NextChapter

Best college towns for junior jobs in the West Coast

Bakersfield leads the West Coast for junior jobs: 43% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 24% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Bakersfield, CA: 43%
  • #2 Fresno, CA: 40%
  • #3 Salem, OR: 39%
  • 50 cities ranked in the West Coast
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 24% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Bakersfield CA43%
  2. 2Fresno CA40%
  3. 3Salem OR39%
  4. 4Stockton CA39%
  5. 5Santa Rosa CA38%
  6. 6Riverside CA37%
  7. 7Eugene OR36%
  8. 8Anaheim CA36%
  9. 9Tacoma WA36%
  10. 10Hayward CA35%

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Bakersfield leads on 43%, and #10 Hayward is at 35%.
  • Fresno is the largest market in the top ten, with 197 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. 1

    Bakersfield CA

    43%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    111
    Openings with pay posted
    11%

    Hiring most here: Creative Financial Staffing, Clinica Sierra Vista

    Based on 111 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bakersfield

  2. 2

    Fresno CA

    40%

    Entry-level openings
    79
    All openings
    197
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, University Of California San Francisco Foundation, Creative Financial Staffing

    Based on 197 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Fresno

  3. 3

    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.

    Jobs and employers in Salem

  4. 4

    Stockton CA

    39%

    Entry-level openings
    45
    All openings
    116
    Openings with pay posted
    21%

    Hiring most here: Amazon

    Based on 116 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Stockton

  5. 5

    Santa Rosa CA

    38%

    Entry-level openings
    57
    All openings
    149
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: Keysight Technologies

    Based on 149 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Rosa

  6. 6

    Riverside CA

    37%

    Entry-level openings
    64
    All openings
    172
    Openings with pay posted
    12%

    Hiring most here: Kaiser Permanente, Pyramid Global Hospitality

    Based on 172 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Riverside

  7. 7

    Eugene OR

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    40
    All openings
    110
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: University of Oregon, Sinclair

    Based on 110 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Eugene

  8. 8

    Anaheim CA

    36%

    Entry-level openings
    62
    All openings
    172
    Openings with pay posted
    13%

    Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Legrand North America

    Based on 172 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Anaheim

  9. 9

    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.

    Jobs and employers in Tacoma

  10. 10

    Hayward CA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    37
    All openings
    105
    Openings with pay posted
    26%

    Hiring most here: Skydio, Pulse Biosciences, 1X Technologies

    Based on 105 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Hayward

  11. 11

    Redmond WA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    400
    All openings
    1,147
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Amazon, SpaceX, Microsoft

    Based on 1,147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Redmond

  12. 12

    Orange CA

    35%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    132
    Openings with pay posted
    23%

    Hiring most here: UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Alignment Healthcare, Foundation Risk Partners

    Based on 132 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Orange

  13. 13

    Corona CA

    34%

    Entry-level openings
    48
    All openings
    143
    Openings with pay posted
    39%

    Hiring most here: Monster Energy Company, Lubrizol, Gallagher

    Based on 143 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Corona

  14. 14

    Sacramento CA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    456
    All openings
    1,364
    Openings with pay posted
    25%

    Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical

    Based on 1,364 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Sacramento

  15. 15

    Santa Ana CA

    33%

    Entry-level openings
    86
    All openings
    258
    Openings with pay posted
    42%

    Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, First American Financial, Anduril

    Based on 258 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Ana

  16. 16

    Long Beach CA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    271
    All openings
    840
    Openings with pay posted
    53%

    Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast

    Based on 840 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Long Beach

  17. 17

    Huntington Beach CA

    32%

    Entry-level openings
    32
    All openings
    101
    Openings with pay posted
    24%

    Hiring most here: Mach Industries, Karman Sd, 7 Leaves Cafe

    Based on 101 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Huntington Beach

  18. 18

    Santa Barbara CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    46
    All openings
    147
    Openings with pay posted
    33%

    Hiring most here: AppFolio, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Arthrex

    Based on 147 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Santa Barbara

  19. 19

    Beverly Hills CA

    31%

    Entry-level openings
    44
    All openings
    142
    Openings with pay posted
    15%

    Hiring most here: Fashion Nova, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, e.l.f. Beauty

    Based on 142 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Beverly Hills

  20. 20

    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.

    Jobs and employers in Portland

  21. 21

    Spokane WA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    41
    All openings
    141
    Openings with pay posted
    18%

    Hiring most here: McKinstry, BDO USA

    Based on 141 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Spokane

  22. 22

    Pasadena CA

    29%

    Entry-level openings
    75
    All openings
    260
    Openings with pay posted
    9%

    Hiring most here: California Institute Of Technology, Kaiser Permanente, East West Bank

    Based on 260 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Pasadena

  23. 23

    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.

    Jobs and employers in Renton

  24. 24

    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.

    Jobs and employers in Vancouver

  25. 25

    Torrance CA

    26%

    Entry-level openings
    194
    All openings
    735
    Openings with pay posted
    45%

    Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros

    Based on 735 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Torrance

Full ranking

All 50 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Bakersfield CA43%111
2Fresno CA40%197
3Salem OR39%119
4Stockton CA39%116
5Santa Rosa CA38%149
6Riverside CA37%172
7Eugene OR36%110
8Anaheim CA36%172
9Tacoma WA36%120
10Hayward CA35%105
11Redmond WA35%1,147
12Orange CA35%132
13Corona CA34%143
14Sacramento CA33%1,364
15Santa Ana CA33%258
16Long Beach CA32%840
17Huntington Beach CA32%101
18Santa Barbara CA31%147
19Beverly Hills CA31%142
20Portland OR29%792
21Spokane WA29%141
22Pasadena CA29%260
23Renton WA28%130
24Vancouver WA28%155
25Torrance CA26%735
26Los Angeles CA26%5,126
27Irvine CA25%1,503
28Fremont CA25%470
29Kirkland WA25%158
30San Leandro CA25%101
31Everett WA25%186
32Milpitas CA24%257
33San Diego CA24%3,085
34Alameda CA24%189
35Glendale CA24%185
36Burbank CA23%158
37Seattle WA23%5,343
38Newport Beach CA22%286
39Livermore CA22%104
40Bothell WA21%131
41Palo Alto CA21%1,237
42Sunnyvale CA21%1,556
43San Jose CA20%2,379
44San Francisco CA20%11,798
45Oakland CA19%581
46Bellevue WA19%1,396
47Santa Monica CA19%307
48Santa Clara CA17%1,530
49San Mateo CA16%894
50Berkeley CA15%238

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 west coast?
Bakersfield leads the West Coast for junior jobs: 43% of its professional openings are entry-level or early-career, against 24% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
50 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 50 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

Cite this ranking

NextChapter, “Best college towns for junior jobs in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-college-towns-for-junior-jobs-in-the-west-coast

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-college-towns-for-junior-jobs-in-the-west-coast">Best college towns for junior jobs in the West Coast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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