NextChapter

Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Pacific Northwest

Bellevue leads the Pacific Northwest for mid-career professionals: 66% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 57% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Bellevue, WA: 66%
  • #2 Everett, WA: 61%
  • #3 Seattle, WA: 59%
  • 16 cities ranked in the Pacific Northwest
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 57% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Bellevue WA66%
  2. 2Everett WA61%
  3. 3Seattle WA59%
  4. 4Bothell WA58%
  5. 5Kirkland WA57%
  6. 6Kent WA56%
  7. 7Tacoma WA55%
  8. 8Hillsboro OR54%
  9. 9Portland OR54%
  10. 10Vancouver WA54%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Bellevue leads on 66%, and #10 Vancouver is at 54%.
  • Seattle is the largest market in the top ten, with 5,347 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

    Bellevue WA

    66%

    Mid-career openings
    921
    All openings
    1,395
    Median posted pay
    $197k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta

    Based on 1,395 openings.

  2. 2

    Everett WA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    113
    All openings
    185
    Median posted pay
    $183k

    Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower

    Based on 185 openings.

  3. 3

    Seattle WA

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    3,141
    All openings
    5,347
    Median posted pay
    $180k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI

    Based on 5,347 openings.

  4. 4

    Bothell WA

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    75
    All openings
    129
    Median posted pay
    $163k

    Hiring most here: Verathon, IonQ, Koninklijke Philips

    Based on 129 openings.

  5. 5

    Kirkland WA

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    90
    All openings
    158
    Median posted pay
    $171k

    Hiring most here: Echodyne, Amazon, Google

    Based on 158 openings.

  6. 6

    Kent WA

    56%

    Mid-career openings
    82
    All openings
    146
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, Amazon

    Based on 146 openings.

  7. 7

    Tacoma WA

    55%

    Mid-career openings
    65
    All openings
    119
    Median posted pay
    $105k

    Hiring most here: Globe Main, TOTE Maritime

    Based on 119 openings.

  8. 8

    Hillsboro OR

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    99
    All openings
    183
    Median posted pay
    $147k

    Hiring most here: American Society for Microbiology, Washington County OR, Microsoft

    Based on 183 openings.

  9. 9

    Portland OR

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    422
    All openings
    785
    Median posted pay
    $132k

    Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear

    Based on 785 openings.

  10. 10

    Vancouver WA

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    82
    All openings
    153
    Median posted pay
    $121k

    Hiring most here: HP, ZoomInfo, Ecolab USA

    Based on 153 openings.

  11. 11

    Beaverton OR

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    59
    All openings
    111
    Median posted pay
    $103k

    Hiring most here: Ralliant, Apple, Software Specialists

    Based on 111 openings.

  12. 12

    Spokane WA

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    72
    All openings
    140
    Median posted pay
    $108k

    Hiring most here: McKinstry, BDO USA

    Based on 140 openings.

  13. 13

    Renton WA

    49%

    Mid-career openings
    64
    All openings
    130
    Median posted pay
    $154k

    Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels

    Based on 130 openings.

  14. 14

    Redmond WA

    46%

    Mid-career openings
    531
    All openings
    1,150
    Median posted pay
    $209k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,150 openings.

  15. 15

    Salem OR

    41%

    Mid-career openings
    48
    All openings
    118
    Median posted pay
    $126k

    Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Garmin, Northwest Human Services

    Based on 118 openings.

  16. 16

    Eugene OR

    40%

    Mid-career openings
    44
    All openings
    110
    Median posted pay
    $122k

    Hiring most here: University of Oregon, Sinclair

    Based on 110 openings.

Full ranking

All 16 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Bellevue WA66%1,395
2Everett WA61%185
3Seattle WA59%5,347
4Bothell WA58%129
5Kirkland WA57%158
6Kent WA56%146
7Tacoma WA55%119
8Hillsboro OR54%183
9Portland OR54%785
10Vancouver WA54%153
11Beaverton OR53%111
12Spokane WA51%140
13Renton WA49%130
14Redmond WA46%1,150
15Salem OR41%118
16Eugene OR40%110

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 pacific northwest?
Bellevue leads the Pacific Northwest for mid-career professionals: 66% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 57% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
16 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 16 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 Pacific Northwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest

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

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

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