NextChapter

Best cities for junior jobs in Virginia

Lynchburg leads Virginia for junior jobs: 49% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 31% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Lynchburg, VA: 49%
  • #2 Virginia Beach, VA: 48%
  • #3 Chesapeake, VA: 44%
  • 25 cities ranked in Virginia
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 31% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Lynchburg VA49%
  2. 2Virginia Beach VA48%
  3. 3Chesapeake VA44%
  4. 4Roanoke VA42%
  5. 5Charlottesville VA41%
  6. 6Norfolk VA39%
  7. 7Manassas VA37%
  8. 8Fairfax VA37%
  9. 9Richmond VA36%
  10. 10Newport News VA35%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Lynchburg leads on 49%, and #10 Newport News is at 35%.
  • Lynchburg reaches #1 on a sample of 113 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Richmond is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,133 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

    Lynchburg VA

    49%

    Entry-level openings
    55
    All openings
    113
    Openings with pay posted
    27%

    Hiring most here: BWX Technologies, BWXT, BWXT Ordnance Tennessee

    Based on 113 openings.

  2. 2

    Virginia Beach VA

    48%

    Entry-level openings
    122
    All openings
    255
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: HII Mission Technologies, Sentara Health, Amazon

    Based on 255 openings.

  3. 3

    Chesapeake VA

    44%

    Entry-level openings
    58
    All openings
    131
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: Family Dollar, Oceaneering International, Trane U.s.

    Based on 131 openings.

  4. 4

    Roanoke VA

    42%

    Entry-level openings
    74
    All openings
    177
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: Carilion Clinic, Carilion Medical Center, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 177 openings.

  5. 5

    Charlottesville VA

    41%

    Entry-level openings
    206
    All openings
    504
    Openings with pay posted
    5%

    Hiring most here: UVA Health, University of Virginia, University of Virginia-Main Campus

    Based on 504 openings.

  6. 6

    Norfolk VA

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    129
    All openings
    327
    Openings with pay posted
    22%

    Hiring most here: Commonwealth of Virginia, Seacorp, United States Fleet Forces Command

    Based on 327 openings.

  7. 7

    Manassas VA

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    85
    All openings
    228
    Openings with pay posted
    24%

    Hiring most here: General Dynamics Mission Systems, Electra.Aero, Holder Construction

    Based on 228 openings.

  8. 8

    Fairfax VA

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    151
    All openings
    407
    Openings with pay posted
    8%

    Hiring most here: George Mason University, Dewberry, Inova Health

    Based on 407 openings.

  9. 9

    Richmond VA

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    406
    All openings
    1,133
    Openings with pay posted
    17%

    Hiring most here: Mckesson, Capital One, Genworth Financial

    Based on 1,133 openings.

  10. 10

    Newport News VA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    51
    All openings
    144
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Newport News Shipbuilding, HII Mission Technologies, Riverside Health System

    Based on 144 openings.

  11. 11

    Hampton VA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    39
    All openings
    112
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: Howmet Aerospace, Veterans Health Administration, Govcio

    Based on 112 openings.

  12. 12

    Vienna VA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    56
    All openings
    162
    Openings with pay posted
    56%

    Hiring most here: Esri, Navy Federal Credit Union, Antithesis

    Based on 162 openings.

  13. 13

    Alexandria VA

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    193
    All openings
    576
    Openings with pay posted
    25%

    Hiring most here: Kearney, Patent and Trademark Office, Analytic Services (ANSER)

    Based on 576 openings.

  14. 14

    Falls Church VA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    55
    All openings
    168
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Northrop Grumman, Inova Health

    Based on 168 openings.

  15. 15

    Fort Belvoir VA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    61
    All openings
    192
    Openings with pay posted
    33%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Teksynap, LMI

    Based on 192 openings.

  16. 16

    Mc Lean VA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    72
    All openings
    234
    Openings with pay posted
    29%

    Hiring most here: Capital One, Booz Allen Hamilton, Sunrise Senior Living

    Based on 234 openings.

  17. 17

    Arlington VA

    28%

    Entry-level openings
    557
    All openings
    1,978
    Openings with pay posted
    24%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group

    Based on 1,978 openings.

  18. 18

    Herndon VA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    221
    All openings
    820
    Openings with pay posted
    19%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Peraton

    Based on 820 openings.

  19. 19

    Chantilly VA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    149
    All openings
    554
    Openings with pay posted
    10%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Trinzic, Peraton

    Based on 554 openings.

  20. 20

    Sterling VA

    27%

    Entry-level openings
    81
    All openings
    305
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, BAE Systems, Axon Enterprise

    Based on 305 openings.

  21. 21

    Tysons VA

    25%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    189
    Openings with pay posted
    33%

    Hiring most here: M.C. Dean, Alarm.com Holdings, LMI

    Based on 189 openings.

  22. 22

    Ashburn VA

    22%

    Entry-level openings
    56
    All openings
    257
    Openings with pay posted
    16%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, L3HARRIS Technologies

    Based on 257 openings.

  23. 23

    Reston VA

    21%

    Entry-level openings
    163
    All openings
    782
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: ICF International, CACI International, Anduril Industries

    Based on 782 openings.

  24. 24

    McLean VA

    20%

    Entry-level openings
    233
    All openings
    1,167
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 1,167 openings.

  25. 25

    Springfield VA

    18%

    Entry-level openings
    49
    All openings
    269
    Openings with pay posted
    20%

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Caci Technologies, HII Mission Technologies

    Based on 269 openings.

Full ranking

All 25 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Lynchburg VA49%113
2Virginia Beach VA48%255
3Chesapeake VA44%131
4Roanoke VA42%177
5Charlottesville VA41%504
6Norfolk VA39%327
7Manassas VA37%228
8Fairfax VA37%407
9Richmond VA36%1,133
10Newport News VA35%144
11Hampton VA35%112
12Vienna VA35%162
13Alexandria VA34%576
14Falls Church VA33%168
15Fort Belvoir VA32%192
16Mc Lean VA31%234
17Arlington VA28%1,978
18Herndon VA27%820
19Chantilly VA27%554
20Sterling VA27%305
21Tysons VA25%189
22Ashburn VA22%257
23Reston VA21%782
24McLean VA20%1,167
25Springfield VA18%269

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 virginia?
Lynchburg leads Virginia for junior jobs: 49% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 31% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
25 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 25 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 Virginia,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-junior-jobs-in-virginia

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

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

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