NextChapter

Best cities for mid-career professionals in the Southwest

Katy leads the Southwest for mid-career professionals: 61% 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 Katy, TX: 61%
  • #2 Brownsville, TX: 61%
  • #3 Spring, TX: 58%
  • 43 cities ranked in the Southwest
  • Data as of November 2026

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

  1. 1Katy TX61%
  2. 2Brownsville TX61%
  3. 3Spring TX58%
  4. 4Gilbert AZ58%
  5. 5Grand Prairie TX58%
  6. 6The Woodlands TX57%
  7. 7Sparks NV55%
  8. 8Mesa AZ55%
  9. 9Houston TX55%
  10. 10Tulsa OK54%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Katy leads on 61%, and #10 Tulsa is at 54%.
  • Houston is the largest market in the top ten, with 4,295 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

    Katy TX

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    69
    All openings
    113
    Median posted pay
    $105k

    Hiring most here: Academy Of Excellence, Memorial Hermann Foundation, PCL Construction

    Based on 113 openings.

  2. 2

    Brownsville TX

    61%

    Mid-career openings
    66
    All openings
    109
    Median posted pay
    $128k

    Hiring most here: Worley Group, Saronic Technologies, Nexstar Media Group

    Based on 109 openings.

  3. 3

    Spring TX

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    200
    All openings
    342
    Median posted pay
    $204k

    Hiring most here: Hewlett Packard Enterprise, HP, Juniper Networks

    Based on 342 openings.

  4. 4

    Gilbert AZ

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    71
    All openings
    122
    Median posted pay
    $127k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Loenbro, Deloitte

    Based on 122 openings.

  5. 5

    Grand Prairie TX

    58%

    Mid-career openings
    114
    All openings
    196
    Median posted pay
    $100k

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

    Based on 196 openings.

  6. 6

    The Woodlands TX

    57%

    Mid-career openings
    96
    All openings
    168
    Median posted pay
    $130k

    Hiring most here: Entergy, Waste Connections, Crane

    Based on 168 openings.

  7. 7

    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.

  8. 8

    Mesa AZ

    55%

    Mid-career openings
    106
    All openings
    193
    Median posted pay
    $121k

    Hiring most here: Emcor, Legends / ASM Global, Amazon

    Based on 193 openings.

  9. 9

    Houston TX

    55%

    Mid-career openings
    2,341
    All openings
    4,295
    Median posted pay
    $118k

    Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy

    Based on 4,295 openings.

  10. 10

    Tulsa OK

    54%

    Mid-career openings
    256
    All openings
    474
    Median posted pay
    $90k

    Hiring most here: BOK Financial, Aaon, Helmerich & Payne

    Based on 474 openings.

  11. 11

    Austin TX

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    3,140
    All openings
    5,890
    Median posted pay
    $163k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare

    Based on 5,890 openings.

  12. 12

    Midland TX

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    84
    All openings
    158
    Median posted pay
    $120k

    Hiring most here: Patterson UTI Energy, SM Energy, AST SpaceMobile

    Based on 158 openings.

  13. 13

    Oklahoma City OK

    53%

    Mid-career openings
    299
    All openings
    564
    Median posted pay
    $105k

    Hiring most here: Love's Travel Stops, CACI International, Northrop Grumman

    Based on 564 openings.

  14. 14

    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.

  15. 15

    Irving TX

    52%

    Mid-career openings
    459
    All openings
    875
    Median posted pay
    $133k

    Hiring most here: CHRISTUS Health, 7-Eleven, Mckesson

    Based on 875 openings.

  16. 16

    Phoenix AZ

    52%

    Mid-career openings
    1,429
    All openings
    2,743
    Median posted pay
    $115k

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

    Based on 2,743 openings.

  17. 17

    Abilene TX

    52%

    Mid-career openings
    75
    All openings
    145
    Median posted pay
    $148k

    Hiring most here: Oracle, Hendrick Health, Kiewit Infrastructure South

    Based on 145 openings.

  18. 18

    Tempe AZ

    52%

    Mid-career openings
    347
    All openings
    671
    Median posted pay
    $123k

    Hiring most here: Carvana, Amazon, Viasat

    Based on 671 openings.

  19. 19

    Chandler AZ

    52%

    Mid-career openings
    243
    All openings
    470
    Median posted pay
    $95k

    Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Ralliant, Bechtel Energy

    Based on 470 openings.

  20. 20

    Tyler TX

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    72
    All openings
    140
    Median posted pay
    $92k

    Hiring most here: CHRISTUS Health, Brookshire Grocery, Trane U.s.

    Based on 140 openings.

  21. 21

    Westlake TX

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    56
    All openings
    109
    Median posted pay
    $140k

    Hiring most here: Charles Schwab, Fidelity Investments, Kiewit Infrastructure South

    Based on 109 openings.

  22. 22

    Dallas TX

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    2,247
    All openings
    4,379
    Median posted pay
    $135k

    Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments

    Based on 4,379 openings.

  23. 23

    Sugar Land TX

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    64
    All openings
    125
    Median posted pay
    Not enough pay data

    Hiring most here: Yokogawa America, SLB, IES Holdings

    Based on 125 openings.

  24. 24

    Lubbock TX

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    65
    All openings
    127
    Median posted pay
    $100k

    Hiring most here: Prosperity Bancshares, Johnson Controls International, Terracon Consultants

    Based on 127 openings.

  25. 25

    Carrollton TX

    51%

    Mid-career openings
    65
    All openings
    128
    Median posted pay
    $128k

    Hiring most here: MB2 Dental, Trane U.s., PennyMac Financial Services

    Based on 128 openings.

Full ranking

All 43 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Katy TX61%113
2Brownsville TX61%109
3Spring TX58%342
4Gilbert AZ58%122
5Grand Prairie TX58%196
6The Woodlands TX57%168
7Sparks NV55%121
8Mesa AZ55%193
9Houston TX55%4,295
10Tulsa OK54%474
11Austin TX53%5,890
12Midland TX53%158
13Oklahoma City OK53%564
14Reno NV53%299
15Irving TX52%875
16Phoenix AZ52%2,743
17Abilene TX52%145
18Tempe AZ52%671
19Chandler AZ52%470
20Tyler TX51%140
21Westlake TX51%109
22Dallas TX51%4,379
23Sugar Land TX51%125
24Lubbock TX51%127
25Carrollton TX51%128
26Richardson TX50%404
27Scottsdale AZ50%756
28Fort Worth TX50%1,248
29Albuquerque NM50%361
30Plano TX50%1,066
31Arlington TX49%197
32Las Vegas NV48%917
33San Antonio TX47%1,267
34Amarillo TX47%132
35Denton TX45%175
36Lewisville TX45%130
37Frisco TX44%182
38Coppell TX42%151
39Tucson AZ42%716
40Addison TX41%196
41El Paso TX41%305
42Corpus Christi TX40%118
43Waco TX40%156

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 southwest?
Katy leads the Southwest for mid-career professionals: 61% of its professional openings are mid-level, senior or manager roles, against 51% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
43 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 43 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 Southwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-mid-career-jobs-in-the-southwest

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

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

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