Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Mountain West
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Boulder, CO: 59 / 100
- #2 Reno, NV: 58 / 100
- #3 Boise, ID: 57 / 100
- 10 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Boulder CO59 / 100
- 2Reno NV58 / 100
- 3Boise ID57 / 100
- 4Aurora CO55 / 100
- 5Salt Lake City UT55 / 100
- 6Las Vegas NV51 / 100
- 7Denver CO47 / 100
- 8Broomfield CO46 / 100
- 9Westminster CO37 / 100
- 10Colorado Springs CO34 / 100
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Boulder (59 / 100) is well clear of Colorado Springs at #10 (34 / 100).
- Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,867 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
Boulder CO
59 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 28%
- Pay after cost of living
- $141k
- Entry-level openings
- 119
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 423 openings.
- 2
Reno NV
58 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 32%
- Pay after cost of living
- $132k
- Entry-level openings
- 95
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 296 openings.
- 3
Boise ID
57 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 35%
- Pay after cost of living
- $108k
- Entry-level openings
- 126
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 360 openings.
- 4
Aurora CO
55 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 30%
- Pay after cost of living
- $136k
- Entry-level openings
- 101
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, CACI International, RTX
Based on 335 openings.
- 5
Salt Lake City UT
55 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 30%
- Pay after cost of living
- $127k
- Entry-level openings
- 315
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 1,048 openings.
- 6
Las Vegas NV
51 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 33%
- Pay after cost of living
- $105k
- Entry-level openings
- 312
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 932 openings.
- 7
Denver CO
47 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 27%
- Pay after cost of living
- $132k
- Entry-level openings
- 766
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 2,867 openings.
- 8
Broomfield CO
46 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 27%
- Pay after cost of living
- $144k
- Entry-level openings
- 77
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures
Based on 285 openings.
- 9
Westminster CO
37 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 22%
- Pay after cost of living
- $143k
- Entry-level openings
- 58
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 258 openings.
- 10
Colorado Springs CO
34 / 100
- Entry-level share of openings
- 28%
- Pay after cost of living
- $114k
- Entry-level openings
- 193
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 692 openings.
Full ranking
All 10 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boulder CO | 59 / 100 | 423 |
| 2 | Reno NV | 58 / 100 | 296 |
| 3 | Boise ID | 57 / 100 | 360 |
| 4 | Aurora CO | 55 / 100 | 335 |
| 5 | Salt Lake City UT | 55 / 100 | 1,048 |
| 6 | Las Vegas NV | 51 / 100 | 932 |
| 7 | Denver CO | 47 / 100 | 2,867 |
| 8 | Broomfield CO | 46 / 100 | 285 |
| 9 | Westminster CO | 37 / 100 | 258 |
| 10 | Colorado Springs CO | 34 / 100 | 692 |
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 mountain west?
- Boulder is the best all-round city for new graduates in the Mountain West, with a score of 59 / 100.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 10 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 10 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
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mountain West
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mountain West
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Mountain West
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Mountain West
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Mountain West
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mountain West
- Best all-round cities for new graduates
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-all-round-cities-for-new-graduates-in-the-mountain-west">Best all-round cities for new graduates in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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