NextChapter

Best county job markets for job seekers

Union County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the United States, with a score of 95 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

Key facts

  • #1 Union County, OH: 95 / 100
  • #2 Wake County, NC: 90 / 100
  • #3 Minnehaha County, SD: 90 / 100
  • 100 counties ranked in the United States
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Union County OH95 / 100
  2. 2Wake County NC90 / 100
  3. 3Minnehaha County SD90 / 100
  4. 4Benton County AR90 / 100
  5. 5Madison County AL90 / 100
  6. 6Miami-Dade County FL88 / 100
  7. 7Anderson County TN84 / 100
  8. 8Loudoun County VA84 / 100
  9. 9Cass County ND83 / 100
  10. 10New Hanover County NC83 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Union County leads on 95 / 100, and #10 New Hanover County is at 83 / 100.
  • Cass County reaches #9 on a sample of 165 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Miami-Dade County is the largest market in the top ten, with 3,265 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

A good job market is more than one number. This list weighs openings per unemployed person, the unemployment rate, job growth and population growth, with the weights shown.

How to use it

Use it to shortlist counties to research. Open the county page for the employers, colleges and job centers behind the score.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Union County OH

    95 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    23
    Unemployment rate
    2.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +10.9%

    Based on 259 openings.

    Union County job market

  2. 2

    Wake County NC

    90 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.3%

    Based on 1,908 openings.

    Wake County job market

  3. 3

    Minnehaha County SD

    90 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    1.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.9%

    Based on 201 openings.

    Minnehaha County job market

  4. 4

    Benton County AR

    90 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +11.8%

    Based on 405 openings.

    Benton County job market

  5. 5

    Madison County AL

    90 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    17
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.8%

    Based on 1,230 openings.

    Madison County job market

  6. 6

    Miami-Dade County FL

    88 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    12
    Unemployment rate
    1.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.8%

    Based on 3,265 openings.

    Miami-Dade County job market

  7. 7

    Anderson County TN

    84 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    19
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.7%

    Based on 212 openings.

    Anderson County job market

  8. 8

    Loudoun County VA

    84 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +13.9%

    Based on 638 openings.

    Loudoun County job market

  9. 9

    Cass County ND

    83 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    1.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.7%

    Based on 165 openings.

    Cass County job market

  10. 10

    New Hanover County NC

    83 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.3%

    Based on 195 openings.

    New Hanover County job market

  11. 11

    Travis County TX

    82 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    19
    Unemployment rate
    3.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.8%

    Based on 5,850 openings.

    Travis County job market

  12. 12

    Mecklenburg County NC

    82 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    15
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.0%

    Based on 3,231 openings.

    Mecklenburg County job market

  13. 13

    Durham County NC

    82 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    14
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.0%

    Based on 759 openings.

    Durham County job market

  14. 14

    Midland County TX

    80 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +11.4%

    Based on 154 openings.

    Midland County job market

  15. 15

    Knox County TN

    80 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.4%

    Based on 443 openings.

    Knox County job market

  16. 16

    Davidson County TN

    79 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    13
    Unemployment rate
    2.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.7%

    Based on 1,636 openings.

    Davidson County job market

  17. 17

    Arlington County VA

    79 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    45
    Unemployment rate
    2.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.6%

    Based on 1,989 openings.

    Arlington County job market

  18. 18

    Cumberland County ME

    79 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.1%

    Based on 273 openings.

    Cumberland County job market

  19. 19

    Ada County ID

    79 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.0%

    Based on 411 openings.

    Ada County job market

  20. 20

    Dane County WI

    78 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    2.5%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.6%

    Based on 622 openings.

    Dane County job market

  21. 21

    Greene County OH

    78 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.3%

    Based on 211 openings.

    Greene County job market

  22. 22

    Anne Arundel County MD

    78 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +8.3%

    Based on 790 openings.

    Anne Arundel County job market

  23. 23

    Richmond city VA

    77 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    22
    Unemployment rate
    4.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +9.0%

    Based on 1,147 openings.

    Richmond city job market

  24. 24

    Weber County UT

    77 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.8%

    Based on 255 openings.

    Weber County job market

  25. 25

    Charleston County SC

    77 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.0%

    Based on 327 openings.

