NextChapter

Best cities for manufacturing and industrial jobs

Houston has the most openings in this industry in the United States: 887 openings.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Houston, TX: 887 openings
  • #2 Charlotte, NC: 645 openings
  • #3 New York, NY: 628 openings
  • 100 cities ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Houston TX887 openings
  2. 2Charlotte NC645 openings
  3. 3New York NY628 openings
  4. 4Atlanta GA620 openings
  5. 5Phoenix AZ505 openings
  6. 6Chicago IL498 openings
  7. 7Dallas TX487 openings
  8. 8Austin TX479 openings
  9. 9San Francisco CA406 openings
  10. 10El Segundo CA339 openings

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Houston (887 openings) is well clear of El Segundo at #10 (339 openings).
  • Houston is the largest market in the top ten, with 887 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 50 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Each industry hires in a different set of cities. Counting an industry's open roles by city shows where its demand is deepest, which is where its employers, recruiters and professional events are concentrated.

How to use it

If you work in this industry, look at the top cities for the employers to follow and the networks to join. A large market also means more competition, so read it with the pay list for the same industry.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Houston TX

    887 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    20%
    Median posted pay
    $130k
    All openings in the city
    4,330

    Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy

    Based on 887 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Houston

  2. 2

    Charlotte NC

    645 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    20%
    Median posted pay
    $120k
    All openings in the city
    3,198

    Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas

    Based on 645 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Charlotte

  3. 3

    New York NY

    628 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    3%
    Median posted pay
    $125k
    All openings in the city
    20,589

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley

    Based on 628 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New York

  4. 4

    Atlanta GA

    620 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    11%
    Median posted pay
    $120k
    All openings in the city
    5,566

    Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent

    Based on 620 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Atlanta

  5. 5

    Phoenix AZ

    505 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    18%
    Median posted pay
    $129k
    All openings in the city
    2,749

    Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, State of Arizona, American Society for Microbiology

    Based on 505 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Phoenix

  6. 6

    Chicago IL

    498 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    7%
    Median posted pay
    $129k
    All openings in the city
    7,607

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 498 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  7. 7

    Dallas TX

    487 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    11%
    Median posted pay
    $133k
    All openings in the city
    4,429

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments

    Based on 487 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Dallas

  8. 8

    Austin TX

    479 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    8%
    Median posted pay
    $135k
    All openings in the city
    5,903

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 479 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Austin

  9. 9

    San Francisco CA

    406 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    3%
    Median posted pay
    $170k
    All openings in the city
    11,798

    Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation

    Based on 406 openings.

    Jobs and employers in San Francisco

  10. 10

    El Segundo CA

    339 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    36%
    Median posted pay
    $160k
    All openings in the city
    949

    Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries

    Based on 339 openings.

    Jobs and employers in El Segundo

  11. 11

    Los Angeles CA

    333 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    6%
    Median posted pay
    $145k
    All openings in the city
    5,126

    Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space

    Based on 333 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Los Angeles

  12. 12

    Long Beach CA

    325 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    39%
    Median posted pay
    $155k
    All openings in the city
    840

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 325 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  13. 13

    Denver CO

    309 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    11%
    Median posted pay
    $118k
    All openings in the city
    2,867

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 309 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Denver

  14. 14

    Boston MA

    290 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    6%
    Median posted pay
    $128k
    All openings in the city
    5,143

    Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential

    Based on 290 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Boston

  15. 15

    Washington DC

    288 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    6%
    Median posted pay
    $140k
    All openings in the city
    4,457

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI

    Based on 288 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Washington

  16. 16

    Indianapolis IN

    285 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    20%
    Median posted pay
    $118k
    All openings in the city
    1,422

    Hiring most here: Eli Lilly and Company, State of Indiana, Masco

    Based on 285 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  17. 17

    Torrance CA

    256 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    35%
    Median posted pay
    $173k
    All openings in the city
    735

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 256 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

  18. 18

    Milwaukee WI

    253 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    31%
    Median posted pay
    $120k
    All openings in the city
    827

    Hiring most here: Michels, Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls International

    Based on 253 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  19. 19

    Irvine CA

    252 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    17%
    Median posted pay
    $150k
    All openings in the city
    1,503

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive

    Based on 252 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Irvine

  20. 20

    Columbus OH

    250 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    13%
    Median posted pay
    $115k
    All openings in the city
    1,892

    Hiring most here: State of Ohio, Nationwide, Ohio State University-Newark Campus

    Based on 250 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Columbus

  21. 21

    Raleigh NC

    250 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    18%
    Median posted pay
    $110k
    All openings in the city
    1,427

    Hiring most here: First Citizens Bank, Dewberry, MaintainX

    Based on 250 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Raleigh

  22. 22

    Louisville KY

    247 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    12%
    Median posted pay
    $120k
    All openings in the city
    2,064

