NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in Illinois

Springfield leads Illinois for junior jobs: 42% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 27% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Springfield, IL: 42%
  • #2 Schaumburg, IL: 40%
  • #3 Rockford, IL: 40%
  • 16 cities ranked in Illinois
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 27% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Springfield IL42%
  2. 2Schaumburg IL40%
  3. 3Rockford IL40%
  4. 4Peoria IL39%
  5. 5Naperville IL37%
  6. 6Mundelein IL36%
  7. 7Oak Brook IL33%
  8. 8Northbrook IL32%
  9. 9Aurora IL30%
  10. 10Evanston IL30%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 42%, and #10 Evanston is at 30%.
  • Springfield is the largest market in the top ten, with 280 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

    Springfield IL

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    117
    All openings
    280
    Openings with pay posted
    27%

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

    Based on 280 openings.

  2. 2

    Schaumburg IL

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    86
    All openings
    215
    Openings with pay posted
    26%

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 215 openings.

  3. 3

    Rockford IL

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    55
    All openings
    138
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: RTX, Woodward, Top Echelon Network (recruiter member boards)

    Based on 138 openings.

  4. 4

    Peoria IL

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    61
    All openings
    156
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: Osf Healthcare System, Caterpillar, Nexstar Media Group

    Based on 156 openings.

  5. 5

    Naperville IL

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    71
    All openings
    190
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: KeHE, viaPhoton, Wipfli

    Based on 190 openings.

  6. 6

    Mundelein IL

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    88
    All openings
    247
    Openings with pay posted
    32%

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

  7. 7

    Oak Brook IL

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    45
    All openings
    138
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: Hub Group, Sotera Health

    Based on 138 openings.

  8. 8

    Northbrook IL

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    54
    All openings
    171
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

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

    Based on 171 openings.

  9. 9

    Aurora IL

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    38
    All openings
    125
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: Entegris, HelloFresh

    Based on 125 openings.

  10. 10

    Evanston IL

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    30
    All openings
    100
    Openings with pay posted
    22%

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

    Based on 100 openings.

  11. 11

    Downers Grove IL

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    34
    All openings
    141
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: Zachry, Regal Rexnord, Glanbia

    Based on 141 openings.

  12. 12

    Chicago IL

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    1,799
    All openings
    7,617
    Openings with pay posted
    22%

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 7,617 openings.

  13. 13

    Oakbrook Terrace IL

    23%

    Entry-level openings
    33
    All openings
    141
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: Baltimore Gas and Electric, Pepco Holdings, Exelon

    Based on 141 openings.

  14. 14

    Lisle IL

    22%

    Entry-level openings
    26
    All openings
    116
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: International Institute For Sustainable Development, Navistar, Brindley Engineering

    Based on 116 openings.

  15. 15

    Rosemont IL

    19%

    Entry-level openings
    20
    All openings
    104
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

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

    Based on 104 openings.

  16. 16

    Rolling Meadows IL

    19%

    Entry-level openings
    54
    All openings
    281
    Openings with pay posted
    3%

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

    Based on 281 openings.

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield IL42%280
2Schaumburg IL40%215
3Rockford IL40%138
4Peoria IL39%156
5Naperville IL37%190
6Mundelein IL36%247
7Oak Brook IL33%138
8Northbrook IL32%171
9Aurora IL30%125
10Evanston IL30%100
11Downers Grove IL24%141
12Chicago IL24%7,617
13Oakbrook Terrace IL23%141
14Lisle IL22%116
15Rosemont IL19%104
16Rolling Meadows IL19%281

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 illinois?
Springfield leads Illinois for junior jobs: 42% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 27% 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 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 Illinois,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-illinois

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

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

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.