Best cities for junior jobs in the Mountain West
Key facts
- #1 Fort Collins, CO: 36%
- #2 Boise, ID: 35%
- #3 Sparks, NV: 35%
- 18 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 29% across all cities in our data.
- 1Fort Collins CO36%
- 2Boise ID35%
- 3Sparks NV35%
- 4Las Vegas NV32%
- 5Reno NV32%
- 6Centennial CO31%
- 7Englewood CO30%
- 8Salt Lake City UT30%
- 9Aurora CO30%
- 10Littleton CO30%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Fort Collins leads on 36%, and #10 Littleton is at 30%.
- Sparks reaches #3 on a sample of 121 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Salt Lake City is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,045 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
Fort Collins CO
36%
- Entry-level openings
- 60
- All openings
- 169
- Openings with pay posted
- 28%
Hiring most here: Broadcom, Anduril Industries, Advanced Energy
Based on 169 openings.
- 2
Boise ID
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 123
- All openings
- 354
- Openings with pay posted
- 15%
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 354 openings.
- 3
Sparks NV
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 42
- All openings
- 121
- Openings with pay posted
- 7%
Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet
Based on 121 openings.
- 4
Las Vegas NV
32%
- Entry-level openings
- 298
- All openings
- 917
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 917 openings.
- 5
Reno NV
32%
- Entry-level openings
- 95
- All openings
- 299
- Openings with pay posted
- 18%
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 299 openings.
- 6
Centennial CO
31%
- Entry-level openings
- 48
- All openings
- 157
- Openings with pay posted
- 17%
Hiring most here: United Launch Alliance, Mastec, American Civil Constructors
Based on 157 openings.
- 7
Englewood CO
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 75
- All openings
- 249
- Openings with pay posted
- 15%
Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin
Based on 249 openings.
- 8
Salt Lake City UT
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 311
- All openings
- 1,045
- Openings with pay posted
- 18%
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 1,045 openings.
- 9
Aurora CO
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 99
- All openings
- 333
- Openings with pay posted
- 16%
Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX
Based on 333 openings.
- 10
Littleton CO
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 80
- All openings
- 271
- Openings with pay posted
- 8%
Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services
Based on 271 openings.
- 11
Lehi UT
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 74
- All openings
- 254
- Openings with pay posted
- 13%
Hiring most here: Pattern, Podium, Weave
Based on 254 openings.
- 12
Boulder CO
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 120
- All openings
- 425
- Openings with pay posted
- 28%
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 425 openings.
- 13
Colorado Springs CO
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 192
- All openings
- 691
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 691 openings.
- 14
Broomfield CO
27%
- Entry-level openings
- 77
- All openings
- 285
- Openings with pay posted
- 20%
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures
Based on 285 openings.
- 15
Denver CO
27%
- Entry-level openings
- 767
- All openings
- 2,885
- Openings with pay posted
- 26%
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 2,885 openings.
- 16
Westminster CO
22%
- Entry-level openings
- 57
- All openings
- 257
- Openings with pay posted
- 41%
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 257 openings.
- 17
Louisville CO
22%
- Entry-level openings
- 27
- All openings
- 125
- Openings with pay posted
- 22%
Hiring most here: Infleqtion, Garmin, Arcfield
Based on 125 openings.
- 18
Greenwood Village CO
20%
- Entry-level openings
- 32
- All openings
- 157
- Openings with pay posted
- 13%
Hiring most here: CoBank ACB, Charter Communications, Black & Veatch
Based on 157 openings.
Full ranking
All 18 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Collins CO | 36% | 169 |
| 2 | Boise ID | 35% | 354 |
| 3 | Sparks NV | 35% | 121 |
| 4 | Las Vegas NV | 32% | 917 |
| 5 | Reno NV | 32% | 299 |
| 6 | Centennial CO | 31% | 157 |
| 7 | Englewood CO | 30% | 249 |
| 8 | Salt Lake City UT | 30% | 1,045 |
| 9 | Aurora CO | 30% | 333 |
| 10 | Littleton CO | 30% | 271 |
| 11 | Lehi UT | 29% | 254 |
| 12 | Boulder CO | 28% | 425 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs CO | 28% | 691 |
| 14 | Broomfield CO | 27% | 285 |
| 15 | Denver CO | 27% | 2,885 |
| 16 | Westminster CO | 22% | 257 |
| 17 | Louisville CO | 22% | 125 |
| 18 | Greenwood Village CO | 20% | 157 |
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 mountain west?
- Fort Collins leads the Mountain West for junior jobs: 36% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 29% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 18 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 18 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
- Best cities for AI-skill jobs in the Mountain West
- Best cities for pay after cost of living in the Mountain West
- Fastest-growing job markets in the Mountain West
- Best cities for software and engineering jobs in the Mountain West
- Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Mountain West
- Best cities for director and executive jobs in the Mountain West
- Best cities for entry-level and junior jobs
- Best cities for junior jobs in California
- Best cities for junior jobs in Texas
- Best cities for junior jobs in New York
- Best cities for junior jobs in Virginia
- Best cities for junior jobs in Florida
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for junior jobs in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-mountain-west">Best cities for junior jobs in the Mountain West (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.