NextChapter

Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Pacific Northwest

Eugene leads the Pacific Northwest for director and executive jobs: 24% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 13% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Eugene, OR: 24%
  • #2 Salem, OR: 20%
  • #3 Renton, WA: 20%
  • 16 cities ranked in the Pacific Northwest
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 13% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Eugene OR24%
  2. 2Salem OR20%
  3. 3Renton WA20%
  4. 4Spokane WA19%
  5. 5Vancouver WA18%
  6. 6Portland OR17%
  7. 7Bothell WA15%
  8. 8Seattle WA14%
  9. 9Kirkland WA12%
  10. 10Hillsboro OR11%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Eugene (24%) is well clear of Hillsboro at #10 (11%).
  • Seattle is the largest market in the top ten, with 5,347 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

    Eugene OR

    24%

    Director and above
    26
    All openings
    110
    Median posted pay
    $122k

    Hiring most here: University of Oregon, Sinclair

    Based on 110 openings.

  2. 2

    Salem OR

    20%

    Director and above
    24
    All openings
    118
    Median posted pay
    $126k

    Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Garmin, Northwest Human Services

    Based on 118 openings.

  3. 3

    Renton WA

    20%

    Director and above
    26
    All openings
    130
    Median posted pay
    $154k

    Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels

    Based on 130 openings.

  4. 4

    Spokane WA

    19%

    Director and above
    27
    All openings
    140
    Median posted pay
    $108k

    Hiring most here: McKinstry, BDO USA

    Based on 140 openings.

  5. 5

    Vancouver WA

    18%

    Director and above
    28
    All openings
    153
    Median posted pay
    $121k

    Hiring most here: HP, ZoomInfo, Ecolab USA

    Based on 153 openings.

  6. 6

    Portland OR

    17%

    Director and above
    133
    All openings
    785
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear

    Based on 785 openings.

  7. 7

    Bothell WA

    15%

    Director and above
    19
    All openings
    129
    Median posted pay
    $163k

    Hiring most here: Verathon, IonQ, Koninklijke Philips

    Based on 129 openings.

  8. 8

    Seattle WA

    14%

    Director and above
    744
    All openings
    5,347
    Median posted pay
    $180k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,347 openings.

  9. 9

    Kirkland WA

    12%

    Director and above
    19
    All openings
    158
    Median posted pay
    $171k

    Hiring most here: Echodyne, Amazon, Google

    Based on 158 openings.

  10. 10

    Hillsboro OR

    11%

    Director and above
    21
    All openings
    183
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: American Society for Microbiology, Washington County OR, Microsoft

    Based on 183 openings.

  11. 11

    Bellevue WA

    11%

    Director and above
    160
    All openings
    1,395
    Median posted pay
    $197k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 1,395 openings.

  12. 12

    Everett WA

    11%

    Director and above
    21
    All openings
    185
    Median posted pay
    $183k

    Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower

    Based on 185 openings.

  13. 13

    Tacoma WA

    11%

    Director and above
    13
    All openings
    119
    Median posted pay
    $105k

    Hiring most here: Globe Main, TOTE Maritime

    Based on 119 openings.

  14. 14

    Beaverton OR

    10%

    Director and above
    11
    All openings
    111
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: Ralliant, Apple, Software Specialists

    Based on 111 openings.

  15. 15

    Redmond WA

    8%

    Director and above
    97
    All openings
    1,150
    Median posted pay
    $209k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,150 openings.

  16. 16

    Kent WA

    4%

    Director and above
    6
    All openings
    146
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, Amazon

    Based on 146 openings.

Full ranking

All 16 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Eugene OR24%110
2Salem OR20%118
3Renton WA20%130
4Spokane WA19%140
5Vancouver WA18%153
6Portland OR17%785
7Bothell WA15%129
8Seattle WA14%5,347
9Kirkland WA12%158
10Hillsboro OR11%183
11Bellevue WA11%1,395
12Everett WA11%185
13Tacoma WA11%119
14Beaverton OR10%111
15Redmond WA8%1,150
16Kent WA4%146

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 pacific northwest?
Eugene leads the Pacific Northwest for director and executive jobs: 24% of its professional openings are director level or above, against 13% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
16 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 16 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 Pacific Northwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-director-and-executive-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest

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

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

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