Find a Job You Really Want In
As students and recent graduates embark on their job searches, encountering the phrase “This position requires at least one year of work-related experience” can often feel discouraging. For many entering the job market, securing even an entry-level position that doesn’t demand prior experience can be challenging. To assist job seekers in navigating this landscape, we’ve analyzed the current internship market across different regions.
How difficult will it be to land an internship in your area? Is relocating for an internship a viable option? Understanding these factors is crucial, and the data we’ve compiled will provide valuable insights.
A Summary of Our Internship Findings:
- New Hampshire ranks as the best state for securing an internship, while the Northeast and D.C. area showcase the strongest internship opportunities.
- Hawaii ranks as the least favorable state for internships, with the Southeast region also underperforming.
- Paradise, NV is identified as the worst city for internships, with six of the ten least favorable cities located in Nevada.
- Fort Meade, MD boasts the highest number of internships per capita, with cities in the D.C. area generally offering strong opportunities.
A Note on Methodology
This analysis utilized the latest Census and American Community Survey data to determine the population for each city and state. All internships were included in the rankings, but cities with populations below 10,000 were excluded from the study.
We leveraged our extensive database of nearly 8 million jobs to assess the volume of internships available in each location.
The Northeast is Your Best Bet for Finding Internships — The South, Not So Much
New Hampshire leads the pack with 3,581 internships, a remarkable figure for its population size.
Close behind is Massachusetts, which has a total of 17,518 internships. Despite having the fifteenth largest population in the U.S., it maintains the second-highest internships per capita, likely due to Boston’s Kendall Square, a major hub for startups.
Mapping out the internship landscape reveals a trend: northern states generally offer better opportunities compared to their southern counterparts. Hawaii’s poor performance in internship availability may stem from a scarcity of startups, with only a few receiving venture capital in recent years.
You’ll Have Luck with Internships Near the Nation’s Capitol
If you’re considering relocating to enhance your internship prospects, here are the best and worst cities for internships.
Notably, many of the cities with the highest internship availability are located in Virginia. However, Washington D.C. can almost claim the top title, as many of these Virginia and Maryland cities fall within the Washington metropolitan area.
Fort Meade stands out at the top of our list, despite its marginal population exceeding our cutoff of 10,000.
The D.C. internship market thrives due to a concentration of diverse organizations that create internship opportunities, including government bodies, startups, media, and non-profits.
While it’s unclear why Nevada cities rank poorly for internships, it is surprising that Paradise, with a population of 227,000, offers only a single internship.
A Final Note on Where to Find Internships (or Externships)
While compensation for internships may vary (and can sometimes be non-existent), many employers view internships as a pathway to full-time employment. Top-tier employers often expect applicants to have completed multiple internships or at least one alongside an externship.
If you’re struggling to find an entry-level position, pursuing an internship can be a strategic first step, even if you are no longer in school. And if securing an internship proves difficult, consider targeting regions highlighted in our analysis.
The Best States to Find Internships
| Rank | State | Internships Per 10,000 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NH | 26 |
| 2 | MA | 25 |
| 3 | VA | 24 |
| 4 | VT | 23 |
| 5 | DE | 23 |
| 6 | AK | 23 |
| 7 | MD | 22 |
| 8 | IA | 22 |
| 9 | CO | 21 |
| 10 | WA | 21 |
| 11 | CT | 21 |
| 12 | MN | 21 |
| 13 | CA | 19 |
| 14 | RI | 19 |
| 15 | IL | 19 |
| 16 | NE | 18 |
| 17 | MT | 18 |
| 18 | WI | 17 |
| 19 | OR | 17 |
| 20 | ND | 17 |
| 21 | NM | 17 |
| 22 | MO | 17 |
| 23 | NJ | 16 |
| 24 | GA | 16 |
| 25 | ME | 16 |
| 26 | AZ | 16 |
| 27 | SC | 16 |
| 28 | IN | 16 |
| 29 | SD | 16 |
| 30 | KS | 16 |
| 31 | OH | 15 |
| 32 | PA | 15 |
| 33 | NC | 15 |
| 34 | NY | 15 |
| 35 | MI | 15 |
| 36 | UT | 15 |
| 37 | TN | 14 |
| 38 | TX | 13 |
| 39 | AL | 13 |
| 40 | FL | 13 |
| 41 | NV | 12 |
| 42 | WY | 12 |
| 43 | AR | 12 |
| 44 | WV | 11 |
| 45 | OK | 11 |
| 46 | KY | 11 |
| 47 | ID | 11 |
| 48 | LA | 10 |
| 49 | MS | 10 |
| 50 | HI | 9 |
Author
David Luther was the Content Marketing Editor for the Zippia Advice blog. He developed partnerships with external reporting agencies in addition to generating original research and reporting for the Zippia Career Advice blog. David obtained his BA from UNC Chapel Hill.
