Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Mountain West
Key facts
- #1 Salt Lake County, UT: 63 / 100
- #2 Weber County, UT: 63 / 100
- #3 Denver County, CO: 62 / 100
- 15 counties ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
- 1Salt Lake County UT63 / 100
- 2Weber County UT63 / 100
- 3Denver County CO62 / 100
- 4Clark County NV60 / 100
- 5Washoe County NV58 / 100
- 6Utah County UT56 / 100
- 7Jefferson County CO55 / 100
- 8Broomfield County CO54 / 100
- 9Boulder County CO53 / 100
- 10Ada County ID51 / 100
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Salt Lake County leads on 63 / 100, and #10 Ada County is at 51 / 100.
- Weber County reaches #2 on a sample of 255 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Denver County is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,833 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
Salt Lake County UT
63 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 5
- American Job Centers
- 2
- Change in unemployment over a year
- −0.4 points
Based on 1,210 openings.
- 2
Weber County UT
63 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 6
- American Job Centers
- 1
- Change in unemployment over a year
- −0.4 points
Based on 255 openings.
- 3
Denver County CO
62 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 14
- American Job Centers
- 4
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.5 points
Based on 2,833 openings.
- 4
Clark County NV
60 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 2
- American Job Centers
- 4
- Change in unemployment over a year
- −0.9 points
Based on 1,031 openings.
- 5
Washoe County NV
58 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 4
- American Job Centers
- 2
- Change in unemployment over a year
- −0.7 points
Based on 416 openings.
- 6
Utah County UT
56 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 3
- American Job Centers
- 3
- Change in unemployment over a year
- −0.3 points
Based on 425 openings.
- 7
Jefferson County CO
55 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 6
- American Job Centers
- 1
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.5 points
Based on 767 openings.
- 8
Broomfield County CO
54 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 15
- American Job Centers
- 1
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.5 points
Based on 282 openings.
- 9
Boulder County CO
53 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 8
- American Job Centers
- 2
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.5 points
Based on 673 openings.
- 10
Ada County ID
51 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 5
- American Job Centers
- 0
- Change in unemployment over a year
- −0.1 points
Based on 411 openings.
- 11
Arapahoe County CO
46 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 6
- American Job Centers
- 1
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.5 points
Based on 893 openings.
- 12
El Paso County CO
41 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 4
- American Job Centers
- 2
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.7 points
Based on 700 openings.
- 13
Weld County CO
34 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 2
- American Job Centers
- 1
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.6 points
Based on 170 openings.
- 14
Larimer County CO
28 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 3
- American Job Centers
- 1
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.5 points
Based on 234 openings.
- 15
Douglas County CO
28 / 100
- Openings per 100 unemployed
- 2
- American Job Centers
- 0
- Change in unemployment over a year
- +0.4 points
Based on 142 openings.
Full ranking
All 15 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | County | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake County UT | 63 / 100 | 1,210 |
| 2 | Weber County UT | 63 / 100 | 255 |
| 3 | Denver County CO | 62 / 100 | 2,833 |
| 4 | Clark County NV | 60 / 100 | 1,031 |
| 5 | Washoe County NV | 58 / 100 | 416 |
| 6 | Utah County UT | 56 / 100 | 425 |
| 7 | Jefferson County CO | 55 / 100 | 767 |
| 8 | Broomfield County CO | 54 / 100 | 282 |
| 9 | Boulder County CO | 53 / 100 | 673 |
| 10 | Ada County ID | 51 / 100 | 411 |
| 11 | Arapahoe County CO | 46 / 100 | 893 |
| 12 | El Paso County CO | 41 / 100 | 700 |
| 13 | Weld County CO | 34 / 100 | 170 |
| 14 | Larimer County CO | 28 / 100 | 234 |
| 15 | Douglas County CO | 28 / 100 | 142 |
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 mountain west?
- Salt Lake County is the best all-round county for laid-off professionals in the Mountain West, with a score of 63 / 100.
- How many counties are ranked?
- 15 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 15 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.
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- Best cities for entry-level jobs that want AI skills in the Mountain West
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- Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West
- Best counties for laid-off professionals
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-counties-for-laid-off-professionals-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-counties-for-laid-off-professionals-in-the-mountain-west">Best counties for laid-off professionals in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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