NextChapter

Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Southeast

Springfield leads the Southeast for mid-career professionals: 77% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 51% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

Key facts

  • #1 Springfield, VA: 77%
  • #2 Ashburn, VA: 68%
  • #3 Tysons, VA: 68%
  • 85 cities ranked in the Southeast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 51% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Springfield VA77%
  2. 2Ashburn VA68%
  3. 3Tysons VA68%
  4. 4Research Triangle Park NC67%
  5. 5Chantilly VA66%
  6. 6Sterling VA65%
  7. 7Oak Ridge TN65%
  8. 8Herndon VA64%
  9. 9Reston VA61%
  10. 10McLean VA61%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Springfield leads on 77%, and #10 McLean is at 61%.
  • Research Triangle Park reaches #4 on a sample of 102 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • McLean is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,167 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

    Springfield VA

    77%

    Mid-career openings
    207
    All openings
    269
    Median posted pay
    $132k

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

    Based on 269 openings.

  2. 2

    Ashburn VA

    68%

    Mid-career openings
    176
    All openings
    257
    Median posted pay
    $144k

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

    Based on 257 openings.

  3. 3

    Tysons VA

    68%

    Mid-career openings
    128
    All openings
    189
    Median posted pay
    $126k

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

    Based on 189 openings.

  4. 4

    Research Triangle Park NC

    67%

    Mid-career openings
    68
    All openings
    102
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: Cisco Systems, Vulcan Elements, Biogen

    Based on 102 openings.

  5. 5

    Chantilly VA

    66%

    Mid-career openings
    365
    All openings
    554
    Median posted pay
    $194k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Trinzic, Peraton

    Based on 554 openings.

  6. 6

    Sterling VA

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    198
    All openings
    305
    Median posted pay
    $147k

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

    Based on 305 openings.

  7. 7

    Oak Ridge TN

    65%

    Mid-career openings
    127
    All openings
    196
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: UT-Battelle (ORNL), Centrus Energy, BWX Technologies

    Based on 196 openings.

  8. 8

    Herndon VA

    64%

    Mid-career openings
    523
    All openings
    820
    Median posted pay
    $161k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Peraton

    Based on 820 openings.

  9. 9

    Reston VA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    480
    All openings
    782
    Median posted pay
    $160k

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

    Based on 782 openings.

  10. 10

    McLean VA

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    712
    All openings
    1,167
    Median posted pay
    $150k

    Hiring most here: Capital One, The MITRE, Steampunk

    Based on 1,167 openings.

  11. 11

    Huntsville AL

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    690
    All openings
    1,146
    Median posted pay
    $138k

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Blue Origin

    Based on 1,146 openings.

  12. 12

    Fort Belvoir VA

    60%

    Mid-career openings
    115
    All openings
    192
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Teksynap, LMI

    Based on 192 openings.

  13. 13

    Hampton VA

    59%

    Mid-career openings
    66
    All openings
    112
    Median posted pay
    $90k

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

    Based on 112 openings.

  14. 14

    Cary NC

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    131
    All openings
    229
    Median posted pay
    $224k

    Hiring most here: Epic Games, Wake County Public School System, Garmin

    Based on 229 openings.

  15. 15

    Frankfort KY

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    87
    All openings
    153
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: Lumen, Oracle, Sazerac

    Based on 153 openings.

  16. 16

    Arlington VA

    56%

    Mid-career openings
    1,117
    All openings
    1,978
    Median posted pay
    $145k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, AWS, Bloomberg Industry Group

    Based on 1,978 openings.

  17. 17

    Orlando FL

    56%

    Mid-career openings
    706
    All openings
    1,256
    Median posted pay
    $102k

    Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Lockheed Martin Services, Creative Financial Staffing

    Based on 1,256 openings.

  18. 18

    Alpharetta GA

    56%

    Mid-career openings
    318
    All openings
    566
    Median posted pay
    $125k

    Hiring most here: Morgan Stanley, Fiserv, Landis+Gyr

    Based on 566 openings.

  19. 19

    Newport News VA

    56%

    Mid-career openings
    80
    All openings
    144
    Median posted pay
    $104k

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

    Based on 144 openings.

