NextChapter

Best county job markets for job seekers in the Northeast

Cumberland County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Northeast, with a score of 84 / 100.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from public Bureau of Labor Statistics and Census data.

Key facts

  • #1 Cumberland County, ME: 84 / 100
  • #2 Cumberland County, PA: 76 / 100
  • #3 Chester County, PA: 75 / 100
  • 51 counties ranked in the Northeast
  • Data as of November 2026
  1. 1Cumberland County ME84 / 100
  2. 2Cumberland County PA76 / 100
  3. 3Chester County PA75 / 100
  4. 4Rockingham County NH73 / 100
  5. 5Dauphin County PA72 / 100
  6. 6Morris County NJ71 / 100
  7. 7Hillsborough County NH68 / 100
  8. 8Northampton County PA67 / 100
  9. 9Montgomery County PA65 / 100
  10. 10Washington County PA65 / 100

What stands out

  • The top ten is tightly packed: Cumberland County leads on 84 / 100, and #10 Washington County is at 65 / 100.
  • Washington County reaches #10 on a sample of 114 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Montgomery County is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,105 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

    Cumberland County ME

    84 / 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

  2. 2

    Cumberland County PA

    76 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    2.6%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.6%

    Based on 255 openings.

    Cumberland County job market

  3. 3

    Chester County PA

    75 / 100

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

    Based on 410 openings.

    Chester County job market

  4. 4

    Rockingham County NH

    73 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    2.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.1%

    Based on 132 openings.

    Rockingham County job market

  5. 5

    Dauphin County PA

    72 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    3.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.9%

    Based on 359 openings.

    Dauphin County job market

  6. 6

    Morris County NJ

    71 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    3.5%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.4%

    Based on 801 openings.

    Morris County job market

  7. 7

    Hillsborough County NH

    68 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    10
    Unemployment rate
    2.2%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −1.3%

    Based on 526 openings.

    Hillsborough County job market

  8. 8

    Northampton County PA

    67 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.0%

    Based on 177 openings.

    Northampton County job market

  9. 9

    Montgomery County PA

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    8
    Unemployment rate
    2.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +0.1%

    Based on 1,105 openings.

    Montgomery County job market

  10. 10

    Washington County PA

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.5%

    Based on 114 openings.

    Washington County job market

  11. 11

    Berks County PA

    65 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.4%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.3%

    Based on 278 openings.

    Berks County job market

  12. 12

    Lehigh County PA

    63 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.5%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.2%

    Based on 281 openings.

    Lehigh County job market

  13. 13

    Lancaster County PA

    61 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    2.5%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.6%

    Based on 260 openings.

    Lancaster County job market

  14. 14

    York County PA

    60 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    3
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.9%

    Based on 199 openings.

    York County job market

  15. 15

    Albany County NY

    58 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    7
    Unemployment rate
    3.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +2.6%

    Based on 445 openings.

    Albany County job market

  16. 16

    Middlesex County MA

    56 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    11
    Unemployment rate
    3.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    −2.8%

    Based on 3,848 openings.

    Middlesex County job market

  17. 17

    Allegheny County PA

    56 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    9
    Unemployment rate
    3.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.4%

    Based on 1,712 openings.

    Allegheny County job market

  18. 18

    Providence County RI

    56 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    3.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +3.1%

    Based on 263 openings.

    Providence County job market

  19. 19

    Kings County NY

    56 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    32
    Unemployment rate
    5.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +13.1%

    Based on 22,158 openings.

    Kings County job market

  20. 20

    Somerset County NJ

    54 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    4
    Unemployment rate
    3.7%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +1.0%

    Based on 257 openings.

    Somerset County job market

  21. 21

    Essex County NJ

    53 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    5.1%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.7%

    Based on 511 openings.

    Essex County job market

  22. 22

    Westchester County NY

    53 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    3.8%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +5.3%

    Based on 506 openings.

    Westchester County job market

  23. 23

    Bucks County PA

    52 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    2
    Unemployment rate
    2.9%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.9%

    Based on 169 openings.

    Bucks County job market

  24. 24

    Philadelphia County PA

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    4.3%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +6.1%

    Based on 1,803 openings.

    Philadelphia County job market

  25. 25

    Onondaga County NY

    50 / 100

    Openings per 100 unemployed
    5
    Unemployment rate
    4.0%
    Private-sector job growth since 2022
    +4.4%

    Based on 482 openings.

    Onondaga County job market

Full ranking

All 51 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCountyScoreSample
1Cumberland County ME84 / 100273
2Cumberland County PA76 / 100255
3Chester County PA75 / 100410
4Rockingham County NH73 / 100132
5Dauphin County PA72 / 100359
6Morris County NJ71 / 100801
7Hillsborough County NH68 / 100526
8Northampton County PA67 / 100177
9Montgomery County PA65 / 1001,105
10Washington County PA65 / 100114
11Berks County PA65 / 100278
12Lehigh County PA63 / 100281
13Lancaster County PA61 / 100260
14York County PA60 / 100199
15Albany County NY58 / 100445
16Middlesex County MA56 / 1003,848
17Allegheny County PA56 / 1001,712
18Providence County RI56 / 100263
19Kings County NY56 / 10022,158
20Somerset County NJ54 / 100257
21Essex County NJ53 / 100511
22Westchester County NY53 / 100506
23Bucks County PA52 / 100169
24Philadelphia County PA50 / 1001,803
25Onondaga County NY50 / 100482
26Suffolk County MA49 / 1004,895
27Hudson County NJ49 / 100861
28Suffolk County NY49 / 100471
29Mercer County NJ49 / 100553
30Monmouth County NJ49 / 100173
31Orange County NY47 / 100101
32Norfolk County MA47 / 100534
33Bergen County NJ47 / 100433
34Monroe County NY45 / 100592
35Nassau County NY42 / 100470
36Westmoreland County PA40 / 100133
37Delaware County PA40 / 100233
38Berkshire County MA39 / 100135
39Worcester County MA39 / 100437
40Steuben County NY39 / 100111
41Erie County NY38 / 100501
42Union County NJ38 / 100202
43Essex County MA35 / 100433
44Passaic County NJ33 / 100137
45Tompkins County NY31 / 100104
46Camden County NJ31 / 100193
47Middlesex County NJ30 / 100333
48Queens County NY30 / 100106
49Bronx County NY26 / 100184
50Bristol County MA21 / 100124
51Hampden County MA9 / 100163

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 northeast?
Cumberland County is the best all-round county for job seekers in the Northeast, with a score of 84 / 100.
How many counties are ranked?
51 counties have at least 100 openings, so the list has 51 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 Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-county-job-markets-in-the-northeast

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

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

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