NextChapter

Best county job markets for job seekers in the Mountain West

Ada County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Mountain West, with a score of 76 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

Key facts

  • #1 Ada County, ID: 76 / 100
  • #2 Weber County, UT: 74 / 100
  • #3 Utah County, UT: 63 / 100
  • 15 counties ranked in the Mountain West
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Ada County ID76 / 100
  2. 2Weber County UT74 / 100
  3. 3Utah County UT63 / 100
  4. 4Broomfield County CO56 / 100
  5. 5Salt Lake County UT55 / 100
  6. 6Douglas County CO53 / 100
  7. 7Washoe County NV50 / 100
  8. 8Weld County CO50 / 100
  9. 9Jefferson County CO48 / 100
  10. 10Denver County CO45 / 100

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Ada County (76 / 100) is well clear of Denver County at #10 (45 / 100).
  • Douglas County reaches #6 on a sample of 142 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

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

    Ada County ID

    76 / 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

  2. 2

    Weber County UT

    74 / 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

  3. 3

    Utah County UT

    63 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.2%

    Based on 425 openings.

    Utah County job market

  4. 4

    Broomfield County CO

    56 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    15
    Unemployment rate
    4.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −5.1%

    Based on 282 openings.

    Broomfield County job market

  5. 5

    Salt Lake County UT

    55 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.8%

    Based on 1,210 openings.

    Salt Lake County job market

  6. 6

    Douglas County CO

    53 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    4.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.0%

    Based on 142 openings.

    Douglas County job market

  7. 7

    Washoe County NV

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.5%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.5%

    Based on 416 openings.

    Washoe County job market

  8. 8

    Weld County CO

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    4.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +9.6%

    Based on 170 openings.

    Weld County job market

  9. 9

    Jefferson County CO

    48 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    4.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.9%

    Based on 767 openings.

    Jefferson County job market

  10. 10

    Denver County CO

    45 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    14
    Unemployment rate
    4.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −0.1%

    Based on 2,833 openings.

    Denver County job market

  11. 11

    Arapahoe County CO

    39 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    6
    Unemployment rate
    4.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.2%

    Based on 893 openings.

    Arapahoe County job market

  12. 12

    Clark County NV

    37 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    4.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +7.6%

    Based on 1,031 openings.

    Clark County job market

  13. 13

    El Paso County CO

    36 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    4.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.3%

    Based on 700 openings.

    El Paso County job market

  14. 14

    Larimer County CO

    35 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    4.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.8%

    Based on 234 openings.

    Larimer County job market

  15. 15

    Boulder County CO

    34 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    4.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −2.4%

    Based on 673 openings.

    Boulder County job market

Full ranking

All 15 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Ada County ID76 / 100411
2Weber County UT74 / 100255
3Utah County UT63 / 100425
4Broomfield County CO56 / 100282
5Salt Lake County UT55 / 1001,210
6Douglas County CO53 / 100142
7Washoe County NV50 / 100416
8Weld County CO50 / 100170
9Jefferson County CO48 / 100767
10Denver County CO45 / 1002,833
11Arapahoe County CO39 / 100893
12Clark County NV37 / 1001,031
13El Paso County CO36 / 100700
14Larimer County CO35 / 100234
15Boulder County CO34 / 100673

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 mountain west?
Ada County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Mountain West, with a score of 76 / 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 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 Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-the-mountain-west

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

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

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