  20. 20

    Lake Mary FL

    56%

    Mid-career openings
    70
    All openings
    126
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: BNY, The Institute of Internal Auditors

    Based on 126 openings.

  21. 21

    Montgomery AL

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    104
    All openings
    193
    Median posted pay
    $93k

    Hiring most here: CONDUENT, Diageo, Faith Technologies

    Based on 193 openings.

  22. 22

    Melbourne FL

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    164
    All openings
    305
    Median posted pay
    $113k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund

    Based on 305 openings.

  23. 23

    Vienna VA

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    87
    All openings
    162
    Median posted pay
    $133k

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

    Based on 162 openings.

  24. 24

    Memphis TN

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    383
    All openings
    718
    Median posted pay
    $94k

    Hiring most here: ALSAC / St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, SpaceX, Jabil

    Based on 718 openings.

  25. 25

    Sarasota FL

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    104
    All openings
    195
    Median posted pay
    $80k

    Hiring most here: CACI International, Springhill Memorial Hospital, Slidell Memorial Hospital

    Based on 195 openings.

Full ranking

All 85 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Springfield VA77%269
2Ashburn VA68%257
3Tysons VA68%189
4Research Triangle Park NC67%102
5Chantilly VA66%554
6Sterling VA65%305
7Oak Ridge TN65%196
8Herndon VA64%820
9Reston VA61%782
10McLean VA61%1,167
11Huntsville AL60%1,146
12Fort Belvoir VA60%192
13Hampton VA59%112
14Cary NC57%229
15Frankfort KY57%153
16Arlington VA56%1,978
17Orlando FL56%1,256
18Alpharetta GA56%566
19Newport News VA56%144
20Lake Mary FL56%126
21Montgomery AL54%193
22Melbourne FL54%305
23Vienna VA54%162
24Memphis TN53%718
25Sarasota FL53%195
26Cape Canaveral FL52%172
27Greensboro NC52%436
28Norfolk VA52%327
29Manassas VA52%228
30Doral FL52%138
31Atlanta GA51%5,502
32Charleston SC51%307
33Charlotte NC51%3,201
34Palm Beach Gardens FL51%178
35Alexandria VA51%576
36Columbia SC50%334
37Louisville KY50%2,065
38Birmingham AL50%584
39Franklin TN49%132
40Nashville TN49%1,654
41Greenville SC49%313
42Marietta GA49%267
43Lexington KY49%221
44Morrisville NC49%154
45Jackson MS49%113
46Tampa FL48%1,717
47Duluth GA48%150
48Spartanburg SC48%100
49Richmond VA48%1,133
50Fort Lauderdale FL48%565
51Mobile AL47%137
52Mc Lean VA47%234
53Raleigh NC47%1,421
54Boca Raton FL47%340
55Columbus GA47%104
56Miami FL47%2,311
57Greenville NC47%122
58Chattanooga TN46%208
59Coral Gables FL46%252
60Fairfax VA46%407
61Durham NC46%775
62Augusta GA46%195
63Chesapeake VA45%131
64Asheville NC45%140
65St. Petersburg FL45%132
66Naples FL45%195
67Pensacola FL44%174
68Clearwater FL44%161
69Brentwood TN44%189
70Fort Myers FL44%155
71Virginia Beach VA43%255
72Falls Church VA42%168
73Savannah GA42%186
74Wilmington NC41%190
75Jacksonville FL41%1,055
76Knoxville TN41%446
77Fayetteville NC40%108
78Daytona Beach FL39%102
79Kennesaw GA39%171
80Roanoke VA38%177
81Norcross GA38%138
82Charlottesville VA38%504
83Lynchburg VA37%113
84Tallahassee FL35%739
85Gainesville FL35%136

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 southeast?
Springfield leads the Southeast for mid-career professionals: 77% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 51% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
85 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 85 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 Southeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs-in-the-southeast

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

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

The job market, once a week

One email every Tuesday with the week's most useful read on the job market and the search, plus occasional news from NextChapter. No account needed. Unsubscribe any time.