NextChapter

Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Midwest

Mundelein is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Midwest, with a score of 62 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Mundelein, IL: 62 / 100
  • #2 Springfield, IL: 62 / 100
  • #3 Cincinnati, OH: 60 / 100
  • 17 cities ranked in the Midwest
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Mundelein IL62 / 100
  2. 2Springfield IL62 / 100
  3. 3Cincinnati OH60 / 100
  4. 4Columbus OH59 / 100
  5. 5Schaumburg IL56 / 100
  6. 6Chicago IL53 / 100
  7. 7Ann Arbor MI53 / 100
  8. 8Kansas City MO52 / 100
  9. 9St. Louis MO51 / 100
  10. 10St. Paul MN51 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Mundelein leads on 62 / 100, and #10 St. Paul is at 51 / 100.
  • St. Paul reaches #10 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

    Mundelein IL

    62 / 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

  2. 2

    Springfield IL

    62 / 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

  3. 3

    Cincinnati OH

    60 / 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

    59 / 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

    Schaumburg IL

    56 / 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

  6. 6

    Chicago IL

    53 / 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

  7. 7

    Ann Arbor MI

    53 / 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

  8. 8

    Kansas City MO

    52 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    33%
    Pay after cost of living
    $122k
    Entry-level openings
    289

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

    Based on 879 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Kansas City

  9. 9

    St. Louis MO

    51 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    39%
    Pay after cost of living
    $102k
    Entry-level openings
    209

    Hiring most here: Stifel Charitable, BJC HealthCare, Kforce

    Based on 537 openings.

    Jobs and employers in St. Louis

  10. 10

    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

  11. 11

    Cleveland OH

    49 / 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

  12. 12

    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

  13. 13

    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

  14. 14

    Minneapolis MN

    42 / 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

  15. 15

    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

  16. 16

    Omaha NE

    38 / 100

    Entry-level share of openings
    32%
    Pay after cost of living
    $115k
    Entry-level openings
    173

    Hiring most here: Conagra Brands, Valmont, Zachry

    Based on 545 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Omaha

  17. 17

    Eden Prairie MN

    32 / 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 17 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Mundelein IL62 / 100247
2Springfield IL62 / 100283
3Cincinnati OH60 / 1001,379
4Columbus OH59 / 1001,892
5Schaumburg IL56 / 100218
6Chicago IL53 / 1007,607
7Ann Arbor MI53 / 100350
8Kansas City MO52 / 100879
9St. Louis MO51 / 100537
10St. Paul MN51 / 100194
11Cleveland OH49 / 100891
12Indianapolis IN48 / 1001,422
13Milwaukee WI42 / 100827
14Minneapolis MN42 / 1001,276
15Detroit MI42 / 100734
16Omaha NE38 / 100545
17Eden Prairie MN32 / 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 midwest?
Mundelein is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Midwest, with a score of 62 / 100.
How many cities are ranked?
17 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 17 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 Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-midwest

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

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

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