NextChapter

Best cities for aerospace and defense jobs

Huntsville has the most openings in this industry in the United States: 555 openings.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Huntsville, AL: 555 openings
  • #2 Los Angeles, CA: 498 openings
  • #3 San Diego, CA: 377 openings
  • 67 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Huntsville AL555 openings
  2. 2Los Angeles CA498 openings
  3. 3San Diego CA377 openings
  4. 4Tucson AZ320 openings
  5. 5Seattle WA318 openings
  6. 6Redmond WA308 openings
  7. 7Austin TX272 openings
  8. 8Washington DC270 openings
  9. 9Colorado Springs CO245 openings
  10. 10Denver CO242 openings

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Huntsville (555 openings) is well clear of Denver at #10 (242 openings).
  • Huntsville is the largest market in the top ten, with 555 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 50 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Each industry hires in a different set of cities. Counting an industry's open roles by city shows where its demand is deepest, which is where its employers, recruiters and professional events are concentrated.

How to use it

If you work in this industry, look at the top cities for the employers to follow and the networks to join. A large market also means more competition, so read it with the pay list for the same industry.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Huntsville AL

    555 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    48%
    Median posted pay
    $134k
    All openings in the city
    1,154

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin

    Based on 555 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Huntsville

  2. 2

    Los Angeles CA

    498 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    10%
    Median posted pay
    $160k
    All openings in the city
    5,126

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 498 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Los Angeles

  3. 3

    San Diego CA

    377 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    12%
    Median posted pay
    $130k
    All openings in the city
    3,085

    Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics

    Based on 377 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Diego

  4. 4

    Tucson AZ

    320 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    47%
    Median posted pay
    $100k
    All openings in the city
    680

    Hiring most here: RTX, University of Arizona, Rocket Lab

    Based on 320 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Tucson

  5. 5

    Seattle WA

    318 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    6%
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings in the city
    5,343

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 318 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  6. 6

    Redmond WA

    308 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    27%
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings in the city
    1,147

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 308 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  7. 7

    Austin TX

    272 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    5%
    Median posted pay
    $148k
    All openings in the city
    5,903

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 272 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Austin

  8. 8

    Washington DC

    270 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    6%
    Median posted pay
    $165k
    All openings in the city
    4,457

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI

    Based on 270 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Washington

  9. 9

    Colorado Springs CO

    245 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    35%
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings in the city
    692

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 245 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Colorado Springs

  10. 10

    Denver CO

    242 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    8%
    Median posted pay
    $159k
    All openings in the city
    2,867

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 242 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Denver

  11. 11

    Arlington VA

    225 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    11%
    Median posted pay
    $154k
    All openings in the city
    1,989

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group

    Based on 225 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Arlington

  12. 12

    McLean VA

    224 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    19%
    Median posted pay
    $127k
    All openings in the city
    1,155

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 224 openings.

    Jobs and employers in McLean

  13. 13

    Littleton CO

    219 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    78%
    Median posted pay
    $160k
    All openings in the city
    281

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services

    Based on 219 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Littleton

  14. 14

    Fort Worth TX

    213 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    17%
    Median posted pay
    $122k
    All openings in the city
    1,267

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, MP Materials

    Based on 213 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fort Worth

  15. 15

    Orlando FL

    207 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    16%
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings in the city
    1,272

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Services, Sikorsky Aircraft

    Based on 207 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Orlando

  16. 16

    El Segundo CA

    200 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    21%
    Median posted pay
    $154k
    All openings in the city
    949

    Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries

    Based on 200 openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  17. 17

    Houston TX

    187 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    4%
    Median posted pay
    $143k
    All openings in the city
    4,330

    Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy

    Based on 187 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Houston

  18. 18

    Long Beach CA

    185 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    22%
    Median posted pay
    $175k
    All openings in the city
    840

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 185 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  19. 19

    Herndon VA

    183 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    22%
    Median posted pay
    $153k
    All openings in the city
    821

