Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Salt Lake City, UT: 19%
- #2 Lehi, UT: 17%
- #3 Las Vegas, NV: 16%
- 14 cities ranked in the Mountain West
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 13% across all cities in our data.
- 1Salt Lake City UT19%
- 2Lehi UT17%
- 3Las Vegas NV16%
- 4Sparks NV15%
- 5Fort Collins CO15%
- 6Centennial CO14%
- 7Boise ID14%
- 8Reno NV13%
- 9Englewood CO13%
- 10Denver CO12%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Salt Lake City leads on 19%, and #10 Denver is at 12%.
- Sparks reaches #4 on a sample of 103 jobs matched to an occupation, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Denver is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,106 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.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Some cities hire for a bigger share of occupations that need no four-year degree. The share shows where a job seeker without a bachelor's has the largest part of the market to aim at.
How to use it
Use it to compare cities for a search without a four-year degree, and read it beside the count so you do not chase a small market with a high share.
The top 25
- 1
Salt Lake City UT
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 142
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 747
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 747 openings.
- 3
Las Vegas NV
16%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 104
- Share of the city's jobs
- 16%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 647
Hiring most here: Caesars Entertainment, Allegiant Travel Company, Jt4
Based on 647 openings.
- 4
Sparks NV
15%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 15
- Share of the city's jobs
- 15%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 103
Hiring most here: Panasonic Energy North America, Amazon, Fleet
Based on 103 openings.
- 5
Fort Collins CO
15%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 18
- Share of the city's jobs
- 15%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 124
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Advanced Energy, Woodward
Based on 124 openings.
- 6
Centennial CO
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 16
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 111
Hiring most here: United Launch Alliance, Mastec, American Civil Constructors
Based on 111 openings.
- 7
Boise ID
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 37
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 266
Hiring most here: Simplot Company Foundation, Micron Technology, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
Based on 266 openings.
- 8
Reno NV
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 31
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 231
Hiring most here: IGT, Amperesand, Caesars Entertainment
Based on 231 openings.
- 9
Englewood CO
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 24
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 187
Hiring most here: General Atomics, Sargent & Lundy, Lockheed Martin
Based on 187 openings.
- 10
Denver CO
12%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 260
- Share of the city's jobs
- 12%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 2,106
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 2,106 openings.
- 11
Aurora CO
11%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 28
- Share of the city's jobs
- 11%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 250
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, CACI International, RTX
Based on 250 openings.
- 12
Westminster CO
11%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 23
- Share of the city's jobs
- 11%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 210
Hiring most here: CesiumAstro, BAE Systems, Loenbro
Based on 210 openings.
- 13
Colorado Springs CO
11%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 58
- Share of the city's jobs
- 11%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 537
Hiring most here: Northrop Grumman, Trinzic, Odyssey Systems Consulting
Based on 537 openings.
- 14
Boulder CO
6%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 22
- Share of the city's jobs
- 6%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 339
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Scitec Innovations, Atom Computing
Based on 339 openings.
Full ranking
All 14 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salt Lake City UT | 19% | 747 |
| 2 | Lehi UT | 17% | 198 |
| 3 | Las Vegas NV | 16% | 647 |
| 4 | Sparks NV | 15% | 103 |
| 5 | Fort Collins CO | 15% | 124 |
| 6 | Centennial CO | 14% | 111 |
| 7 | Boise ID | 14% | 266 |
| 8 | Reno NV | 13% | 231 |
| 9 | Englewood CO | 13% | 187 |
| 10 | Denver CO | 12% | 2,106 |
| 11 | Aurora CO | 11% | 250 |
| 12 | Westminster CO | 11% | 210 |
| 13 | Colorado Springs CO | 11% | 537 |
| 14 | Boulder CO | 6% | 339 |
How this ranking works
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.
Sample bar: cities with fewer than 80 openings are not ranked.
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. 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 where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the mountain west?
- Salt Lake City leads the Mountain West: 19% of its jobs are in occupations that do not typically need a four-year degree, against 13% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 14 cities have at least 80 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 14 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- 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.
- 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
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mountain West
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mountain West
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Mountain West
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Mountain West
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Mountain West
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mountain West
- Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-mountain-west
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-mountain-west">Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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