NextChapter

Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Midwest

Union County is the best all-round county for laid-off professionals in the Midwest, with a score of 81 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

Key facts

  • #1 Union County, OH: 81 / 100
  • #2 Greene County, OH: 78 / 100
  • #3 Lake County, OH: 76 / 100
  • 68 counties ranked in the Midwest
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Union County OH81 / 100
  2. 2Greene County OH78 / 100
  3. 3Lake County OH76 / 100
  4. 4Minnehaha County SD76 / 100
  5. 5Franklin County OH74 / 100
  6. 6Jackson County MO71 / 100
  7. 7Cass County ND69 / 100
  8. 8Cuyahoga County OH67 / 100
  9. 9Douglas County NE65 / 100
  10. 10DuPage County IL64 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Union County leads on 81 / 100, and #10 DuPage County is at 64 / 100.
  • Lake County reaches #3 on a sample of 145 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Franklin County is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,497 openings behind its figure.
  • Counties with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

For someone who has lost a job, the useful counties have openings for people looking, job centers to help and unemployment that is falling. This list weighs those with published weights.

How to use it

If you are between jobs, use it to find nearby counties with more going on, and read each county page for its American Job Centers and workforce board.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Union County OH

    81 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    23
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.3 points

    Based on 259 openings.

    Union County job market

  2. 2

    Greene County OH

    78 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.7 points

    Based on 211 openings.

    Greene County job market

  3. 3

    Lake County OH

    76 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −1.2 points

    Based on 145 openings.

    Lake County job market

  4. 4

    Minnehaha County SD

    76 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.2 points

    Based on 201 openings.

    Minnehaha County job market

  5. 5

    Franklin County OH

    74 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.6 points

    Based on 2,497 openings.

    Franklin County job market

  6. 6

    Jackson County MO

    71 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    2
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.4 points

    Based on 951 openings.

    Jackson County job market

  7. 7

    Cass County ND

    69 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.3 points

    Based on 165 openings.

    Cass County job market

  8. 8

    Cuyahoga County OH

    67 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    11
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −1.4 points

    Based on 1,378 openings.

    Cuyahoga County job market

  9. 9

    Douglas County NE

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    American Job Centers
    2
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.5 points

    Based on 547 openings.

    Douglas County job market

  10. 10

    DuPage County IL

    64 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    9
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.3 points

    Based on 1,762 openings.

    DuPage County job market

  11. 11

    St. Louis city MO

    63 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    16
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.2 points

    Based on 1,032 openings.

    St. Louis city job market

  12. 12

    Sangamon County IL

    62 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    9
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.9 points

    Based on 288 openings.

    Sangamon County job market

  13. 13

    Kent County MI

    61 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    American Job Centers
    3
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.2 points

    Based on 489 openings.

    Kent County job market

  14. 14

    Cook County IL

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    12
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.4 points

    Based on 8,859 openings.

    Cook County job market

  15. 15

    Hamilton County OH

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    American Job Centers
    0
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.7 points

    Based on 1,582 openings.

    Hamilton County job market

  16. 16

    Johnson County KS

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.3 points

    Based on 1,047 openings.

    Johnson County job market

  17. 17

    La Crosse County WI

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.1 points

    Based on 127 openings.

    La Crosse County job market

  18. 18

    Montgomery County OH

    59 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.6 points

    Based on 551 openings.

    Montgomery County job market

  19. 19

    Dane County WI

    59 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.2 points

    Based on 622 openings.

    Dane County job market

  20. 20

    Marion County IN

    59 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.0 points

    Based on 1,388 openings.

    Marion County job market

  21. 21

    Cole County MO

    59 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.1 points

    Based on 107 openings.

    Cole County job market

  22. 22

    McLean County IL

    58 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.6 points

    Based on 156 openings.

    McLean County job market

  23. 23

    Lorain County OH

    57 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −1.5 points

    Based on 107 openings.

    Lorain County job market

  24. 24

    Lancaster County NE

    57 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    American Job Centers
    1
    Change in unemployment over a year
    −0.4 points

    Based on 206 openings.

    Lancaster County job market

  25. 25

    Milwaukee County WI

    56 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    American Job Centers
    4
    Change in unemployment over a year
    +0.2 points

    Based on 965 openings.

