NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Great Lakes

Springfield is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Great Lakes, with a score of 61 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Springfield, IL: 61 / 100
  • #2 Mundelein, IL: 61 / 100
  • #3 Cincinnati, OH: 58 / 100
  • 14 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Springfield IL61 / 100
  2. 2Mundelein IL61 / 100
  3. 3Cincinnati OH58 / 100
  4. 4Columbus OH57 / 100
  5. 5Ann Arbor MI55 / 100
  6. 6Schaumburg IL54 / 100
  7. 7Chicago IL52 / 100
  8. 8St. Paul MN51 / 100
  9. 9Indianapolis IN48 / 100
  10. 10Cleveland OH46 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 61 / 100, and #10 Cleveland is at 46 / 100.
  • St. Paul reaches #8 on a sample of 194 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

New graduates need a place with many entry-level roles, pay that covers the cost of living and employers that state their pay. This list weighs those together and shows the weights, so it ranks the all-round picture rather than one number.

How to use it

Start with the top ten and read each city's numbers against what you value most. If one thing matters most to you, such as pay, switch to the single-measure list for it.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Springfield IL

    61 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    42%
    Pay after cost of living
    $103k
    Entry-level openings
    118

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

    Based on 283 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Springfield

  2. 2

    Mundelein IL

    61 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $136k
    Entry-level openings
    88

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  3. 3

    Cincinnati OH

    58 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    40%
    Pay after cost of living
    $107k
    Entry-level openings
    549

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

    Based on 1,379 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  4. 4

    Columbus OH

    57 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    36%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Entry-level openings
    689

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

    Based on 1,892 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  5. 5

    Ann Arbor MI

    55 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $157k
    Entry-level openings
    92

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

    Based on 350 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Ann Arbor

  6. 6

    Schaumburg IL

    54 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    40%
    Pay after cost of living
    $104k
    Entry-level openings
    87

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 218 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  7. 7

    Chicago IL

    52 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    24%
    Pay after cost of living
    $130k
    Entry-level openings
    1,794

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 7,607 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  8. 8

    St. Paul MN

    51 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    38%
    Pay after cost of living
    $104k
    Entry-level openings
    74

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

    Based on 194 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Paul

  9. 9

    Indianapolis IN

    48 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    31%
    Pay after cost of living
    $129k
    Entry-level openings
    438

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

    Based on 1,422 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  10. 10

    Cleveland OH

    46 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    37%
    Pay after cost of living
    $102k
    Entry-level openings
    329

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 891 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  11. 11

    Detroit MI

    42 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $125k
    Entry-level openings
    232

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

    Based on 734 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  12. 12

    Milwaukee WI

    42 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Entry-level openings
    271

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

    Based on 827 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  13. 13

    Minneapolis MN

    40 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    26%
    Pay after cost of living
    $121k
    Entry-level openings
    334

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

    Based on 1,276 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Minneapolis

  14. 14

    Eden Prairie MN

    31 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    21%
    Pay after cost of living
    $137k
    Entry-level openings
    66

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

    Based on 321 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eden Prairie

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield IL61 / 100283
2Mundelein IL61 / 100247
3Cincinnati OH58 / 1001,379
4Columbus OH57 / 1001,892
5Ann Arbor MI55 / 100350
6Schaumburg IL54 / 100218
7Chicago IL52 / 1007,607
8St. Paul MN51 / 100194
9Indianapolis IN48 / 1001,422
10Cleveland OH46 / 100891
11Detroit MI42 / 100734
12Milwaukee WI42 / 100827
13Minneapolis MN40 / 1001,276
14Eden Prairie MN31 / 100321

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): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 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 new graduates in the great lakes?
Springfield is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Great Lakes, with a score of 61 / 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): entry-level share of openings 40%, pay after cost of living 25%, entry-level openings 20%, openings with pay posted 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 new graduates in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-great-lakes

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

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