Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mountain West
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Fort Collins, CO: 36%
- #2 Boise, ID: 35%
- #3 Sparks, NV: 35%
- 14 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 30% across all cities in our data.
- 1Fort Collins CO36%
- 2Boise ID35%
- 3Sparks NV35%
- 4Las Vegas NV33%
- 5Reno NV32%
- 6Aurora CO30%
- 7Littleton CO30%
- 8Lehi UT29%
- 9Boulder CO28%
- 10Colorado Springs CO28%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Fort Collins leads on 36%, and #10 Colorado Springs is at 28%.
- Sparks reaches #3 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.
- Las Vegas is the largest market in the top ten, with 932 openings behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Entry-level hiring is concentrated in some metro areas and thin in others. The share of openings pitched at entry or early-career level shows where a first or second job is easiest to find.
How to use it
If you are early in your career, start your search in the places near the top and read their employer lists. Places lower down can still have entry roles, but they make up a smaller part of what is open.
The top 25
- 1
Fort Collins CO
36%
- Entry-level openings
- 60
- All openings
- 169
- Openings with pay posted
- 28%
Hiring most here: Broadcom, Anduril Industries, Advanced Energy
Based on 169 openings.
- 2
Boise ID
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 126
- All openings
- 360
- Openings with pay posted
- 15%
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 360 openings.
- 3
Sparks NV
35%
- Entry-level openings
- 42
- All openings
- 121
- Openings with pay posted
- 7%
Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet
Based on 121 openings.
- 4
Las Vegas NV
33%
- Entry-level openings
- 312
- All openings
- 932
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 932 openings.
- 5
Reno NV
32%
- Entry-level openings
- 95
- All openings
- 296
- Openings with pay posted
- 18%
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 296 openings.
- 6
Aurora CO
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 101
- All openings
- 335
- Openings with pay posted
- 17%
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, CACI International, RTX
Based on 335 openings.
- 7
Littleton CO
30%
- Entry-level openings
- 83
- All openings
- 281
- Openings with pay posted
- 8%
Hiring most here: Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky Aircraft, Lockheed Martin Services
Based on 281 openings.
- 9
Boulder CO
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 119
- All openings
- 423
- Openings with pay posted
- 28%
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 423 openings.
- 10
Colorado Springs CO
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 193
- All openings
- 692
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 692 openings.
- 11
Broomfield CO
27%
- Entry-level openings
- 77
- All openings
- 285
- Openings with pay posted
- 20%
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Crocs, Katalyst Ventures
Based on 285 openings.
- 12
Denver CO
27%
- Entry-level openings
- 766
- All openings
- 2,867
- Openings with pay posted
- 26%
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 2,867 openings.
- 13
Westminster CO
22%
- Entry-level openings
- 58
- All openings
- 258
- Openings with pay posted
- 41%
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 258 openings.
- 14
Louisville CO
22%
- Entry-level openings
- 27
- All openings
- 125
- Openings with pay posted
- 22%
Hiring most here: Infleqtion, Garmin, Arcfield
Based on 125 openings.
Full ranking
All 14 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fort Collins CO | 36% | 169 |
| 2 | Boise ID | 35% | 360 |
| 3 | Sparks NV | 35% | 121 |
| 4 | Las Vegas NV | 33% | 932 |
| 5 | Reno NV | 32% | 296 |
| 6 | Aurora CO | 30% | 335 |
| 7 | Littleton CO | 30% | 281 |
| 8 | Lehi UT | 29% | 255 |
| 9 | Boulder CO | 28% | 423 |
| 10 | Colorado Springs CO | 28% | 692 |
| 11 | Broomfield CO | 27% | 285 |
| 12 | Denver CO | 27% | 2,867 |
| 13 | Westminster CO | 22% | 258 |
| 14 | Louisville CO | 22% | 125 |
How this ranking works
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, 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.
Only cities that have a college or university in the Department of Education directory are ranked.
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 college towns for junior jobs in the mountain west?
- Fort Collins leads the Mountain West for junior jobs: 36% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 30% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 14 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 14 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city's score is the share of its open professional roles tagged entry-level or early-career, 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. Only cities that have a college or university in the Department of Education directory are ranked.
- 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
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mountain West
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Mountain West
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Mountain West
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Mountain West
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mountain West
- Best cities for junior jobs in the Mountain West
- Best college towns for entry-level and junior jobs
- Best cities for entry-level and junior jobs
- Best cities for junior jobs in California
- Best cities for junior jobs in Texas
- Best cities for junior jobs in New York
- Best cities for junior jobs in Florida
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-college-towns-for-junior-jobs-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-college-towns-for-junior-jobs-in-the-mountain-west">Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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