Best cities for junior jobs in North Carolina
Key facts
- #1 Fayetteville, NC: 46%
- #2 Asheville, NC: 44%
- #3 Wilmington, NC: 43%
- 11 cities ranked in North Carolina
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 33% across all cities in our data.
- 1Fayetteville NC46%
- 2Asheville NC44%
- 3Wilmington NC43%
- 4Greensboro NC35%
- 5Raleigh NC35%
- 6Greenville NC32%
- 7Charlotte NC32%
- 8Morrisville NC31%
- 9Durham NC26%
- 10Cary NC24%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Fayetteville (46%) is well clear of Cary at #10 (24%).
- Fayetteville reaches #1 on a sample of 108 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Charlotte is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,201 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
Fayetteville NC
46%
- Entry-level openings
- 50
- All openings
- 108
- Openings with pay posted
- 19%
Hiring most here: Veterans Health Administration
Based on 108 openings.
- 2
Asheville NC
44%
- Entry-level openings
- 62
- All openings
- 140
- Openings with pay posted
- 16%
Hiring most here: RTX, Rha Health Services, Eaton
Based on 140 openings.
- 3
Wilmington NC
43%
- Entry-level openings
- 82
- All openings
- 190
- Openings with pay posted
- 12%
Hiring most here: Corning, Novant Health, Acadia Healthcare Company
Based on 190 openings.
- 4
Greensboro NC
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 153
- All openings
- 436
- Openings with pay posted
- 11%
Hiring most here: Cone Health, Kaiser Permanente, Guilford County Schools
Based on 436 openings.
- 5
Raleigh NC
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 498
- All openings
- 1,421
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX
Based on 1,421 openings.
- 6
Greenville NC
32%
- Entry-level openings
- 39
- All openings
- 122
- Openings with pay posted
- 5%
Hiring most here: ECU Health, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Based on 122 openings.
- 7
Charlotte NC
32%
- Entry-level openings
- 1,022
- All openings
- 3,201
- Openings with pay posted
- 13%
Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas
Based on 3,201 openings.
- 8
Morrisville NC
31%
- Entry-level openings
- 47
- All openings
- 154
- Openings with pay posted
- 11%
Hiring most here: Teleflex, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Alcami Home
Based on 154 openings.
- 9
Durham NC
26%
- Entry-level openings
- 203
- All openings
- 775
- Openings with pay posted
- 6%
Hiring most here: Duke University, Duke Health Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, GSK
Based on 775 openings.
- 10
Cary NC
24%
- Entry-level openings
- 55
- All openings
- 229
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Epic Games, Wake County Public School System, Garmin
Based on 229 openings.
- 11
Research Triangle Park NC
13%
- Entry-level openings
- 13
- All openings
- 102
- Openings with pay posted
- 1%
Hiring most here: Cisco Systems, Vulcan Elements, Biogen
Based on 102 openings.
Full ranking
All 11 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fayetteville NC | 46% | 108 |
| 2 | Asheville NC | 44% | 140 |
| 3 | Wilmington NC | 43% | 190 |
| 4 | Greensboro NC | 35% | 436 |
| 5 | Raleigh NC | 35% | 1,421 |
| 6 | Greenville NC | 32% | 122 |
| 7 | Charlotte NC | 32% | 3,201 |
| 8 | Morrisville NC | 31% | 154 |
| 9 | Durham NC | 26% | 775 |
| 10 | Cary NC | 24% | 229 |
| 11 | Research Triangle Park NC | 13% | 102 |
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 north carolina?
- Fayetteville leads North Carolina for junior jobs: 46% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 33% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 11 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 11 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 North Carolina,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-north-carolina
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-north-carolina">Best cities for junior jobs in North Carolina (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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