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Peraton

    Based on 183 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Herndon

  20. 20

    Melbourne FL

    172 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    56%
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings in the city
    306

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 172 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Melbourne

  21. 21

    San Jose CA

    169 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    7%
    Median posted pay
    $207k
    All openings in the city
    2,379

    Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems

    Based on 169 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Jose

  22. 22

    Westminster CO

    155 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    60%
    Median posted pay
    $147k
    All openings in the city
    258

    Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro

    Based on 155 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Westminster

  23. 23

    Phoenix AZ

    152 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    6%
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data
    All openings in the city
    2,749

    Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, State of Arizona, American Society for Microbiology

    Based on 152 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Phoenix

  24. 24

    Torrance CA

    149 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    20%
    Median posted pay
    $153k
    All openings in the city
    735

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 149 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  25. 25

    Baltimore MD

    145 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    14%
    Median posted pay
    $136k
    All openings in the city
    1,066

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Johns Hopkins Medicine, Johns Hopkins University

    Based on 145 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Baltimore

Full ranking

All 67 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Huntsville AL555 openings555
2Los Angeles CA498 openings498
3San Diego CA377 openings377
4Tucson AZ320 openings320
5Seattle WA318 openings318
6Redmond WA308 openings308
7Austin TX272 openings272
8Washington DC270 openings270
9Colorado Springs CO245 openings245
10Denver CO242 openings242
11Arlington VA225 openings225
12McLean VA224 openings224
13Littleton CO219 openings219
14Fort Worth TX213 openings213
15Orlando FL207 openings207
16El Segundo CA200 openings200
17Houston TX187 openings187
18Long Beach CA185 openings185
19Herndon VA183 openings183
20Melbourne FL172 openings172
21San Jose CA169 openings169
22Westminster CO155 openings155
23Phoenix AZ152 openings152
24Torrance CA149 openings149
25Baltimore MD145 openings145
26Cedar Rapids IA141 openings141
27Salt Lake City UT122 openings122
28Cape Canaveral FL114 openings114
29Palmdale CA104 openings104
30Aurora CO103 openings103
31Palo Alto CA103 openings103
32Lexington MA102 openings102
33Alexandria VA99 openings99
34Grand Prairie TX98 openings98
35Chantilly VA95 openings95
36Dayton OH94 openings94
37Sunnyvale CA91 openings91
38Boulder CO90 openings90
39King of Prussia PA88 openings88
40Manassas VA87 openings87
41Fort Wayne IN81 openings81
42Chandler AZ78 openings78
43Scottsdale AZ78 openings78
44Springfield VA74 openings74
45Rochester NY73 openings73
46Broomfield CO71 openings71
47New York NY71 openings71
48Marietta GA67 openings67
49San Mateo CA67 openings67
50Annapolis Junction MD62 openings62
51Andover MA61 openings61
52Wichita KS58 openings58
53Wright-Patterson AFB OH58 openings58
54Aberdeen MD57 openings57
55Bedford MA57 openings57
56Edwards AFB CA57 openings57
57Goleta CA57 openings57
58Greenville TX56 openings56
59Sterling VA56 openings56
60Marlborough MA55 openings55
61Englewood CO54 openings54
62Fort Belvoir VA54 openings54
63Hanscom AFB MA53 openings53
64Atlanta GA52 openings52
65Memphis TN52 openings52
66Centennial CO51 openings51
67Woburn MA50 openings50

How this ranking works

A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles at employers in this industry, as classed by the crawler from the employer. Median pay uses only listings that post a salary, shown where at least 8 do.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

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 50 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: best cities for aerospace and defense jobs?
Huntsville has the most openings in this industry in the United States: 555 openings.
How many cities are ranked?
67 cities have at least 50 openings, so the list has 67 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles at employers in this industry, as classed by the crawler from the employer. Median pay uses only listings that post a salary, shown where at least 8 do. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. 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 cities for aerospace and defense jobs,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-aerospace-and-defense-jobs

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-aerospace-and-defense-jobs">Best cities for aerospace and defense jobs (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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