{"h1":"Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West","faq":[{"a":"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.","q":"Which city ranks first: cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the mountain west?"},{"a":"14 cities have at least 80 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 14 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":"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.","minN":80,"rows":[{"n":747,"bar":1,"key":"UT|salt lake city","sub":"UT","href":"/places/utah/city/salt-lake-city","name":"Salt Lake City","rank":1,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"142"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"19%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"747"}],"value":0.1900937081659973,"change":null,"employers":["L3HARRIS Technologies","iCapital","Harris Health Strategic Fund"],"valueLabel":"19%"},{"n":198,"bar":0.8767605633802816,"key":"UT|lehi","sub":"UT","href":"/places/utah/city/lehi","name":"Lehi","rank":2,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"33"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"17%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"198"}],"value":0.1666666666666667,"change":null,"employers":["Pattern","Podium","Weave"],"valueLabel":"17%"},{"n":647,"bar":0.8455928772013845,"key":"NV|las vegas","sub":"NV","href":"/places/nevada/city/las-vegas","name":"Las Vegas","rank":3,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"104"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"16%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"647"}],"value":0.160741885625966,"change":null,"employers":["Caesars Entertainment","Allegiant Travel Company","Jt4"],"valueLabel":"16%"},{"n":103,"bar":0.7661014631478189,"key":"NV|sparks","sub":"NV","href":"/places/nevada/city/sparks","name":"Sparks","rank":4,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"15"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"15%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"103"}],"value":0.145631067961165,"change":null,"employers":["Panasonic Energy North America","Amazon","Fleet"],"valueLabel":"15%"},{"n":124,"bar":0.7636301681054066,"key":"CO|fort collins","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/fort-collins","name":"Fort Collins","rank":5,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"18"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"15%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"124"}],"value":0.1451612903225807,"change":null,"employers":["Anduril Industries","Advanced Energy","Woodward"],"valueLabel":"15%"},{"n":111,"bar":0.7582794061667301,"key":"CO|centennial","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/centennial","name":"Centennial","rank":6,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"16"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"14%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"111"}],"value":0.1441441441441441,"change":null,"employers":["United Launch Alliance","Mastec","American Civil Constructors"],"valueLabel":"14%"},{"n":266,"bar":0.7317325002647463,"key":"ID|boise","sub":"ID","href":null,"name":"Boise","rank":7,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"37"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"14%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"266"}],"value":0.1390977443609022,"change":null,"employers":["Simplot Company Foundation","Micron Technology","Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories"],"valueLabel":"14%"},{"n":231,"bar":0.7059630510334736,"key":"NV|reno","sub":"NV","href":"/places/nevada/city/reno","name":"Reno","rank":8,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"31"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"13%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"231"}],"value":0.1341991341991342,"change":null,"employers":["IGT","Amperesand","Caesars Entertainment"],"valueLabel":"13%"},{"n":187,"bar":0.6751525193944415,"key":"CO|englewood","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/englewood","name":"Englewood","rank":9,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"24"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"13%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"187"}],"value":0.1283422459893048,"change":null,"employers":["General Atomics","Sargent & Lundy","Lockheed Martin"],"valueLabel":"13%"},{"n":2106,"bar":0.649452269170579,"key":"CO|denver","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/denver","name":"Denver","rank":10,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"260"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"12%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"2,106"}],"value":0.1234567901234568,"change":null,"employers":["True Anomaly","Blue Origin","Amazon"],"valueLabel":"12%"},{"n":250,"bar":0.5891830985915493,"key":"CO|aurora","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/aurora","name":"Aurora","rank":11,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"28"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"11%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"250"}],"value":0.112,"change":null,"employers":["Northrop Grumman","CACI International","RTX"],"valueLabel":"11%"},{"n":210,"bar":0.5761569416498994,"key":"CO|westminster","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/westminster","name":"Westminster","rank":12,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"23"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"11%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"210"}],"value":0.1095238095238095,"change":null,"employers":["CesiumAstro","BAE Systems","Loenbro"],"valueLabel":"11%"},{"n":537,"bar":0.5681800299000708,"key":"CO|colorado springs","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/colorado-springs","name":"Colorado Springs","rank":13,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"58"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"11%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"537"}],"value":0.1080074487895717,"change":null,"employers":["Northrop Grumman","Trinzic","Odyssey Systems Consulting"],"valueLabel":"11%"},{"n":339,"bar":0.3413934937055964,"key":"CO|boulder","sub":"CO","href":"/places/colorado/city/boulder","name":"Boulder","rank":14,"stats":[{"label":"Jobs that do not need a four-year degree","value":"22"},{"label":"Share of the city's jobs","value":"6%"},{"label":"Jobs matched to an occupation","value":"339"}],"value":0.06489675516224189,"change":null,"employers":["BAE Systems","Scitec Innovations","Atom Computing"],"valueLabel":"6%"}],"slug":"cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-mountain-west","unit":"openings","scope":{"id":"mountain-west","kind":"region","name":"Mountain West"},"title":"Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Mountain West","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":"13%"},"keyFacts":["#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"],"placeNoun":"cities","commentary":["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."],"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-mountain-west"}