NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Pacific Northwest

Kent leads the Pacific Northwest for junior jobs: 39% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 26% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Kent, WA: 39%
  • #2 Salem, OR: 39%
  • #3 Eugene, OR: 35%
  • 16 cities ranked in the Pacific Northwest
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 26% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Kent WA39%
  2. 2Salem OR39%
  3. 3Eugene OR35%
  4. 4Redmond WA35%
  5. 5Tacoma WA34%
  6. 6Beaverton OR33%
  7. 7Renton WA29%
  8. 8Portland OR29%
  9. 9Spokane WA29%
  10. 10Vancouver WA27%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Kent leads on 39%, and #10 Vancouver is at 27%.
  • Redmond is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,150 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

    Kent WA

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    146
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, Amazon

    Based on 146 openings.

  2. 2

    Salem OR

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    118
    Openings with pay posted
    28%

    Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Garmin, Northwest Human Services

    Based on 118 openings.

  3. 3

    Eugene OR

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    39
    All openings
    110
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: University of Oregon, Sinclair

    Based on 110 openings.

  4. 4

    Redmond WA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    398
    All openings
    1,150
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,150 openings.

  5. 5

    Tacoma WA

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    41
    All openings
    119
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: Globe Main, TOTE Maritime

    Based on 119 openings.

  6. 6

    Beaverton OR

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    37
    All openings
    111
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: Ralliant, Apple, Software Specialists

    Based on 111 openings.

  7. 7

    Renton WA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    38
    All openings
    130
    Openings with pay posted
    40%

    Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels

    Based on 130 openings.

  8. 8

    Portland OR

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    225
    All openings
    785
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear

    Based on 785 openings.

  9. 9

    Spokane WA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    40
    All openings
    140
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: McKinstry, BDO USA

    Based on 140 openings.

  10. 10

    Vancouver WA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    42
    All openings
    153
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: HP, ZoomInfo, Ecolab USA

    Based on 153 openings.

  11. 11

    Hillsboro OR

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    183
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: American Society for Microbiology, Washington County OR, Microsoft

    Based on 183 openings.

  12. 12

    Kirkland WA

    25%

    Entry-level openings
    40
    All openings
    158
    Openings with pay posted
    41%

    Hiring most here: Echodyne, Amazon, Google

    Based on 158 openings.

  13. 13

    Everett WA

    24%

    Entry-level openings
    45
    All openings
    185
    Openings with pay posted
    34%

    Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower

    Based on 185 openings.

  14. 14

    Seattle WA

    23%

    Entry-level openings
    1,214
    All openings
    5,347
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,347 openings.

  15. 15

    Bothell WA

    22%

    Entry-level openings
    28
    All openings
    129
    Openings with pay posted
    28%

    Hiring most here: Verathon, IonQ, Koninklijke Philips

    Based on 129 openings.

  16. 16

    Bellevue WA

    19%

    Entry-level openings
    268
    All openings
    1,395
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 1,395 openings.

Full ranking

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

RankCityScoreSample
1Kent WA39%146
2Salem OR39%118
3Eugene OR35%110
4Redmond WA35%1,150
5Tacoma WA34%119
6Beaverton OR33%111
7Renton WA29%130
8Portland OR29%785
9Spokane WA29%140
10Vancouver WA27%153
11Hillsboro OR26%183
12Kirkland WA25%158
13Everett WA24%185
14Seattle WA23%5,347
15Bothell WA22%129
16Bellevue WA19%1,395

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 pacific northwest?
Kent leads the Pacific Northwest for junior jobs: 39% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 26% 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 the Pacific Northwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest

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

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

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