NextChapter

Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Great Lakes

Northbrook leads the Great Lakes: 3.5% of its professional openings say no experience is needed, against 0.8% across all cities in our data.November 2026 edition. Updated monthly, from open jobs we verified on employer career sites.

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Key facts

  • #1 Northbrook, IL: 3.5%
  • #2 Oak Brook, IL: 2.2%
  • #3 Bloomington, MN: 2.0%
  • 50 cities ranked in the Great Lakes
  • Data as of November 2026

For comparison: 0.8% across all cities in our data.

  1. 1Northbrook IL3.5%
  2. 2Oak Brook IL2.2%
  3. 3Bloomington MN2.0%
  4. 4Rosemont IL1.9%
  5. 5Schaumburg IL1.8%
  6. 6Lisle IL1.7%
  7. 7Mundelein IL1.6%
  8. 8Indianapolis IN1.3%
  9. 9Milwaukee WI1.3%
  10. 10Akron OH1.3%

What stands out

  • The lead is wide: Northbrook (3.5%) is well clear of Akron at #10 (1.3%).
  • Rosemont reaches #4 on a sample of 104 openings, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
  • Indianapolis is the largest market in the top ten, with 1,422 openings behind its figure.
  • Cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.

Why this ranking matters

What it shows

Some employers say plainly that no experience is needed, or that they will train people. The share of such openings shows where it is easiest to get started without a track record.

How to use it

If you are starting out or changing fields, apply to postings that say it. The city lists show where they are most common.

The top 25

  1. 1

    Northbrook IL

    3.5%

    No-experience openings
    6
    All openings
    171
    All openings
    171

    Hiring most here: UL Solutions, Astellas (ADP), Medline Industries

    Based on 171 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Northbrook

  2. 2

    Oak Brook IL

    2.2%

    No-experience openings
    3
    All openings
    138
    All openings
    138

    Hiring most here: Hub Group, Sotera Health

    Based on 138 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Oak Brook

  3. 3

    Bloomington MN

    2.0%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    202
    All openings
    202

    Hiring most here: HealthPartners, General Dynamics Mission Systems, Geronimo Power

    Based on 202 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Bloomington

  4. 4

    Rosemont IL

    1.9%

    No-experience openings
    2
    All openings
    104
    All openings
    104

    Hiring most here: Reyes Holdings, US Foods, Regal Rexnord

    Based on 104 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rosemont

  5. 5

    Schaumburg IL

    1.8%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    218
    All openings
    218

    Hiring most here: Motorola Solutions, Fictiv, Zurich

    Based on 218 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Schaumburg

  6. 6

    Lisle IL

    1.7%

    No-experience openings
    2
    All openings
    117
    All openings
    117

    Hiring most here: International Institute For Sustainable Development, Navistar, Brindley Engineering

    Based on 117 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Lisle

  7. 7

    Mundelein IL

    1.6%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    247
    All openings
    247

    Hiring most here: Coda Search│Staffing

    Based on 247 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mundelein

  8. 8

    Indianapolis IN

    1.3%

    No-experience openings
    19
    All openings
    1,422
    All openings
    1,422

    Hiring most here: Eli Lilly and Company, State of Indiana, Masco

    Based on 1,422 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Indianapolis

  9. 9

    Milwaukee WI

    1.3%

    No-experience openings
    11
    All openings
    827
    All openings
    827

    Hiring most here: Michels, Rockwell Automation, Johnson Controls International

    Based on 827 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Milwaukee

  10. 10

    Akron OH

    1.3%

    No-experience openings
    4
    All openings
    308
    All openings
    308

    Hiring most here: FirstEnergy Akron, Babcock International Group PLC/ADR, Akron Childrens Hospital

    Based on 308 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Akron

  11. 11

    Detroit MI

    1.1%

    No-experience openings
    8
    All openings
    734
    All openings
    734

    Hiring most here: Wayne State University, Henry Ford Health System, Accident Fund

    Based on 734 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Detroit

  12. 12

    Madison WI

    1.0%

    No-experience openings
    5
    All openings
    508
    All openings
    508

    Hiring most here: Universities of Wisconsin [UW_Madison], Creative Financial Staffing, Catalent Pharma Solutions

    Based on 508 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Madison

  13. 13

    Waukesha WI

    0.9%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    108
    All openings
    108

    Hiring most here: GE HealthCare Technologies, Eaton, GE HealthCare

    Based on 108 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Waukesha

  14. 14

    La Crosse WI

    0.9%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    117
    All openings
    117

    Hiring most here: Trane U.s., Gundersen Health, Kwik Trip

    Based on 117 openings.

