NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in the West Coast

Bakersfield leads the West Coast for junior jobs: 43% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 24% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Bakersfield, CA: 43%
  • #2 Fresno, CA: 40%
  • #3 Kent, WA: 39%
  • 68 cities ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 24% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Bakersfield CA43%
  2. 2Fresno CA40%
  3. 3Kent WA39%
  4. 4Salem OR39%
  5. 5Stockton CA38%
  6. 6Santa Rosa CA38%
  7. 7Riverside CA37%
  8. 8Anaheim CA36%
  9. 9Eugene OR35%
  10. 10Hayward CA35%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Bakersfield leads on 43%, and #10 Hayward is at 35%.
  • Fresno is the largest market in the top ten, with 197 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

    Bakersfield CA

    43%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    111
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: Creative Financial Staffing, Clinica Sierra Vista

    Based on 111 openings.

  2. 2

    Fresno CA

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    79
    All openings
    197
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, University Of California San Francisco Foundation, Creative Financial Staffing

    Based on 197 openings.

  3. 3

    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.

  4. 4

    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.

  5. 5

    Stockton CA

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    115
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: Amazon

    Based on 115 openings.

  6. 6

    Santa Rosa CA

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    151
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Keysight Technologies

    Based on 151 openings.

  7. 7

    Riverside CA

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    173
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: Kaiser Permanente, Pyramid Global Hospitality

    Based on 173 openings.

  8. 8

    Anaheim CA

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    61
    All openings
    171
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Legrand North America

    Based on 171 openings.

  9. 9

    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.

  10. 10

    Hayward CA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    37
    All openings
    105
    Openings with pay posted
    26%

    Hiring most here: Skydio, Pulse Biosciences, 1X Technologies

    Based on 105 openings.

  11. 11

    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.

  12. 12

    Orange CA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    133
    Openings with pay posted
    23%

    Hiring most here: UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Alignment Healthcare, Foundation Risk Partners

    Based on 133 openings.

  13. 13

    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.

  14. 14

    Corona CA

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    143
    Openings with pay posted
    39%

    Hiring most here: Monster Energy Company, Lubrizol, Gallagher

    Based on 143 openings.

  15. 15

    Sacramento CA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    455
    All openings
    1,362
    Openings with pay posted
    25%

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical

    Based on 1,362 openings.

  16. 16

    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.

  17. 17

    Santa Ana CA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    85
    All openings
    256
    Openings with pay posted
    42%

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 256 openings.

  18. 18

    Long Beach CA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    271
    All openings
    838
    Openings with pay posted
    53%

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 838 openings.

  19. 19

    Santa Barbara CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    147
    Openings with pay posted
    33%

    Hiring most here: AppFolio, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Arthrex

    Based on 147 openings.

  20. 20

    Walnut Creek CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    53
    All openings
    170
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: Lewis Brisbois, Brown and Caldwell, Flourish

    Based on 170 openings.

  21. 21

    Huntington Beach CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    31
    All openings
    100
    Openings with pay posted
    23%

    Hiring most here: Mach Industries, Karman Sd, 7 Leaves Cafe

    Based on 100 openings.

  22. 22

    Beverly Hills CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    142
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Fashion Nova, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, e.l.f. Beauty

    Based on 142 openings.

  23. 23

    Roseville CA

    30%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    165
    Openings with pay posted
    22%

    Hiring most here: Adventist Health, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Juniper Networks

    Based on 165 openings.

  24. 24

    Emeryville CA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    33
    All openings
    112
    Openings with pay posted
    41%

    Hiring most here: Profluent, Eko

    Based on 112 openings.

  25. 25

    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.

Full ranking

All 68 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Bakersfield CA43%111
2Fresno CA40%197
3Kent WA39%146
4Salem OR39%118
5Stockton CA38%115
6Santa Rosa CA38%151
7Riverside CA37%173
8Anaheim CA36%171
9Eugene OR35%110
10Hayward CA35%105
11Redmond WA35%1,150
12Orange CA35%133
13Tacoma WA34%119
14Corona CA34%143
15Sacramento CA33%1,362
16Beaverton OR33%111
17Santa Ana CA33%256
18Long Beach CA32%838
19Santa Barbara CA31%147
20Walnut Creek CA31%170
21Huntington Beach CA31%100
22Beverly Hills CA31%142
23Roseville CA30%165
24Emeryville CA29%112
25Renton WA29%130
26Pasadena CA29%257
27Portland OR29%785
28Spokane WA29%140
29Vancouver WA27%153
30El Segundo CA27%946
31Torrance CA26%735
32Hillsboro OR26%183
33Los Angeles CA26%5,101
34Kirkland WA25%158
35Irvine CA25%1,505
36Fremont CA25%473
37Goleta CA25%101
38San Leandro CA25%101
39Pleasanton CA25%174
40Everett WA24%185
41Newark CA24%128
42San Diego CA24%3,082
43Culver City CA24%242
44Glendale CA24%184
45Milpitas CA24%256
46Alameda CA24%189
47Burbank CA23%158
48Seattle WA23%5,347
49Newport Beach CA22%285
50San Carlos CA22%211
51Bothell WA22%129
52Carlsbad CA21%298
53Palo Alto CA21%1,234
54Sunnyvale CA21%1,555
55Livermore CA21%102
56San Jose CA20%2,383
57San Francisco CA20%11,776
58Oakland CA19%577
59Bellevue WA19%1,395
60Santa Monica CA19%307
61Redwood City CA17%470
62Santa Clara CA17%1,522
63Menlo Park CA17%439
64San Mateo CA17%887
65Berkeley CA15%238
66Palmdale CA15%124
67Mountain View CA14%1,513
68Foster City CA11%520

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 west coast?
Bakersfield leads the West Coast for junior jobs: 43% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 24% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
68 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 68 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 West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-the-west-coast

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

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

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