NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Great Lakes

La Crosse leads the Great Lakes for junior jobs: 50% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 32% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 La Crosse, WI: 50%
  • #2 Lansing, MI: 48%
  • #3 Green Bay, WI: 47%
  • 50 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 32% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1La Crosse WI50%
  2. 2Lansing MI48%
  3. 3Green Bay WI47%
  4. 4Auburn Hills MI46%
  5. 5Dublin OH45%
  6. 6Appleton WI43%
  7. 7Springfield IL42%
  8. 8Schaumburg IL40%
  9. 9Akron OH40%
  10. 10Rockford IL40%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: La Crosse leads on 50%, and #10 Rockford is at 40%.
  • Akron is the largest market in the top ten, with 306 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

    La Crosse WI

    50%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    117
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Trane U.s., Gundersen Health, Kwik Trip

    Based on 117 openings.

  2. 2

    Lansing MI

    48%

    Entry-level openings
    101
    All openings
    211
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: University of Michigan Health-Sparrow, Auto-Owners Insurance, Sparrow Clinton Hospital

    Based on 211 openings.

  3. 3

    Green Bay WI

    47%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    135
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Michels, W.W. Grainger

    Based on 135 openings.

  4. 4

    Auburn Hills MI

    46%

    Entry-level openings
    69
    All openings
    149
    Openings with pay posted
    3%

    Hiring most here: Alten Technology USA, Stellantis, Nexteer

    Based on 149 openings.

  5. 5

    Dublin OH

    45%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    128
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: Oclc, Univar Solutions, Quantum Health

    Based on 128 openings.

  6. 6

    Appleton WI

    43%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    150
    Openings with pay posted
    5%

    Hiring most here: Illinois Tool Works, Ducommun, Oshkosh

    Based on 150 openings.

  7. 7

    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.

  8. 8

    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.

  9. 9

    Akron OH

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    122
    All openings
    306
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: FirstEnergy Akron, Babcock International Group PLC/ADR, Akron Childrens Hospital

    Based on 306 openings.

  10. 10

    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.

  11. 11

    Cincinnati OH

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    551
    All openings
    1,385
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 1,385 openings.

  12. 12

    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.

  13. 13

    Madison WI

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    196
    All openings
    515
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

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

    Based on 515 openings.

  14. 14

    Toledo OH

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    68
    All openings
    179
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

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

    Based on 179 openings.

  15. 15

    St. Paul MN

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    73
    All openings
    193
    Openings with pay posted
    30%

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

    Based on 193 openings.

  16. 16

    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.

  17. 17

    Evansville IN

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    119
    Openings with pay posted
    2%

    Hiring most here: Deaconess Homecare, Old National Bank, Deaconess Womens Hospital Of Southern Indiana

    Based on 119 openings.

  18. 18

    Grand Rapids MI

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    155
    All openings
    421
    Openings with pay posted
    5%

    Hiring most here: Corewell Health, Acrisure, BDO USA

    Based on 421 openings.

  19. 19

    Troy MI

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    91
    All openings
    248
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: Aptiv, Publicis Groupe, Flagstar Bank, National Association

    Based on 248 openings.

  20. 20

    Columbus OH

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    711
    All openings
    1,942
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Nationwide Children's Hospital, State of Ohio, Nationwide

    Based on 1,942 openings.

  21. 21

    Cleveland OH

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    327
    All openings
    897
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, KeyBank, Sherwin Williams

    Based on 897 openings.

  22. 22

    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.

  23. 23

    Mason OH

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    50
    All openings
    148
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Cintas, L3HARRIS Technologies, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 148 openings.

  24. 24

    Dayton OH

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    143
    All openings
    427
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: University of Dayton, Modern Technology Solutions, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 427 openings.

  25. 25

    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.

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1La Crosse WI50%117
2Lansing MI48%211
3Green Bay WI47%135
4Auburn Hills MI46%149
5Dublin OH45%128
6Appleton WI43%150
7Springfield IL42%280
8Schaumburg IL40%215
9Akron OH40%306
10Rockford IL40%138
11Cincinnati OH40%1,385
12Peoria IL39%156
13Madison WI38%515
14Toledo OH38%179
15St. Paul MN38%193
16Naperville IL37%190
17Evansville IN37%119
18Grand Rapids MI37%421
19Troy MI37%248
20Columbus OH37%1,942
21Cleveland OH36%897
22Mundelein IL36%247
23Mason OH34%148
24Dayton OH33%427
25Oak Brook IL33%138
26Milwaukee WI32%825
27Fort Wayne IN32%274
28Northbrook IL32%171
29Detroit MI31%740
30Bloomington MN31%202
31Indianapolis IN30%1,418
32Aurora IL30%125
33Evanston IL30%100
34Waukesha WI30%108
35Jeffersonville IN29%114
36Carmel IN28%138
37Ann Arbor MI26%350
38Minneapolis MN26%1,285
39Southfield MI26%230
40Rochester MN25%183
41Downers Grove IL24%141
42Chicago IL24%7,617
43Oakbrook Terrace IL23%141
44Lisle IL22%116
45Novi MI21%146
46Eden Prairie MN20%318
47Rosemont IL19%104
48Rolling Meadows IL19%281
49Minnetonka MN18%107
50New Albany OH17%149

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 the great lakes?
La Crosse leads the Great Lakes for junior jobs: 50% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 32% 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 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 the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-great-lakes

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

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

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