    Jobs and employers in La Crosse

  15. 15

    Evansville IN

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    119
    All openings
    119

    Hiring most here: Deaconess Homecare, Old National Bank, Deaconess Womens Hospital Of Southern Indiana

    Based on 119 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Evansville

  16. 16

    Cincinnati OH

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    11
    All openings
    1,379
    All openings
    1,379

    Hiring most here: Medpace Holdings, Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 1,379 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cincinnati

  17. 17

    Aurora IL

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    126
    All openings
    126

    Hiring most here: Entegris, HelloFresh

    Based on 126 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Aurora

  18. 18

    Cleveland OH

    0.8%

    No-experience openings
    7
    All openings
    891
    All openings
    891

    Hiring most here: Flexjet, Sherwin Williams, KeyBank

    Based on 891 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Cleveland

  19. 19

    Green Bay WI

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    136
    All openings
    136

    Hiring most here: Michels, W.W. Grainger

    Based on 136 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Green Bay

  20. 20

    Carmel IN

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    139
    All openings
    139

    Hiring most here: Allegion, Belden, CNO Financial Group

    Based on 139 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Carmel

  21. 21

    Rockford IL

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    140
    All openings
    140

    Hiring most here: RTX, Woodward, Top Echelon Network (recruiter member boards)

    Based on 140 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Rockford

  22. 22

    Chicago IL

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    53
    All openings
    7,607
    All openings
    7,607

    Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential

    Based on 7,607 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Chicago

  23. 23

    Mason OH

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    148
    All openings
    148

    Hiring most here: Cintas, L3HARRIS Technologies, Procter & Gamble

    Based on 148 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Mason

  24. 24

    Novi MI

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    148
    All openings
    148

    Hiring most here: Scout Motors, Gentherm, Daifuku Co., Ltd./ADR

    Based on 148 openings.

    Jobs and employers in Novi

  25. 25

    New Albany OH

    0.7%

    No-experience openings
    1
    All openings
    149
    All openings
    149

    Hiring most here: Bechtel Energy, American Electric Power, Amazon

    Based on 149 openings.

    Jobs and employers in New Albany

Full ranking

All 50 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.

RankCityScoreSample
1Northbrook IL3.5%171
2Oak Brook IL2.2%138
3Bloomington MN2.0%202
4Rosemont IL1.9%104
5Schaumburg IL1.8%218
6Lisle IL1.7%117
7Mundelein IL1.6%247
8Indianapolis IN1.3%1,422
9Milwaukee WI1.3%827
10Akron OH1.3%308
11Detroit MI1.1%734
12Madison WI1.0%508
13Waukesha WI0.9%108
14La Crosse WI0.9%117
15Evansville IN0.8%119
16Cincinnati OH0.8%1,379
17Aurora IL0.8%126
18Cleveland OH0.8%891
19Green Bay WI0.7%136
20Carmel IN0.7%139
21Rockford IL0.7%140
22Chicago IL0.7%7,607
23Mason OH0.7%148
24Novi MI0.7%148
25New Albany OH0.7%149
26Minneapolis MN0.6%1,276
27Toledo OH0.6%180
28Naperville IL0.5%191
29St. Paul MN0.5%194
30Columbus OH0.5%1,892
31Grand Rapids MI0.5%424
32Fort Wayne IN0.4%276
33Springfield IL0.4%283
34Eden Prairie MN0.3%321
35Ann Arbor MI0.3%350
36Dayton OH0.0%432
37Rolling Meadows IL0.0%281
38Troy MI0.0%249
39Southfield MI0.0%230
40Lansing MI0.0%212
41Rochester MN0.0%183
42Peoria IL0.0%157
43Appleton WI0.0%150
44Auburn Hills MI0.0%149
45Oakbrook Terrace IL0.0%142
46Downers Grove IL0.0%141
47Dublin OH0.0%128
48Jeffersonville IN0.0%114
49Minnetonka MN0.0%107
50Evanston IL0.0%104

How this ranking works

A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting says no experience is needed, or welcomes recent graduates or people the employer will train.

Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. A city where one employer posts at least half the openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.

Sample bar: cities with fewer than 100 openings are not ranked.

Sources: NextChapter job data: open professional roles on employer career sites, verified in the last week. 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 city ranks first: cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the great lakes?
Northbrook leads the Great Lakes: 3.5% of its professional openings say no experience is needed, against 0.8% across all cities in our data.
How many cities are ranked?
50 cities have at least 100 openings, so the list has 50 entries.
How is the ranking calculated?
A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose posting says no experience is needed, or welcomes recent graduates or people the employer will train. Only roles verified on the employer's own career site in the last week are counted. A city where one employer posts at least half the openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
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, “Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Great Lakes,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-with-the-most-no-experience-jobs-in-the-great-lakes

Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-with-the-most-no-experience-jobs-in-the-great-lakes">Cities with the most jobs that need no experience in the Great Lakes (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>

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

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