NextChapter

Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Great Lakes

Northbrook leads the Great Lakes: 3.5% of its professional openings say no experience is needed, against 0.8% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Northbrook, IL: 3.5%
  • #2 Oak Brook, IL: 2.2%
  • #3 Bloomington, MN: 2.1%
  • 50 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 0.8% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Northbrook IL3.5%
  2. 2Oak Brook IL2.2%
  3. 3Bloomington MN2.1%
  4. 4Rosemont IL2.0%
  5. 5Schaumburg IL1.9%
  6. 6Lisle IL1.7%
  7. 7Mundelein IL1.6%
  8. 8Indianapolis IN1.4%
  9. 9Milwaukee WI1.3%
  10. 10Akron OH1.3%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Northbrook (3.5%) is well clear of Akron at #10 (1.3%).
  • Rosemont reaches #4 on a sample of 101 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Indianapolis is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,386 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

Some employers say plainly that no experience is needed, or that they will train people. The share of such openings shows where it is easiest to get started without a track record.

How to use it

If you are starting out or changing fields, apply to postings that say it. The city lists show where they are most common.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Northbrook IL

    3.5%

    No-experience openings
    6
    All openings
    171
    All openings
    171

    Hiring most here: UL Solutions, Astellas (ADP), Medline Industries

    Based on 171 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Northbrook

  2. 2

    Oak Brook IL

    2.2%

    No-experience openings
    3
    All openings
    134
    All openings
    134

    Hiring most here: Hub Group, Sotera Health

    Based on 134 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oak Brook

  3. 3

    Bloomington MN

    2.1%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    194
    All openings
    194

    Hiring most here: HealthPartners, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Geronimo Power

    Based on 194 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bloomington

  4. 4

    Rosemont IL

    2.0%

    No-experience openings
    2
    All openings
    101
    All openings
    101

    Hiring most here: Reyes Holdings, US Foods, Regal Rexnord

    Based on 101 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rosemont

  5. 5

    Schaumburg IL

    1.9%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    216
    All openings
    216

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 216 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  6. 6

    Lisle IL

    1.7%

    No-experience openings
    2
    All openings
    115
    All openings
    115

    Hiring most here: International Institute For Sustainable Development, Navistar, Brindley Engineering

    Based on 115 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lisle

  7. 7

    Mundelein IL

    1.6%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    247
    All openings
    247

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  8. 8

    Indianapolis IN

    1.4%

    No-experience openings
    19
    All openings
    1,386
    All openings
    1,386

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

    Based on 1,386 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  9. 9

    Milwaukee WI

    1.3%

    No-experience openings
    11
    All openings
    821
    All openings
    821

    Hiring most here: Michels, Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls International

    Based on 821 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  10. 10

    Akron OH

    1.3%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    309
    All openings
    309

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

    Based on 309 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Akron

  11. 11

    Detroit MI

    1.1%

    No-experience openings
    8
    All openings
    728
    All openings
    728

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

    Based on 728 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  12. 12

    Madison WI

    1.0%

    No-experience openings
    5
    All openings
    497
    All openings
    497

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

    Based on 497 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  13. 13

    Waukesha WI

    0.9%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    107
    All openings
    107

    Hiring most here: GE HealthCare Technologies, Eaton, GE HealthCare

    Based on 107 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waukesha

  14. 14

    La Crosse WI

    0.9%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    116
    All openings
    116

    Hiring most here: Trane U.s., Gundersen Health, Kwik Trip

    Based on 116 openings.

