NextChapter

Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Mountain West

Louisville leads the Mountain West for mid-career professionals: 62% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 53% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Louisville, CO: 62%
  • #2 Westminster, CO: 60%
  • #3 Littleton, CO: 59%
  • 18 cities ranked in the Mountain West
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 53% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Louisville CO62%
  2. 2Westminster CO60%
  3. 3Littleton CO59%
  4. 4Englewood CO58%
  5. 5Colorado Springs CO58%
  6. 6Centennial CO57%
  7. 7Greenwood Village CO57%
  8. 8Sparks NV55%
  9. 9Denver CO55%
  10. 10Boise ID54%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Louisville leads on 62%, and #10 Boise is at 54%.
  • Sparks reaches #8 on a sample of 121 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,885 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

    Louisville CO

    62%

    Mid-career openings
    77
    All openings
    125
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: Infleqtion, Garmin, Arcfield

    Based on 125 openings.

  2. 2

    Westminster CO

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    153
    All openings
    257
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro

    Based on 257 openings.

  3. 3

    Littleton CO

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    160
    All openings
    271
    Median posted pay
    $128k

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services

    Based on 271 openings.

  4. 4

    Englewood CO

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    145
    All openings
    249
    Median posted pay
    $111k

    Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin

    Based on 249 openings.

  5. 5

    Colorado Springs CO

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    402
    All openings
    691
    Median posted pay
    $118k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting

    Based on 691 openings.

  6. 6

    Centennial CO

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    89
    All openings
    157
    Median posted pay
    $99k

    Hiring most here: United Launch Alliance, Mastec, American Civil Constructors

    Based on 157 openings.

  7. 7

    Greenwood Village CO

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    89
    All openings
    157
    Median posted pay
    $124k

    Hiring most here: CoBank ACB, Charter Communications, Black & Veatch

    Based on 157 openings.

  8. 8

    Sparks NV

    55%

    Mid-career openings
    67
    All openings
    121
    Median posted pay
    $102k

    Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet

    Based on 121 openings.

  9. 9

    Denver CO

    55%

    Mid-career openings
    1,573
    All openings
    2,885
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon

    Based on 2,885 openings.

  10. 10

    Boise ID

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    191
    All openings
    354
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories

    Based on 354 openings.

  11. 11

    Aurora CO

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    178
    All openings
    333
    Median posted pay
    $142k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Northrop Grumman, RTX

    Based on 333 openings.

  12. 12

    Reno NV

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    158
    All openings
    299
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment

    Based on 299 openings.

  13. 13

    Lehi UT

    52%

    Mid-career openings
    131
    All openings
    254
    Median posted pay
    $118k

    Hiring most here: Pattern, Podium, Weave

    Based on 254 openings.

  14. 14

    Salt Lake City UT

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    538
    All openings
    1,045
    Median posted pay
    $126k

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 1,045 openings.

  15. 15

    Boulder CO

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    218
    All openings
    425
    Median posted pay
    $145k

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing

    Based on 425 openings.

  16. 16

    Fort Collins CO

    50%

    Mid-career openings
    85
    All openings
    169
    Median posted pay
    $129k

    Hiring most here: Broadcom, Anduril Industries, Advanced Energy

    Based on 169 openings.

  17. 17

    Las Vegas NV

    48%

    Mid-career openings
    440
    All openings
    917
    Median posted pay
    $106k

    Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4

    Based on 917 openings.

  18. 18

    Broomfield CO

    46%

    Mid-career openings
    130
    All openings
    285
    Median posted pay
    $149k

    Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures

    Based on 285 openings.

Full ranking

All 18 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Louisville CO62%125
2Westminster CO60%257
3Littleton CO59%271
4Englewood CO58%249
5Colorado Springs CO58%691
6Centennial CO57%157
7Greenwood Village CO57%157
8Sparks NV55%121
9Denver CO55%2,885
10Boise ID54%354
11Aurora CO53%333
12Reno NV53%299
13Lehi UT52%254
14Salt Lake City UT51%1,045
15Boulder CO51%425
16Fort Collins CO50%169
17Las Vegas NV48%917
18Broomfield CO46%285

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at mid-level, senior individual-contributor or manager level, 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 mid-career professionals in the mountain west?
Louisville leads the Mountain West for mid-career professionals: 62% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 53% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
18 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 18 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles at mid-level, senior individual-contributor or manager level, 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 mid-career professionals in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs-in-the-mountain-west

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

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