    Milwaukee County job market

Full ranking

All 68 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Union County OH81 / 100259
2Greene County OH78 / 100211
3Lake County OH76 / 100145
4Minnehaha County SD76 / 100201
5Franklin County OH74 / 1002,497
6Jackson County MO71 / 100951
7Cass County ND69 / 100165
8Cuyahoga County OH67 / 1001,378
9Douglas County NE65 / 100547
10DuPage County IL64 / 1001,762
11St. Louis city MO63 / 1001,032
12Sangamon County IL62 / 100288
13Kent County MI61 / 100489
14Cook County IL60 / 1008,859
15Hamilton County OH60 / 1001,582
16Johnson County KS60 / 1001,047
17La Crosse County WI60 / 100127
18Montgomery County OH59 / 100551
19Dane County WI59 / 100622
20Marion County IN59 / 1001,388
21Cole County MO59 / 100107
22McLean County IL58 / 100156
23Lorain County OH57 / 100107
24Lancaster County NE57 / 100206
25Milwaukee County WI56 / 100965
26Lake County IL56 / 100772
27Hennepin County MN55 / 1002,349
28Wyandotte County KS54 / 100200
29Washtenaw County MI54 / 100394
30Clark County IN54 / 100136
31Linn County IA53 / 100372
32Warren County OH52 / 100186
33Polk County IA51 / 100498
34Greene County MO51 / 100195
35Olmsted County MN51 / 100185
36Madison County IL50 / 100108
37Winnebago County WI50 / 100145
38Peoria County IL50 / 100178
39Waukesha County WI48 / 100326
40Summit County OH47 / 100461
41Boone County MO46 / 100137
42Ingham County MI45 / 100241
43Outagamie County WI45 / 100172
44Allen County IN44 / 100277
45Brown County WI44 / 100144
46Hamilton County IN42 / 100203
47Winnebago County IL42 / 100157
48St. Clair County IL40 / 100160
49Champaign County IL40 / 100149
50Shawnee County KS39 / 100110
51Will County IL39 / 100234
52Lucas County OH38 / 100257
53Lake County IN37 / 100101
54Oakland County MI37 / 1001,151
55Sedgwick County KS37 / 100239
56St. Louis County MN37 / 100101
57Kalamazoo County MI35 / 100134
58Kane County IL35 / 100195
59St. Louis County MO35 / 100356
60Stark County OH35 / 100108
61Vanderburgh County IN34 / 100118
62Wayne County MI32 / 1001,251
63Ramsey County MN29 / 100455
64Dakota County MN28 / 100198
65Elkhart County IN26 / 100129
66Macomb County MI24 / 100301
67Ottawa County MI23 / 100113
68McHenry County IL23 / 100107

How this ranking works

A county's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked counties (100 is first, 0 is last): openings per 100 unemployed 40%, american job centers 20%, change in unemployment over a year 20%, private-sector job growth since 2022 20%.

Openings are our professional roles placed in the county of the city their posting names; unemployment is BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted; jobs and sectors are BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; population is Census; American Job Centers are from CareerOneStop. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here.

Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force, 100 openings, 500 unemployed people and 50,000 residents are ranked.

Sample bar: counties with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles by county; Bureau of Labor Statistics, Local Area Unemployment Statistics and Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; CareerOneStop American Job Center directory. 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 county ranks first: best counties for laid-off professionals in the midwest?
Union County is the best all-round county for laid-off professionals in the Midwest, with a score of 81 / 100.
How many counties are ranked?
68 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 68 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A county's score is the weighted average of its percentile rank on each measure among the ranked counties (100 is first, 0 is last): openings per 100 unemployed 40%, american job centers 20%, change in unemployment over a year 20%, private-sector job growth since 2022 20%. Openings are our professional roles placed in the county of the city their posting names; unemployment is BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, not seasonally adjusted; jobs and sectors are BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; population is Census; American Job Centers are from CareerOneStop. The measures and weights are fixed in advance and shown here. Only counties with at least 20,000 people in the labor force, 100 openings, 500 unemployed people and 50,000 residents 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 counties for laid-off professionals in the Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-counties-for-laid-off-professionals-in-the-midwest

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-counties-for-laid-off-professionals-in-the-midwest">Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Midwest (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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