Best college towns for junior jobs in the Pacific Northwest
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 Salem, OR: 39%
- #2 Eugene, OR: 36%
- #3 Tacoma, WA: 36%
- 13 cities ranked in the Pacific Northwest
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 26% across all cities in our data.
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Salem leads on 39%, and #10 Everett is at 25%.
- Redmond is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,147 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
Salem OR
39%
- Entry-level openings
- 47
- All openings
- 119
- Openings with pay posted
- 28%
Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Garmin, Northwest Human Services
Based on 119 openings.
- 3
Tacoma WA
36%
- Entry-level openings
- 43
- All openings
- 120
- Openings with pay posted
- 20%
Hiring most here: Globe Main, TOTE Maritime
Based on 120 openings.
- 5
Portland OR
29%
- Entry-level openings
- 231
- All openings
- 792
- Openings with pay posted
- 14%
Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear
Based on 792 openings.
- 7
Renton WA
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 37
- All openings
- 130
- Openings with pay posted
- 40%
Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels
Based on 130 openings.
- 8
Vancouver WA
28%
- Entry-level openings
- 44
- All openings
- 155
- Openings with pay posted
- 17%
Hiring most here: HP, ZoomInfo, Ecolab USA
Based on 155 openings.
- 10
Everett WA
25%
- Entry-level openings
- 46
- All openings
- 186
- Openings with pay posted
- 34%
Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower
Based on 186 openings.
- 11
Seattle WA
23%
- Entry-level openings
- 1,216
- All openings
- 5,343
- Openings with pay posted
- 18%
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 5,343 openings.
- 12
Bothell WA
21%
- Entry-level openings
- 28
- All openings
- 131
- Openings with pay posted
- 28%
Hiring most here: Verathon, IonQ, Koninklijke Philips
Based on 131 openings.
- 13
Bellevue WA
19%
- Entry-level openings
- 268
- All openings
- 1,396
- Openings with pay posted
- 18%
Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta
Based on 1,396 openings.
Full ranking
All 13 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
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 pacific northwest?
- Salem leads the Pacific Northwest for junior jobs: 39% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 26% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 13 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 13 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 Pacific Northwest
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Pacific Northwest
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Pacific Northwest
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Pacific Northwest
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Pacific Northwest
- Best cities for junior jobs in the Pacific Northwest
- 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 Pacific Northwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-college-towns-for-junior-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-college-towns-for-junior-jobs-in-the-pacific-northwest">Best college towns for junior jobs in the Pacific Northwest (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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