NextChapter

Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Great Lakes

Eden Prairie leads the Great Lakes for director and executive jobs: 31% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 17% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Eden Prairie, MN: 31%
  • #2 Minnetonka, MN: 28%
  • #3 Evanston, IL: 26%
  • 50 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 17% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Eden Prairie MN31%
  2. 2Minnetonka MN28%
  3. 3Evanston IL26%
  4. 4Mundelein IL26%
  5. 5Aurora IL24%
  6. 6Chicago IL24%
  7. 7Northbrook IL21%
  8. 8Indianapolis IN20%
  9. 9Rosemont IL20%
  10. 10Detroit MI20%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Eden Prairie leads on 31%, and #10 Detroit is at 20%.
  • Evanston reaches #3 on a sample of 100 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 7,617 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Eden Prairie MN

    31%

    Director and above
    98
    All openings
    318
    Median posted pay
    $136k

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

    Based on 318 openings.

  2. 2

    Minnetonka MN

    28%

    Director and above
    30
    All openings
    107
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Legrand North America

    Based on 107 openings.

  3. 3

    Evanston IL

    26%

    Director and above
    26
    All openings
    100
    Median posted pay
    $119k

    Hiring most here: Northwestern University, UL Standards & Engagement, Prime Healthcare

    Based on 100 openings.

  4. 4

    Mundelein IL

    26%

    Director and above
    63
    All openings
    247
    Median posted pay
    $136k

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

  5. 5

    Aurora IL

    24%

    Director and above
    30
    All openings
    125
    Median posted pay
    $100k

    Hiring most here: Entegris, HelloFresh

    Based on 125 openings.

  6. 6

    Chicago IL

    24%

    Director and above
    1,808
    All openings
    7,617
    Median posted pay
    $134k

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 7,617 openings.

  7. 7

    Northbrook IL

    21%

    Director and above
    36
    All openings
    171
    Median posted pay
    $110k

    Hiring most here: UL Solutions, Astellas (ADP), Medline Industries

    Based on 171 openings.

  8. 8

    Indianapolis IN

    20%

    Director and above
    290
    All openings
    1,418
    Median posted pay
    $120k

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

    Based on 1,418 openings.

  9. 9

    Rosemont IL

    20%

    Director and above
    21
    All openings
    104
    Median posted pay
    $99k

    Hiring most here: Reyes Holdings, US Foods, Regal Rexnord

    Based on 104 openings.

  10. 10

    Detroit MI

    20%

    Director and above
    148
    All openings
    740
    Median posted pay
    $125k

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

    Based on 740 openings.

  11. 11

    Minneapolis MN

    19%

    Director and above
    242
    All openings
    1,285
    Median posted pay
    $127k

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

    Based on 1,285 openings.

  12. 12

    Oak Brook IL

    18%

    Director and above
    25
    All openings
    138
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: Hub Group, Sotera Health

    Based on 138 openings.

  13. 13

    Naperville IL

    18%

    Director and above
    34
    All openings
    190
    Median posted pay
    $120k

    Hiring most here: KeHE, viaPhoton, Wipfli

    Based on 190 openings.

  14. 14

    Rochester MN

    17%

    Director and above
    32
    All openings
    183
    Median posted pay
    $93k

    Hiring most here: Mayo Clinic, Gilbane, Via

    Based on 183 openings.

  15. 15

    Downers Grove IL

    17%

    Director and above
    24
    All openings
    141
    Median posted pay
    $107k

    Hiring most here: Zachry, Regal Rexnord, Glanbia

    Based on 141 openings.

  16. 16

    Milwaukee WI

    17%

    Director and above
    138
    All openings
    825
    Median posted pay
    $114k

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

    Based on 825 openings.

  17. 17

    Madison WI

    15%

    Director and above
    79
    All openings
    515
    Median posted pay
    $94k

    Hiring most here: Universities of Wisconsin [UW_Madison], Creative Financial Staffing, Catalent Pharma Solutions

    Based on 515 openings.

  18. 18

    Carmel IN

    15%

    Director and above
    21
    All openings
    138
    Median posted pay
    $83k

    Hiring most here: Allegion, Belden, CNO Financial Group

    Based on 138 openings.

  19. 19

    Springfield IL

    15%

    Director and above
    41
    All openings
    280
    Median posted pay
    $103k

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

    Based on 280 openings.

  20. 20

    Toledo OH

    15%

    Director and above
    26
    All openings
    179
    Median posted pay
    $81k

    Hiring most here: Owens Corning, Bon Secours Mercy Health, Turner Construction

    Based on 179 openings.

  21. 21

    St. Paul MN

    14%

    Director and above
    27
    All openings
    193
    Median posted pay
    $103k

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

    Based on 193 openings.

  22. 22

    Schaumburg IL

    14%

    Director and above
    30
    All openings
    215
    Median posted pay
    $98k

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 215 openings.

  23. 23

    Cleveland OH

    14%

    Director and above
    122
    All openings
    897
    Median posted pay
    $95k

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, KeyBank, Sherwin Williams

    Based on 897 openings.

  24. 24

    Rolling Meadows IL

    14%

    Director and above
    38
    All openings
    281
    Median posted pay
    $93k

    Hiring most here: Arthur J. Gallagher, Gallagher Bassett, Gallagher

    Based on 281 openings.

  25. 25

    Green Bay WI

    13%

    Director and above
    18
    All openings
    135
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: Michels, W.W. Grainger

    Based on 135 openings.

Full ranking

All 50 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Eden Prairie MN31%318
2Minnetonka MN28%107
3Evanston IL26%100
4Mundelein IL26%247
5Aurora IL24%125
6Chicago IL24%7,617
7Northbrook IL21%171
8Indianapolis IN20%1,418
9Rosemont IL20%104
10Detroit MI20%740
11Minneapolis MN19%1,285
12Oak Brook IL18%138
13Naperville IL18%190
14Rochester MN17%183
15Downers Grove IL17%141
16Milwaukee WI17%825
17Madison WI15%515
18Carmel IN15%138
19Springfield IL15%280
20Toledo OH15%179
21St. Paul MN14%193
22Schaumburg IL14%215
23Cleveland OH14%897
24Rolling Meadows IL14%281
25Green Bay WI13%135
26Cincinnati OH13%1,385
27Columbus OH13%1,942
28Bloomington MN13%202
29La Crosse WI13%117
30Troy MI13%248
31Dublin OH13%128
32Novi MI12%146
33Rockford IL12%138
34Lisle IL12%116
35Grand Rapids MI12%421
36Ann Arbor MI12%350
37Dayton OH12%427
38Peoria IL12%156
39Lansing MI11%211
40Fort Wayne IN11%274
41Southfield MI11%230
42Akron OH11%306
43Mason OH11%148
44Waukesha WI9%108
45Jeffersonville IN9%114
46Auburn Hills MI9%149
47Evansville IN7%119
48Appleton WI6%150
49New Albany OH5%149
50Oakbrook Terrace IL3%141

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text.

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 100 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 director and executive jobs in the great lakes?
Eden Prairie leads the Great Lakes for director and executive jobs: 31% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 17% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
50 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 50 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at director, senior manager, vice president, head-of or C-suite level, read from the full posting text. 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 director and executive jobs in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-great-lakes

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

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