{"h1":"Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Midwest","faq":[{"a":"Rolling Meadows leads the Midwest: 26% of its jobs are in occupations that do not typically need a four-year degree, against 14% across all cities in our data.","q":"Which city ranks first: cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the midwest?"},{"a":"54 cities have at least 80 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 54 entries.","q":"How many cities are ranked?"},{"a":"A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose occupation typically needs less than a bachelor's degree: an associate degree, a postsecondary certificate, some college, a high school diploma or no formal credential (Bureau of Labor Statistics). A posting does not state a degree. Each is matched to its standard occupation, and the education shown is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as typical for entering that occupation. Some employers ask for more or less, and about one posting in a hundred has an occupation we could not match, which is left out. Only cities with at least 12 such jobs and 80 matched jobs are ranked, and a city where one employer posts at least half the openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score. Our board is professional roles, so these are a small share everywhere.","q":"How is the ranking calculated?"},{"a":"Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.","q":"How often is it updated?"}],"lead":"Rolling Meadows leads the Midwest: 26% of its jobs are in occupations that do not typically need a four-year degree, against 14% across all cities in our data.","minN":80,"rows":[{"n":193,"bar":1,"key":"IL|rolling meadows","sub":"IL","href":"/places/illinois/city/rolling-meadows","name":"Rolling Meadows","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"50"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"26%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"193"}],"value":0.2590673575129533,"change":null,"employers":["Arthur J. 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jobs","value":"7%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"278"}],"value":0.07194244604316546,"change":null,"employers":["RTX","Transamerica","BAE Systems"],"valueLabel":"7%"}],"slug":"cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-midwest","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"midwest","kind":"region","name":"Midwest"},"title":"Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Midwest","family":"Degrees","method":["A city's score is the share of its open professional roles whose occupation typically needs less than a bachelor's degree: an associate degree, a postsecondary certificate, some college, a high school diploma or no formal credential (Bureau of Labor Statistics).","A posting does not state a degree. Each is matched to its standard occupation, and the education shown is what the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists as typical for entering that occupation. Some employers ask for more or less, and about one posting in a hundred has an occupation we could not match, which is left out. Only cities with at least 12 such jobs and 80 matched jobs are ranked, and a city where one employer posts at least half the openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score. Our board is professional roles, so these are a small share everywhere."],"builtAt":"2026-11-03T15:06:31.259Z","edition":"2026-11","measure":"dg_cityshare","sources":["NextChapter job data: open professional roles, matched to standard occupation (SOC) codes","Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025-35: typical entry-level education and projected employment change by occupation"],"baseline":{"label":"all cities in our data","valueLabel":"14%"},"keyFacts":["#1 Rolling Meadows, IL: 26%","#2 Jeffersonville, IN: 25%","#3 Green Bay, WI: 22%","54 cities ranked in the Midwest","Data as of November 2026"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["The top ten is tightly packed: Rolling Meadows leads on 26%, and #10 Oak Brook is at 19%.","Rolling Meadows is the largest market in the top ten, with 193 jobs matched to an occupation behind its figure.","Cities with fewer than 80 jobs matched to an occupation are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful."],"license":"Free to use and share with a link to https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-midwest"}