    Hiring most here: BrightSpring Health Services, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances

    Based on 247 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Louisville

  23. 23

    Seattle WA

    243 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    5%
    Median posted pay
    $154k
    All openings in the city
    5,343

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 243 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Seattle

  24. 24

    Pittsburgh PA

    240 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    16%
    Median posted pay
    $140k
    All openings in the city
    1,514

    Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC

    Based on 240 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pittsburgh

  25. 25

    Tampa FL

    215 openings

    Share of the city's openings
    12%
    Median posted pay
    $128k
    All openings in the city
    1,738

    Hiring most here: DTCC, University of South Florida, Tampa Electric

    Based on 215 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Tampa

Full ranking

All 100 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Houston TX887 openings887
2Charlotte NC645 openings645
3New York NY628 openings628
4Atlanta GA620 openings620
5Phoenix AZ505 openings505
6Chicago IL498 openings498
7Dallas TX487 openings487
8Austin TX479 openings479
9San Francisco CA406 openings406
10El Segundo CA339 openings339
11Los Angeles CA333 openings333
12Long Beach CA325 openings325
13Denver CO309 openings309
14Boston MA290 openings290
15Washington DC288 openings288
16Indianapolis IN285 openings285
17Torrance CA256 openings256
18Milwaukee WI253 openings253
19Irvine CA252 openings252
20Columbus OH250 openings250
21Raleigh NC250 openings250
22Louisville KY247 openings247
23Seattle WA243 openings243
24Pittsburgh PA240 openings240
25Tampa FL215 openings215
26Minneapolis MN210 openings210
27San Diego CA210 openings210
28Richmond VA201 openings201
29San Antonio TX194 openings194
30Fort Worth TX181 openings181
31Fremont CA177 openings177
32San Jose CA171 openings171
33Nashville TN170 openings170
34Orlando FL170 openings170
35Overland Park KS170 openings170
36Cincinnati OH168 openings168
37Cleveland OH166 openings166
38Jacksonville FL161 openings161
39Huntsville AL152 openings152
40Kansas City MO152 openings152
41Miami FL150 openings150
42Philadelphia PA146 openings146
43Salt Lake City UT143 openings143
44Sacramento CA133 openings133
45Birmingham AL132 openings132
46Arlington VA131 openings131
47Sunnyvale CA128 openings128
48Portland OR127 openings127
49Lenexa KS115 openings115
50Buffalo NY112 openings112
51Omaha NE112 openings112
52Palo Alto CA112 openings112
53Ann Arbor MI111 openings111
54Colorado Springs CO111 openings111
55Scottsdale AZ109 openings109
56Tulsa OK107 openings107
57Waltham MA107 openings107
58Santa Clara CA105 openings105
59Kennesaw GA100 openings100
60Las Vegas NV98 openings98
61Novi MI96 openings96
62Tempe AZ93 openings93
63Oak Ridge TN92 openings92
64Detroit MI90 openings90
65Reston VA90 openings90
66Irving TX89 openings89
67Baltimore MD87 openings87
68Chantilly VA86 openings86
69Greensboro NC86 openings86
70Chandler AZ83 openings83
71Columbia SC83 openings83
72Grand Rapids MI82 openings82
73Plano TX82 openings82
74Rochester NY82 openings82
75Greenville SC81 openings81
76Auburn Hills MI79 openings79
77Boise ID77 openings77
78Newark CA77 openings77
79Tysons VA76 openings76
80Southfield MI75 openings75
81Santa Rosa CA72 openings72
82San Carlos CA71 openings71
83Tualatin OR71 openings71
84Fairfax VA70 openings70
85Davidson NC69 openings69
86Alpharetta GA68 openings68
87Bellevue WA67 openings67
88Chattanooga TN67 openings67
89Memphis TN67 openings67
90El Paso TX66 openings66
91St. Louis MO66 openings66
92Syracuse NY64 openings64
93Des Moines IA63 openings63
94Lake Forest IL62 openings62
95St. Louis MO62 openings62
96Troy MI60 openings60
97Alexandria VA59 openings59
98Downers Grove IL59 openings59
99New York NY58 openings58
100Albany NY57 openings57

How this ranking works

A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles at employers in this industry, as classed by the crawler from the employer. Median pay uses only listings that post a salary, shown where at least 8 do.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted.

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 50 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 manufacturing and industrial jobs?
Houston has the most openings in this industry in the United States: 887 openings.
How many cities are ranked?
100 cities have at least 50 openings, so the list has 100 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city is ranked on the number of its open professional roles at employers in this industry, as classed by the crawler from the employer. Median pay uses only listings that post a salary, shown where at least 8 do. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. 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 manufacturing and industrial jobs,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-manufacturing-and-industrial-jobs

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

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

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