241 openings241
6Cedar Rapids IA181 openings181
7Milwaukee WI172 openings172
8Cleveland OH164 openings164
9Overland Park KS138 openings138
10Kansas City MO131 openings131
11Detroit MI127 openings127
12Ann Arbor MI123 openings123
13Omaha NE118 openings118
14Fort Wayne IN113 openings113
15Dayton OH111 openings111
16St. Louis MO108 openings108
17Lenexa KS102 openings102
18Grand Rapids MI99 openings99
19Madison WI87 openings87
20Des Moines IA78 openings78
21Eden Prairie MN76 openings76
22Auburn Hills MI71 openings71
23Wichita KS67 openings67
24Akron OH62 openings62
25Southfield MI62 openings62
26Lansing MI59 openings59
27Bloomington MN56 openings56
28Novi MI55 openings55
29Troy MI54 openings54
30Waukesha WI52 openings52
31New Albany OH51 openings51
32Oakbrook Terrace IL51 openings51
33St. Paul MN49 openings49
34Rockford IL47 openings47
35Mundelein IL46 openings46
36Lincoln NE45 openings45
37Beavercreek OH44 openings44
38Rolling Meadows IL44 openings44
39Springfield IL43 openings43
40Wright-Patterson AFB OH42 openings42
41Rochester MN41 openings41
42Mason OH40 openings40
43Naperville IL37 openings37
44Normal IL37 openings37
45Lisle IL36 openings36
46Maple Grove MN36 openings36
47Lafayette IN35 openings35
48Dublin OH34 openings34
49Marysville OH34 openings34
50Springfield MO34 openings34
51Appleton WI33 openings33
52Zeeland MI33 openings33
53Crane IN32 openings32
54La Crosse WI32 openings32
55Sioux Falls SD32 openings32
56Plymouth MI31 openings31
57Plymouth MN31 openings31
58Warrenville IL31 openings31
59Schaumburg IL30 openings30

How this ranking works

A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering.

Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked.

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 30 engineering 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 software and engineering jobs in the midwest?
Chicago has the most software and engineering openings in the Midwest: 1,140 openings, in a market where engineering is 21% of openings across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
59 cities have at least 30 engineering openings, so the list has 59 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles classed in the engineering function, which includes software, hardware and data engineering. Median engineering pay uses only listings that post a salary, and is shown only where at least 8 do. Cities need at least the minimum number of engineering openings to be ranked. 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 software and engineering jobs in the Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-software-engineering-jobs-in-the-midwest

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

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

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