    Charleston County job market

Full ranking

All 100 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Union County OH95 / 100259
2Wake County NC90 / 1001,908
3Minnehaha County SD90 / 100201
4Benton County AR90 / 100405
5Madison County AL90 / 1001,230
6Miami-Dade County FL88 / 1003,265
7Anderson County TN84 / 100212
8Loudoun County VA84 / 100638
9Cass County ND83 / 100165
10New Hanover County NC83 / 100195
11Travis County TX82 / 1005,850
12Mecklenburg County NC82 / 1003,231
13Durham County NC82 / 100759
14Midland County TX80 / 100154
15Knox County TN80 / 100443
16Davidson County TN79 / 1001,636
17Arlington County VA79 / 1001,989
18Cumberland County ME79 / 100273
19Ada County ID79 / 100411
20Dane County WI78 / 100622
21Greene County OH78 / 100211
22Anne Arundel County MD78 / 100790
23Richmond city VA77 / 1001,147
24Weber County UT77 / 100255
25Charleston County SC77 / 100327
26Hall County GA76 / 100110
27Lake County OH75 / 100145
28Clark County IN75 / 100136
29Rockwall County TX74 / 100121
30Greenville County SC74 / 100371
31Cabarrus County NC73 / 100103
32Collin County TX73 / 1001,498
33Cumberland County PA73 / 100255
34Williamson County TN73 / 100335
35Iredell County NC72 / 100259
36Lancaster County NE72 / 100206
37Hamilton County TN72 / 100204
38Hamilton County IN72 / 100203
39Howard County MD71 / 100406
40Franklin County KY71 / 100170
41Dauphin County PA70 / 100359
42Chester County PA70 / 100410
43Taylor County TX69 / 100128
44Chatham County GA69 / 100217
45Benton County WA69 / 100133
46Franklin County OH69 / 1002,497
47Harford County MD69 / 100227
48Outagamie County WI68 / 100172
49Frederick County MD68 / 100182
50Rutherford County TN68 / 100105
51Johnson County KS68 / 1001,047
52Utah County UT68 / 100425
53Salt Lake County UT67 / 1001,210
54Guilford County NC67 / 100560
55Lorain County OH67 / 100107
56DeSoto County MS67 / 100113
57Hunt County TX66 / 100104
58Morris County NJ66 / 100801
59Hillsborough County FL66 / 1001,856
60Douglas County NE66 / 100547
61La Crosse County WI65 / 100127
62Rockingham County NH65 / 100132
63Greene County MO65 / 100195
64Waukesha County WI65 / 100326
65Maricopa County AZ65 / 1005,165
66Houston County GA64 / 100100
67Polk County IA64 / 100498
68Fairfax County VA64 / 1004,186
69Williamson County TX64 / 100287
70Hillsborough County NH64 / 100526
71Boone County MO64 / 100137
72Washoe County NV64 / 100416
73Fulton County GA64 / 1006,189
74Warren County OH64 / 100186
75Montgomery County PA64 / 1001,105
76Gwinnett County GA64 / 100601
77Olmsted County MN63 / 100185
78Brevard County FL63 / 100779
79Orange County FL63 / 1001,413
80Pitt County NC62 / 100129
81DuPage County IL62 / 1001,762
82Brown County WI62 / 100144
83Cole County MO62 / 100107
84Washington County PA62 / 100114
85Winnebago County WI62 / 100145
86Jackson County MO62 / 100951
87Leon County FL61 / 100763
88Sullivan County TN61 / 100100
89Northampton County PA60 / 100177
90Oklahoma County OK60 / 100605
91Tarrant County TX60 / 1001,851
92Denton County TX60 / 100416
93Smith County TX59 / 100130
94Allen County IN59 / 100277
95Montgomery County MD58 / 1001,177
96Prince William County VA58 / 100152
97Spartanburg County SC58 / 100121
98Lehigh County PA58 / 100281
99Lancaster County PA58 / 100260
100Berks County PA58 / 100278

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 30%, unemployment rate 25%, private-sector job growth since 2022 25%, population growth since 2020 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; Census Bureau population estimates. 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 county job markets for job seekers?
Union County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the United States, with a score of 95 / 100.
How many counties are ranked?
100 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 100 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 30%, unemployment rate 25%, private-sector job growth since 2022 25%, population growth since 2020 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 county job markets for job seekers,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets">Best county job markets for job seekers (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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