Best cities for junior jobs in Florida
Key facts
- #1 Tallahassee, FL: 45%
- #2 Cape Canaveral, FL: 44%
- #3 Pensacola, FL: 43%
- 21 cities ranked in Florida
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 33% across all cities in our data.
- 1Tallahassee FL45%
- 2Cape Canaveral FL44%
- 3Pensacola FL43%
- 4Clearwater FL43%
- 5St. Petersburg FL42%
- 6Fort Myers FL40%
- 7Naples FL38%
- 8Boca Raton FL38%
- 9Sarasota FL37%
- 10Gainesville FL37%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Tallahassee leads on 45%, and #10 Gainesville is at 37%.
- Tallahassee is the largest market in the top ten, with 739 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
Tallahassee FL
45%
- Entry-level openings
- 331
- All openings
- 739
- Openings with pay posted
- 11%
Hiring most here: State of Florida, L3HARRIS Technologies, Florida
Based on 739 openings.
- 2
Cape Canaveral FL
44%
- Entry-level openings
- 76
- All openings
- 172
- Openings with pay posted
- 22%
Hiring most here: SpaceX, Relativity Space, Sidus Space
Based on 172 openings.
- 3
Pensacola FL
43%
- Entry-level openings
- 75
- All openings
- 174
- Openings with pay posted
- 7%
Hiring most here: Baptist Health Care, Navy Federal Credit Union, Danaher
Based on 174 openings.
- 4
Clearwater FL
43%
- Entry-level openings
- 69
- All openings
- 161
- Openings with pay posted
- 9%
Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, Kemco Systems, Knowbe4
Based on 161 openings.
- 5
St. Petersburg FL
42%
- Entry-level openings
- 55
- All openings
- 132
- Openings with pay posted
- 18%
Hiring most here: Jabil, Hilton Grand Vacations
Based on 132 openings.
- 6
Fort Myers FL
40%
- Entry-level openings
- 62
- All openings
- 155
- Openings with pay posted
- 10%
Hiring most here: Gartner, Apex Companies, Hearst
Based on 155 openings.
- 7
Naples FL
38%
- Entry-level openings
- 75
- All openings
- 195
- Openings with pay posted
- 6%
Hiring most here: Arthrex, Pyramid Global Hospitality, Community Health Systems
Based on 195 openings.
- 8
Boca Raton FL
38%
- Entry-level openings
- 130
- All openings
- 340
- Openings with pay posted
- 15%
Hiring most here: Compass, Baptist Health South Florida, SBA Communications
Based on 340 openings.
- 9
Sarasota FL
37%
- Entry-level openings
- 73
- All openings
- 195
- Openings with pay posted
- 10%
Hiring most here: CACI International, Springhill Memorial Hospital, Slidell Memorial Hospital
Based on 195 openings.
- 10
Gainesville FL
37%
- Entry-level openings
- 50
- All openings
- 136
- Openings with pay posted
- 16%
Hiring most here: UF Health, Veterans Health Administration
Based on 136 openings.
- 11
Fort Lauderdale FL
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 199
- All openings
- 565
- Openings with pay posted
- 12%
Hiring most here: North Broward Hospital District (Broward Health), Autonation, Town & Country Credit Union
Based on 565 openings.
- 12
Tampa FL
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 598
- All openings
- 1,717
- Openings with pay posted
- 13%
Hiring most here: DTCC, University of South Florida, Tampa Electric
Based on 1,717 openings.
- 13
Jacksonville FL
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 367
- All openings
- 1,055
- Openings with pay posted
- 7%
Hiring most here: Confidential, Intercontinental Exchange, UF Health
Based on 1,055 openings.
- 14
Doral FL
34%
- Entry-level openings
- 47
- All openings
- 138
- Openings with pay posted
- 15%
Hiring most here: AerSale, Macy's, HII Mission Technologies
Based on 138 openings.
- 15
Daytona Beach FL
33%
- Entry-level openings
- 34
- All openings
- 102
- Openings with pay posted
- 8%
Hiring most here: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Brown & Brown, Embry-riddle Aeronautical
Based on 102 openings.
- 16
Orlando FL
31%
- Entry-level openings
- 387
- All openings
- 1,256
- Openings with pay posted
- 8%
Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Services, Creative Financial Staffing
Based on 1,256 openings.
- 17
Miami FL
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 672
- All openings
- 2,311
- Openings with pay posted
- 10%
Hiring most here: University Of Miami, Royal Caribbean Cruises, Princess Cruises / Holland America Line
Based on 2,311 openings.
- 18
Coral Gables FL
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 73
- All openings
- 252
- Openings with pay posted
- 3%
Hiring most here: University Of Miami, Baptist Health South Florida, City National Bank of Florida
Based on 252 openings.
- 19
Palm Beach Gardens FL
26%
- Entry-level openings
- 46
- All openings
- 178
- Openings with pay posted
- 17%
Hiring most here: Nextera Energy, CARRIER GLOBAL, Brighter Signals
Based on 178 openings.
- 20
Lake Mary FL
23%
- Entry-level openings
- 29
- All openings
- 126
- Openings with pay posted
- 4%
Hiring most here: BNY, The Institute of Internal Auditors
Based on 126 openings.
- 21
Melbourne FL
15%
- Entry-level openings
- 47
- All openings
- 305
- Openings with pay posted
- 5%
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 305 openings.
Full ranking
All 21 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tallahassee FL | 45% | 739 |
| 2 | Cape Canaveral FL | 44% | 172 |
| 3 | Pensacola FL | 43% | 174 |
| 4 | Clearwater FL | 43% | 161 |
| 5 | St. Petersburg FL | 42% | 132 |
| 6 | Fort Myers FL | 40% | 155 |
| 7 | Naples FL | 38% | 195 |
| 8 | Boca Raton FL | 38% | 340 |
| 9 | Sarasota FL | 37% | 195 |
| 10 | Gainesville FL | 37% | 136 |
| 11 | Fort Lauderdale FL | 35% | 565 |
| 12 | Tampa FL | 35% | 1,717 |
| 13 | Jacksonville FL | 35% | 1,055 |
| 14 | Doral FL | 34% | 138 |
| 15 | Daytona Beach FL | 33% | 102 |
| 16 | Orlando FL | 31% | 1,256 |
| 17 | Miami FL | 29% | 2,311 |
| 18 | Coral Gables FL | 29% | 252 |
| 19 | Palm Beach Gardens FL | 26% | 178 |
| 20 | Lake Mary FL | 23% | 126 |
| 21 | Melbourne FL | 15% | 305 |
How this ranking works
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, read from the full posting text.
Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. Internships are left out.
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 junior jobs in florida?
- Tallahassee leads Florida for junior jobs: 45% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 33% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 21 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 21 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, read from the full posting text. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. Internships are left out. 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 junior jobs in Florida,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-florida
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-florida">Best cities for junior jobs in Florida (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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