{"h1":"Best county job markets for job seekers in New England","faq":[{"a":"Cumberland County is the best all-round county for job seekers in New England, with a score of 87 / 100.","q":"Which county ranks first: best county job markets for job seekers in new england?"},{"a":"12 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 12 entries.","q":"How many counties are ranked?"},{"a":"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.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Cumberland County is the best all-round county for job seekers in New England, with a score of 87 / 100.","minN":100,"rows":[{"n":273,"bar":1,"key":"23005","sub":"ME","href":"/places/maine/county/cumberland-county","name":"Cumberland County","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"6"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"2.7%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+5.1%"}],"value":87.27272727272728,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"87 / 100"},{"n":132,"bar":0.8906249999999998,"key":"33015","sub":"NH","href":"/places/new-hampshire/county/rockingham-county","name":"Rockingham County","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"3"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"2.1%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+4.1%"}],"value":77.72727272727272,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"78 / 100"},{"n":526,"bar":0.7239583333333334,"key":"33011","sub":"NH","href":"/places/new-hampshire/county/hillsborough-county","name":"Hillsborough County","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"10"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"2.2%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"−1.3%"}],"value":63.18181818181819,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"63 / 100"},{"n":263,"bar":0.6927083333333333,"key":"44007","sub":"RI","href":"/places/rhode-island/county/providence-county","name":"Providence County","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"2"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"3.3%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+3.1%"}],"value":60.45454545454545,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"60 / 100"},{"n":3848,"bar":0.6666666666666666,"key":"25017","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/middlesex-county","name":"Middlesex County","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"11"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"3.8%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"−2.8%"}],"value":58.18181818181818,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"58 / 100"},{"n":4895,"bar":0.6119791666666666,"key":"25025","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/suffolk-county","name":"Suffolk County","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"25"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"4.2%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+1.2%"}],"value":53.40909090909091,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"53 / 100"},{"n":534,"bar":0.6015625,"key":"25021","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/norfolk-county","name":"Norfolk County","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"3"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"3.9%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+2.1%"}],"value":52.5,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"53 / 100"},{"n":437,"bar":0.4921874999999999,"key":"25027","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/worcester-county","name":"Worcester County","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"2"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"4.2%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+0.9%"}],"value":42.95454545454545,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"43 / 100"},{"n":135,"bar":0.4661458333333333,"key":"25003","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/berkshire-county","name":"Berkshire County","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"5"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"3.9%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"−0.9%"}],"value":40.68181818181818,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"41 / 100"},{"n":433,"bar":0.4114583333333333,"key":"25009","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/essex-county","name":"Essex County","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"2"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"4.3%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"+2.1%"}],"value":35.90909090909091,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"36 / 100"},{"n":124,"bar":0.2447916666666667,"key":"25005","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/bristol-county","name":"Bristol County","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"1"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"4.5%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"−1.4%"}],"value":21.36363636363637,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"21 / 100"},{"n":163,"bar":0.07291666666666667,"key":"25013","sub":"MA","href":"/places/massachusetts/county/hampden-county","name":"Hampden County","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"Openings per 100 unemployed","value":"1"},{"label":"Unemployment rate","value":"5.3%"},{"label":"Private-sector job growth since 2022","value":"−3.2%"}],"value":6.363636363636364,"change":null,"employers":[],"valueLabel":"6 / 100"}],"slug":"best-county-job-markets-in-new-england","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"new-england","kind":"region","name":"New England"},"title":"Best county job markets for job seekers in New England","family":"Best overall","method":["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."],"builtAt":"2026-11-04T03:37:37.436Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"coverall","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"],"baseline":null,"keyFacts":["#1 Cumberland County, ME: 87 / 100","#2 Rockingham County, NH: 78 / 100","#3 Hillsborough County, NH: 63 / 100","12 counties ranked in New England","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"counties","commentary":["The lead is wide: Cumberland County (87 / 100) is well clear of Essex County at #10 (36 / 100).","Rockingham County reaches #2 on a sample of 132 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.","Suffolk County is the largest market in the top ten, with 4,895 openings behind its figure.","Counties with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-new-england"}