NextChapter

Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Great Lakes

Chicago is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Great Lakes, with a score of 87 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Chicago, IL: 87 / 100
  • #2 Eden Prairie, MN: 84 / 100
  • #3 Ann Arbor, MI: 82 / 100
  • 14 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Chicago IL87 / 100
  2. 2Eden Prairie MN84 / 100
  3. 3Ann Arbor MI82 / 100
  4. 4Detroit MI69 / 100
  5. 5Minneapolis MN69 / 100
  6. 6Indianapolis IN60 / 100
  7. 7Columbus OH60 / 100
  8. 8Schaumburg IL40 / 100
  9. 9Milwaukee WI39 / 100
  10. 10Mundelein IL36 / 100

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Chicago (87 / 100) is well clear of Mundelein at #10 (36 / 100).
  • Schaumburg reaches #8 on a sample of 218 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Chicago is the largest market in the top ten, with 7,607 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

Careers that use AI cluster in a few places. This list weighs the share and number of openings that ask for AI skills and the pay they offer, to show where AI work is concentrated.

How to use it

If you are building AI skills, the top cities show where the employers and the roles are. The gap between your city and the top is a guide to what to add to your résumé.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Chicago IL

    87 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    14%
    AI-skill openings
    1,035
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 7,607 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  2. 2

    Eden Prairie MN

    84 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    21%
    AI-skill openings
    67
    Median posted pay
    $135k

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

    Based on 321 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

  3. 3

    Ann Arbor MI

    82 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    18%
    AI-skill openings
    64
    Median posted pay
    $151k

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

    Based on 350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  4. 4

    Detroit MI

    69 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    10%
    AI-skill openings
    72
    Median posted pay
    $125k

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

    Based on 734 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  5. 5

    Minneapolis MN

    69 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    7%
    AI-skill openings
    92
    Median posted pay
    $127k

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Target ALS Foundation, Ameriprise Certificate

    Based on 1,276 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  6. 6

    Indianapolis IN

    60 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    6%
    AI-skill openings
    84
    Median posted pay
    $120k

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

    Based on 1,422 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  7. 7

    Columbus OH

    60 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    7%
    AI-skill openings
    127
    Median posted pay
    $110k

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, Ohio State University-Newark Campus

    Based on 1,892 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  8. 8

    Schaumburg IL

    40 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    9%
    AI-skill openings
    19
    Median posted pay
    $104k

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 218 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  9. 9

    Milwaukee WI

    39 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    5%
    AI-skill openings
    45
    Median posted pay
    $114k

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

    Based on 827 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  10. 10

    Mundelein IL

    36 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    3%
    AI-skill openings
    7
    Median posted pay
    $136k

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  11. 11

    Cincinnati OH

    29 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    5%
    AI-skill openings
    64
    Median posted pay
    $102k

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

    Based on 1,379 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  12. 12

    Cleveland OH

    22 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    5%
    AI-skill openings
    47
    Median posted pay
    $95k

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 891 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  13. 13

    St. Paul MN

    18 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    4%
    AI-skill openings
    8
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: George Konik Associates, Mortenson, Old National Bank

    Based on 194 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Paul

  14. 14

    Springfield IL

    4 / 100

    AI-skill share of openings
    1%
    AI-skill openings
    2
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: State of Illinois, Army National Guard Units, Hshs Medical Group

    Based on 283 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

Full ranking

All 14 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Chicago IL87 / 1007,607
2Eden Prairie MN84 / 100321
3Ann Arbor MI82 / 100350
4Detroit MI69 / 100734
5Minneapolis MN69 / 1001,276
6Indianapolis IN60 / 1001,422
7Columbus OH60 / 1001,892
8Schaumburg IL40 / 100218
9Milwaukee WI39 / 100827
10Mundelein IL36 / 100247
11Cincinnati OH29 / 1001,379
12Cleveland OH22 / 100891
13St. Paul MN18 / 100194
14Springfield IL4 / 100283

How this ranking works

A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%.

A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most.

Only cities with enough openings and pay data are 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 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles and posted pay; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024. 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 all-round cities for ai careers in the great lakes?
Chicago is the best all-round city for AI careers in the Great Lakes, with a score of 87 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
14 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 14 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked cities (100 is first, 0 is last): ai-skill share of openings 35%, ai-skill openings 30%, median posted pay 20%, pay after cost of living 15%. A score of 100 would mean first on every measure and 50 is the middle of the pack. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here; they are a judgment about what matters to this reader, so use the single-measure rankings when one thing matters most. Only cities with enough openings and pay data are 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 all-round cities for AI careers in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-great-lakes

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-ai-careers-in-the-great-lakes">Best all-round cities for AI careers in the Great Lakes (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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