NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the Southwest

Lubbock leads the Southwest for junior jobs: 42% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 30% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Lubbock, TX: 42%
  • #2 Corpus Christi, TX: 42%
  • #3 Albuquerque, NM: 40%
  • 43 cities ranked in the Southwest
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 30% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Lubbock TX42%
  2. 2Corpus Christi TX42%
  3. 3Albuquerque NM40%
  4. 4Lewisville TX38%
  5. 5Coppell TX38%
  6. 6Carrollton TX38%
  7. 7Amarillo TX37%
  8. 8Midland TX37%
  9. 9Arlington TX37%
  10. 10San Antonio TX36%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Lubbock leads on 42%, and #10 San Antonio is at 36%.
  • San Antonio is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,267 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

    Lubbock TX

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    53
    All openings
    127
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: Prosperity Bancshares, Johnson Controls International, Terracon Consultants

    Based on 127 openings.

  2. 2

    Corpus Christi TX

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    118
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: CHRISTUS Health, American Electric Power, Veterans Health Administration

    Based on 118 openings.

  3. 3

    Albuquerque NM

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    143
    All openings
    361
    Openings with pay posted
    6%

    Hiring most here: University of New Mexico-Main Campus, Rocket Lab, Kairos Power

    Based on 361 openings.

  4. 4

    Lewisville TX

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    50
    All openings
    130
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: Moonshot, Paccar, Quest Diagnostics

    Based on 130 openings.

  5. 5

    Coppell TX

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    151
    Openings with pay posted
    6%

    Hiring most here: Blue Yonder, At Home, Charter Communications

    Based on 151 openings.

  6. 6

    Carrollton TX

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    128
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: MB2 Dental, Trane U.s., PennyMac Financial Services

    Based on 128 openings.

  7. 7

    Amarillo TX

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    132
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Mortenson, Xcel Energy, Veterans Health Administration

    Based on 132 openings.

  8. 8

    Midland TX

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    158
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: Patterson UTI Energy, SM Energy, AST SpaceMobile

    Based on 158 openings.

  9. 9

    Arlington TX

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    72
    All openings
    197
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: GM Financial, Lockheed Martin, Loews Hotels

    Based on 197 openings.

  10. 10

    San Antonio TX

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    462
    All openings
    1,267
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: H-E-B, University Health San Antonio, UT Health San Antonio

    Based on 1,267 openings.

  11. 11

    Frisco TX

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    66
    All openings
    182
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Baker Tilly, The Haskell Company, Intuit

    Based on 182 openings.

  12. 12

    Sugar Land TX

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    125
    Openings with pay posted
    4%

    Hiring most here: Yokogawa America, SLB, IES Holdings

    Based on 125 openings.

  13. 13

    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.

  14. 14

    Tyler TX

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    140
    Openings with pay posted
    6%

    Hiring most here: CHRISTUS Health, Brookshire Grocery, Trane U.s.

    Based on 140 openings.

  15. 15

    Tempe AZ

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    229
    All openings
    671
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: Carvana, Amazon, Viasat

    Based on 671 openings.

  16. 16

    Tulsa OK

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    157
    All openings
    474
    Openings with pay posted
    7%

    Hiring most here: BOK Financial, Aaon, Helmerich & Payne

    Based on 474 openings.

  17. 17

    Scottsdale AZ

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    249
    All openings
    756
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Axon Enterprise, AMI Semiconductor

    Based on 756 openings.

  18. 18

    El Paso TX

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    100
    All openings
    305
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Confidential, Tenet Healthcare, Faith Technologies

    Based on 305 openings.

  19. 19

    Chandler AZ

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    154
    All openings
    470
    Openings with pay posted
    5%

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Ralliant, Bechtel Energy

    Based on 470 openings.

  20. 20

    Waco TX

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    51
    All openings
    156
    Openings with pay posted
    3%

    Hiring most here: Baylor University, L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 156 openings.

  21. 21

    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.

  22. 22

    Brownsville TX

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    35
    All openings
    109
    Openings with pay posted
    14%

    Hiring most here: Worley Group, Saronic Technologies, Nexstar Media Group

    Based on 109 openings.

  23. 23

    Gilbert AZ

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    39
    All openings
    122
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Loenbro, Deloitte

    Based on 122 openings.

  24. 24

    Oklahoma City OK

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    180
    All openings
    564
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: Love's Travel Stops, CACI International, Northrop Grumman

    Based on 564 openings.

  25. 25

    Fort Worth TX

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    398
    All openings
    1,248
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, MP Materials, Alcon

    Based on 1,248 openings.

Full ranking

All 43 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Lubbock TX42%127
2Corpus Christi TX42%118
3Albuquerque NM40%361
4Lewisville TX38%130
5Coppell TX38%151
6Carrollton TX38%128
7Amarillo TX37%132
8Midland TX37%158
9Arlington TX37%197
10San Antonio TX36%1,267
11Frisco TX36%182
12Sugar Land TX35%125
13Sparks NV35%121
14Tyler TX34%140
15Tempe AZ34%671
16Tulsa OK33%474
17Scottsdale AZ33%756
18El Paso TX33%305
19Chandler AZ33%470
20Waco TX33%156
21Las Vegas NV32%917
22Brownsville TX32%109
23Gilbert AZ32%122
24Oklahoma City OK32%564
25Fort Worth TX32%1,248
26Reno NV32%299
27Grand Prairie TX31%196
28Phoenix AZ31%2,743
29Plano TX29%1,066
30Addison TX29%196
31Houston TX29%4,295
32Tucson AZ29%716
33Denton TX29%175
34Mesa AZ27%193
35Katy TX27%113
36The Woodlands TX27%168
37Dallas TX27%4,379
38Austin TX26%5,890
39Abilene TX26%145
40Irving TX26%875
41Richardson TX24%404
42Spring TX21%342
43Westlake TX17%109

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 southwest?
Lubbock leads the Southwest for junior jobs: 42% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 30% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
43 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 43 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 Southwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-southwest

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

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

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