NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Midwest

La Crosse leads the Midwest 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 Lincoln, NE: 48%
  • #3 Lansing, MI: 48%
  • 66 cities ranked in the Midwest
  • Data as of November 2026

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

  1. 1La Crosse WI50%
  2. 2Lincoln NE48%
  3. 3Lansing MI48%
  4. 4Green Bay WI47%
  5. 5Auburn Hills MI46%
  6. 6Dublin OH45%
  7. 7Appleton WI43%
  8. 8Springfield IL42%
  9. 9Sioux Falls SD42%
  10. 10Springfield MO41%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: La Crosse leads on 50%, and #10 Springfield is at 41%.
  • 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

    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

    Lincoln NE

    48%

    Entry-level openings
    119
    All openings
    248
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: State of Nebraska, Nelnet Servicing, General Dynamics OTS

    Based on 248 openings.

  3. 3

    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.

  4. 4

    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.

  5. 5

    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.

  6. 6

    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.

  7. 7

    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.

  8. 8

    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.

  9. 9

    Sioux Falls SD

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    83
    All openings
    200
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Sioux Center Health, Marshfield Clinic, Trinzic

    Based on 200 openings.

  10. 10

    Springfield MO

    41%

    Entry-level openings
    81
    All openings
    198
    Openings with pay posted
    3%

    Hiring most here: O'Reilly Auto Parts, Coxhealth, Jack Henry & Associates

    Based on 198 openings.

  11. 11

    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.

  12. 12

    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.

  13. 13

    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.

  14. 14

    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.

  15. 15

    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.

  16. 16

    St. Louis MO

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    202
    All openings
    529
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: Stifel Charitable, BJC HealthCare, Kforce

    Based on 529 openings.

  17. 17

    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.

  18. 18

    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.

  19. 19

    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.

  20. 20

    Kansas City KS

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    54
    All openings
    143
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Dairy Farmers of America, Amazon, Kansas City Kansas Community College

    Based on 143 openings.

  21. 21

    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.

  22. 22

    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.

  23. 23

    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.

  24. 24

    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.

  25. 25

    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.

Full ranking

All 66 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1La Crosse WI50%117
2Lincoln NE48%248
3Lansing MI48%211
4Green Bay WI47%135
5Auburn Hills MI46%149
6Dublin OH45%128
7Appleton WI43%150
8Springfield IL42%280
9Sioux Falls SD42%200
10Springfield MO41%198
11Schaumburg IL40%215
12Akron OH40%306
13Rockford IL40%138
14Cincinnati OH40%1,385
15Peoria IL39%156
16St. Louis MO38%529
17Madison WI38%515
18Toledo OH38%179
19St. Paul MN38%193
20Kansas City KS38%143
21Naperville IL37%190
22Evansville IN37%119
23Grand Rapids MI37%421
24Troy MI37%248
25Columbus OH37%1,942
26Cleveland OH36%897
27Jefferson City MO36%103
28Mundelein IL36%247
29Lenexa KS36%211
30Mason OH34%148
31Dayton OH33%427
32Wichita KS33%235
33Oak Brook IL33%138
34Kansas City MO33%892
35Milwaukee WI32%825
36Fort Wayne IN32%274
37Northbrook IL32%171
38Omaha NE32%549
39Detroit MI31%740
40Bloomington MN31%202
41Indianapolis IN30%1,418
42Aurora IL30%125
43Overland Park KS30%445
44Columbia MO30%130
45Evanston IL30%100
46Waukesha WI30%108
47Fargo ND29%165
48Jeffersonville IN29%114
49Topeka KS28%110
50Carmel IN28%138
51Cedar Rapids IA27%350
52Ann Arbor MI26%350
53Minneapolis MN26%1,285
54Southfield MI26%230
55Rochester MN25%183
56Downers Grove IL24%141
57Chicago IL24%7,617
58Oakbrook Terrace IL23%141
59Des Moines IA23%365
60Lisle IL22%116
61Novi MI21%146
62Eden Prairie MN20%318
63Rosemont IL19%104
64Rolling Meadows IL19%281
65Minnetonka MN18%107
66New 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 midwest?
La Crosse leads the Midwest 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?
66 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 66 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 Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-midwest

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

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

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