NextChapter

Best county job markets for job seekers in the Great Lakes

Union County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Great Lakes, with a score of 96 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

Key facts

  • #1 Union County, OH: 96 / 100
  • #2 Dane County, WI: 87 / 100
  • #3 Greene County, OH: 85 / 100
  • 52 counties ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Union County OH96 / 100
  2. 2Dane County WI87 / 100
  3. 3Greene County OH85 / 100
  4. 4Franklin County OH80 / 100
  5. 5Lake County OH78 / 100
  6. 6Outagamie County WI77 / 100
  7. 7La Crosse County WI73 / 100
  8. 8Clark County IN73 / 100
  9. 9Lorain County OH73 / 100
  10. 10Hamilton County IN70 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Union County leads on 96 / 100, and #10 Hamilton County is at 70 / 100.
  • 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

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

    96 / 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

    Dane County WI

    87 / 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

  3. 3

    Greene County OH

    85 / 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

  4. 4

    Franklin County OH

    80 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.8%

    Based on 2,497 openings.

    Franklin County job market

  5. 5

    Lake County OH

    78 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    1.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.5%

    Based on 145 openings.

    Lake County job market

  6. 6

    Outagamie County WI

    77 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    2.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.3%

    Based on 172 openings.

    Outagamie County job market

  7. 7

    La Crosse County WI

    73 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    2.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.4%

    Based on 127 openings.

    La Crosse County job market

  8. 8

    Clark County IN

    73 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.6%

    Based on 136 openings.

    Clark County job market

  9. 9

    Lorain County OH

    73 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    1.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.4%

    Based on 107 openings.

    Lorain County job market

  10. 10

    Hamilton County IN

    70 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.4%

    Based on 203 openings.

    Hamilton County job market

  11. 11

    Waukesha County WI

    70 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.3%

    Based on 326 openings.

    Waukesha County job market

  12. 12

    Warren County OH

    69 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.3%

    Based on 186 openings.

    Warren County job market

  13. 13

    Brown County WI

    69 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    2.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.1%

    Based on 144 openings.

    Brown County job market

  14. 14

    Olmsted County MN

    66 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.6%

    Based on 185 openings.

    Olmsted County job market

  15. 15

    Allen County IN

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.3%

    Based on 277 openings.

    Allen County job market

  16. 16

    Winnebago County WI

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.7%

    Based on 145 openings.

    Winnebago County job market

  17. 17

    DuPage County IL

    64 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    9
    Unemployment rate
    3.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.2%

    Based on 1,762 openings.

    DuPage County job market

  18. 18

    Marion County IN

    63 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.2%

    Based on 1,388 openings.

    Marion County job market

  19. 19

    Hamilton County OH

    61 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    3.5%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.1%

    Based on 1,582 openings.

    Hamilton County job market

  20. 20

    Kent County MI

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.3%

    Based on 489 openings.

    Kent County job market

  21. 21

    McLean County IL

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.6%

    Based on 156 openings.

    McLean County job market

  22. 22

    Cuyahoga County OH

    55 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    11
    Unemployment rate
    2.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −2.5%

    Based on 1,378 openings.

    Cuyahoga County job market

  23. 23

    Washtenaw County MI

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.3%

    Based on 394 openings.

    Washtenaw County job market

  24. 24

    Lake County IL

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    3.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −0.9%

    Based on 772 openings.

    Lake County job market

  25. 25

    Madison County IL

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.9%

    Based on 108 openings.

    Madison County job market

Full ranking

All 52 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Union County OH96 / 100259
2Dane County WI87 / 100622
3Greene County OH85 / 100211
4Franklin County OH80 / 1002,497
5Lake County OH78 / 100145
6Outagamie County WI77 / 100172
7La Crosse County WI73 / 100127
8Clark County IN73 / 100136
9Lorain County OH73 / 100107
10Hamilton County IN70 / 100203
11Waukesha County WI70 / 100326
12Warren County OH69 / 100186
13Brown County WI69 / 100144
14Olmsted County MN66 / 100185
15Allen County IN65 / 100277
16Winnebago County WI65 / 100145
17DuPage County IL64 / 1001,762
18Marion County IN63 / 1001,388
19Hamilton County OH61 / 1001,582
20Kent County MI60 / 100489
21McLean County IL60 / 100156
22Cuyahoga County OH55 / 1001,378
23Washtenaw County MI50 / 100394
24Lake County IL50 / 100772
25Madison County IL50 / 100108
26Montgomery County OH49 / 100551
27Sangamon County IL46 / 100288
28Ingham County MI43 / 100241
29Champaign County IL42 / 100149
30Hennepin County MN42 / 1002,349
31Milwaukee County WI42 / 100965
32Vanderburgh County IN42 / 100118
33Will County IL41 / 100234
34Cook County IL40 / 1008,859
35Summit County OH39 / 100461
36Ottawa County MI39 / 100113
37McHenry County IL38 / 100107
38Kane County IL38 / 100195
39Dakota County MN35 / 100198
40Lake County IN32 / 100101
41Kalamazoo County MI31 / 100134
42Stark County OH31 / 100108
43Oakland County MI30 / 1001,151
44Elkhart County IN27 / 100129
45Peoria County IL26 / 100178
46St. Louis County MN24 / 100101
47Ramsey County MN24 / 100455
48Winnebago County IL23 / 100157
49St. Clair County IL22 / 100160
50Lucas County OH17 / 100257
51Wayne County MI14 / 1001,251
52Macomb County MI14 / 100301

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 in the great lakes?
Union County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Great Lakes, with a score of 96 / 100.
How many counties are ranked?
52 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 52 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 in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-the-great-lakes

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

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

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