NextChapter

Best county job markets for job seekers in the Midwest

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

Key facts

  • #1 Minnehaha County, SD: 95 / 100
  • #2 Union County, OH: 94 / 100
  • #3 Cass County, ND: 88 / 100
  • 68 counties ranked in the Midwest
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Minnehaha County SD95 / 100
  2. 2Union County OH94 / 100
  3. 3Cass County ND88 / 100
  4. 4Dane County WI82 / 100
  5. 5Greene County OH82 / 100
  6. 6Franklin County OH76 / 100
  7. 7Lake County OH75 / 100
  8. 8Lancaster County NE73 / 100
  9. 9Johnson County KS72 / 100
  10. 10Outagamie County WI71 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Minnehaha County leads on 95 / 100, and #10 Outagamie County is at 71 / 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

    Minnehaha County SD

    95 / 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

  2. 2

    Union County OH

    94 / 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

  3. 3

    Cass County ND

    88 / 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

  4. 4

    Dane County WI

    82 / 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

  5. 5

    Greene County OH

    82 / 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

  6. 6

    Franklin County OH

    76 / 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

  7. 7

    Lake County OH

    75 / 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

  8. 8

    Lancaster County NE

    73 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    2.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.1%

    Based on 206 openings.

    Lancaster County job market

  9. 9

    Johnson County KS

    72 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.3%

    Based on 1,047 openings.

    Johnson County job market

  10. 10

    Outagamie County WI

    71 / 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

  11. 11

    Clark County IN

    71 / 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

  12. 12

    Hamilton County IN

    69 / 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

  13. 13

    Lorain County OH

    69 / 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

  14. 14

    La Crosse County WI

    68 / 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

  15. 15

    Polk County IA

    66 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.5%

    Based on 498 openings.

    Polk County job market

  16. 16

    Douglas County NE

    66 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    2.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.4%

    Based on 547 openings.

    Douglas County job market

  17. 17

    Greene County MO

    66 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.9%

    Based on 195 openings.

    Greene County job market

  18. 18

    Waukesha County WI

    65 / 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

  19. 19

    Warren County OH

    65 / 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

  20. 20

    Jackson County MO

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.8%

    Based on 951 openings.

    Jackson County job market

  21. 21

    Brown County WI

    64 / 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

  22. 22

    Cole County MO

    64 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −0.1%

    Based on 107 openings.

    Cole County job market

  23. 23

    Olmsted County MN

    63 / 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

  24. 24

    Boone County MO

    62 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.4%

    Based on 137 openings.

    Boone County job market

  25. 25

    DuPage County IL

    62 / 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

Full ranking

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

RankCountyScoreSample
1Minnehaha County SD95 / 100201
2Union County OH94 / 100259
3Cass County ND88 / 100165
4Dane County WI82 / 100622
5Greene County OH82 / 100211
6Franklin County OH76 / 1002,497
7Lake County OH75 / 100145
8Lancaster County NE73 / 100206
9Johnson County KS72 / 1001,047
10Outagamie County WI71 / 100172
11Clark County IN71 / 100136
12Hamilton County IN69 / 100203
13Lorain County OH69 / 100107
14La Crosse County WI68 / 100127
15Polk County IA66 / 100498
16Douglas County NE66 / 100547
17Greene County MO66 / 100195
18Waukesha County WI65 / 100326
19Warren County OH65 / 100186
20Jackson County MO65 / 100951
21Brown County WI64 / 100144
22Cole County MO64 / 100107
23Olmsted County MN63 / 100185
24Boone County MO62 / 100137
25DuPage County IL62 / 1001,762
26Winnebago County WI61 / 100145
27Allen County IN60 / 100277
28Hamilton County OH58 / 1001,582
29Marion County IN57 / 1001,388
30McLean County IL55 / 100156
31Kent County MI55 / 100489
32Cuyahoga County OH54 / 1001,378
33Linn County IA50 / 100372
34Wyandotte County KS48 / 100200
35Madison County IL48 / 100108
36Washtenaw County MI47 / 100394
37Montgomery County OH46 / 100551
38Lake County IL45 / 100772
39Sedgwick County KS45 / 100239
40Sangamon County IL43 / 100288
41Shawnee County KS41 / 100110
42St. Louis city MO40 / 1001,032
43Will County IL39 / 100234
44Milwaukee County WI39 / 100965
45Hennepin County MN39 / 1002,349
46Ingham County MI38 / 100241
47Vanderburgh County IN38 / 100118
48Cook County IL38 / 1008,859
49Champaign County IL37 / 100149
50Ottawa County MI35 / 100113
51Summit County OH35 / 100461
52McHenry County IL35 / 100107
53Kane County IL35 / 100195
54Dakota County MN33 / 100198
55Kalamazoo County MI29 / 100134
56Lake County IN29 / 100101
57Stark County OH28 / 100108
58Oakland County MI27 / 1001,151
59Elkhart County IN25 / 100129
60Peoria County IL24 / 100178
61St. Louis County MO23 / 100356
62St. Louis County MN23 / 100101
63Ramsey County MN22 / 100455
64Winnebago County IL21 / 100157
65St. Clair County IL20 / 100160
66Lucas County OH16 / 100257
67Wayne County MI14 / 1001,251
68Macomb County MI12 / 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 midwest?
Minnehaha County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Midwest, with a score of 95 / 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 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 Midwest,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-the-midwest

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

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

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