    Jobs and employers in La Crosse

  15. 15

    Evansville IN

    0.9%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    117
    All openings
    117

    Hiring most here: Deaconess Homecare, Old National Bank, Deaconess Womens Hospital Of Southern Indiana

    Based on 117 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Evansville

  16. 16

    Cincinnati OH

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    11
    All openings
    1,374
    All openings
    1,374

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 1,374 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  17. 17

    Aurora IL

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    126
    All openings
    126

    Hiring most here: Entegris, HelloFresh

    Based on 126 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Aurora

  18. 18

    Cleveland OH

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    7
    All openings
    885
    All openings
    885

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 885 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  19. 19

    Green Bay WI

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    132
    All openings
    132

    Hiring most here: Michels, W.W. Grainger

    Based on 132 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Green Bay

  20. 20

    Rockford IL

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    136
    All openings
    136

    Hiring most here: RTX, Woodward, Top Echelon Network (recruiter member boards)

    Based on 136 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rockford

  21. 21

    Carmel IN

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    139
    All openings
    139

    Hiring most here: Allegion, Belden, CNO Financial Group

    Based on 139 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Carmel

  22. 22

    Novi MI

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    146
    All openings
    146

    Hiring most here: Scout Motors, Gentherm, Daifuku Co., Ltd./ADR

    Based on 146 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Novi

  23. 23

    Chicago IL

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    50
    All openings
    7,350
    All openings
    7,350

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Confidential, Mars

    Based on 7,350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  24. 24

    Mason OH

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    147
    All openings
    147

    Hiring most here: Cintas, L3HARRIS Technologies, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mason

  25. 25

    New Albany OH

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    147
    All openings
    147

    Hiring most here: Bechtel Energy, American Electric Power, Amazon

    Based on 147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New Albany

Full ranking

All 50 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Northbrook IL3.5%171
2Oak Brook IL2.2%134
3Bloomington MN2.1%194
4Rosemont IL2.0%101
5Schaumburg IL1.9%216
6Lisle IL1.7%115
7Mundelein IL1.6%247
8Indianapolis IN1.4%1,386
9Milwaukee WI1.3%821
10Akron OH1.3%309
11Detroit MI1.1%728
12Madison WI1.0%497
13Waukesha WI0.9%107
14La Crosse WI0.9%116
15Evansville IN0.9%117
16Cincinnati OH0.8%1,374
17Aurora IL0.8%126
18Cleveland OH0.8%885
19Green Bay WI0.8%132
20Rockford IL0.7%136
21Carmel IN0.7%139
22Novi MI0.7%146
23Chicago IL0.7%7,350
24Mason OH0.7%147
25New Albany OH0.7%147
26Minneapolis MN0.7%1,200
27Toledo OH0.6%178
28Naperville IL0.5%186
29St. Paul MN0.5%192
30Grand Rapids MI0.5%417
31Columbus OH0.5%1,895
32Fort Wayne IN0.4%273
33Springfield IL0.3%287
34Eden Prairie MN0.3%321
35Ann Arbor MI0.3%349
36Dayton OH0.0%430
37Rolling Meadows IL0.0%281
38Troy MI0.0%242
39Southfield MI0.0%229
40Lansing MI0.0%210
41Rochester MN0.0%180
42Peoria IL0.0%159
43Appleton WI0.0%149
44Auburn Hills MI0.0%147
45Downers Grove IL0.0%141
46Oakbrook Terrace IL0.0%141
47Dublin OH0.0%126
48Jeffersonville IN0.0%113
49Minnetonka MN0.0%105
50Evanston IL0.0%104

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting says no experience is needed, or welcomes recent graduates or people the employer will train.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. A city where one employer posts at least half the 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: cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the great lakes?
Northbrook leads the Great Lakes: 3.5% of its professional openings say no experience is needed, against 0.8% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
50 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 50 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting says no experience is needed, or welcomes recent graduates or people the employer will train. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. A city where one employer posts at least half the 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, “Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-with-the-most-no-experience-jobs-in-the-great-lakes

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-with-the-most-no-experience-jobs-in-the-great-lakes">Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Great Lakes (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.

Applying and hearing nothing back?

Find out where you stand: your odds, the jobs that fit you and a plan for the week ahead. Free. No résumé needed.

Already a member? Log in

Get my Market Reality Assessment

Run a workforce board, job center or economic development office, or hire in the places and industries on this list?

Leave your work email. We'll send how organizations use NextChapter to reach job seekers.

See how organizations use it