Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Northeast
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 Mechanicsburg, PA: 47%
- #2 Harrisburg, PA: 29%
- #3 Syracuse, NY: 25%
- 38 cities ranked in the Northeast
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 13% across all cities in our data.
- 1Mechanicsburg PA47%
- 2Harrisburg PA29%
- 3Syracuse NY25%
- 4Conshohocken PA22%
- 5Manchester NH21%
- 6Worcester MA21%
- 7Bronx NY20%
- 8Morristown NJ19%
- 9Albany NY19%
- 10Portland ME18%
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Mechanicsburg (47%) is well clear of Portland at #10 (18%).
- Syracuse is the largest market in the top ten, with 285 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
Mechanicsburg PA
47%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 45
- Share of the city's jobs
- 47%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 96
Hiring most here: Gallagher Bassett, Gallagher, Arthur J. Gallagher
Based on 96 openings.
- 2
Harrisburg PA
29%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 48
- Share of the city's jobs
- 29%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 167
Hiring most here: Michels, Parsons, Capital Blue Cross
Based on 167 openings.
- 3
Syracuse NY
25%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 70
- Share of the city's jobs
- 25%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 285
Hiring most here: Upstate Medical University, Hidden Level, HII Mission Technologies
Based on 285 openings.
- 4
Conshohocken PA
22%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 19
- Share of the city's jobs
- 22%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 86
Hiring most here: Hamilton Lane, Skanska USA, Marsh McLennan
Based on 86 openings.
- 5
Manchester NH
21%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 23
- Share of the city's jobs
- 21%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 107
Hiring most here: BAE Systems, Allegro Microsystems, Eversource Energy
Based on 107 openings.
- 6
Worcester MA
21%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 21
- Share of the city's jobs
- 21%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 100
Hiring most here: Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Umass Memorial Health Care, Milford Regional Medical Center
Based on 100 openings.
- 7
Bronx NY
20%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 23
- Share of the city's jobs
- 20%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 114
Hiring most here: Bronxworks, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Argus Community
Based on 114 openings.
- 8
Morristown NJ
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 22
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 116
Hiring most here: Atlantic Health System, Crum & Forster, Sanofi-aventis Patient Assistance Foundation
Based on 116 openings.
- 9
Albany NY
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 48
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 259
Hiring most here: KPMG, New York State, Broadview Credit Union
Based on 259 openings.
- 10
Portland ME
18%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 26
- Share of the city's jobs
- 18%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 142
Hiring most here: Unum Group, BerryDunn, Springborn Staffing
Based on 142 openings.
- 11
Philadelphia PA
18%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 208
- Share of the city's jobs
- 18%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,143
Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Based on 1,143 openings.
- 12
Lancaster PA
17%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 20
- Share of the city's jobs
- 17%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 118
Hiring most here: Turner Construction, PNC Financial Services Group, Hearst
Based on 118 openings.
- 13
Framingham MA
15%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 22
- Share of the city's jobs
- 15%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 142
Hiring most here: Staples, Bose, TJX Companies
Based on 142 openings.
- 14
Allentown PA
15%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 23
- Share of the city's jobs
- 15%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 154
Hiring most here: PPL, Apci Credit Union, Thermo Fisher Scientific
Based on 154 openings.
- 15
Pittsburgh PA
15%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 154
- Share of the city's jobs
- 15%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,043
Hiring most here: PNC Financial Services Group, Highmark Health, UPMC
Based on 1,043 openings.
- 16
Hartford CT
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 29
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 204
Hiring most here: CVS HEALTH, Hartford HealthCare, Eversource Energy
Based on 204 openings.
- 17
Buffalo NY
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 44
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 317
Hiring most here: Moog Military Aircraft, University at Buffalo, Moog
Based on 317 openings.
- 18
Brooklyn NY
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 64
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 467
Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI
Based on 467 openings.
- 19
New Haven CT
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 24
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 178
Hiring most here: Yale University, Yale New Haven Health, Knights of Columbus
Based on 178 openings.
- 20
Rochester NY
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 52
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 389
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund, Rochester Institute of Technology
Based on 389 openings.
- 21
Burlington MA
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 20
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 151
Hiring most here: Veracode, Vericel, Tufts Medicine Care AT Home
Based on 151 openings.
- 22
New York NY
12%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 1,666
- Share of the city's jobs
- 12%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 13,453
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 13,453 openings.
- 23
Boston MA
12%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 390
- Share of the city's jobs
- 12%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 3,204
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Confidential, Veeva Systems
Based on 3,204 openings.
- 24
New York NY
12%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 92
- Share of the city's jobs
- 12%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 762
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 762 openings.
- 25
Newark NJ
12%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 36
- Share of the city's jobs
- 12%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 299
Hiring most here: Broadridge Financial Solutions, Amazon, Audible
Based on 299 openings.
Full ranking
All 38 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanicsburg PA | 47% | 96 |
| 2 | Harrisburg PA | 29% | 167 |
| 3 | Syracuse NY | 25% | 285 |
| 4 | Conshohocken PA | 22% | 86 |
| 5 | Manchester NH | 21% | 107 |
| 6 | Worcester MA | 21% | 100 |
| 7 | Bronx NY | 20% | 114 |
| 8 | Morristown NJ | 19% | 116 |
| 9 | Albany NY | 19% | 259 |
| 10 | Portland ME | 18% | 142 |
| 11 | Philadelphia PA | 18% | 1,143 |
| 12 | Lancaster PA | 17% | 118 |
| 13 | Framingham MA | 15% | 142 |
| 14 | Allentown PA | 15% | 154 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh PA | 15% | 1,043 |
| 16 | Hartford CT | 14% | 204 |
| 17 | Buffalo NY | 14% | 317 |
| 18 | Brooklyn NY | 14% | 467 |
| 19 | New Haven CT | 13% | 178 |
| 20 | Rochester NY | 13% | 389 |
| 21 | Burlington MA | 13% | 151 |
| 22 | New York NY | 12% | 13,453 |
| 23 | Boston MA | 12% | 3,204 |
| 24 | New York NY | 12% | 762 |
| 25 | Newark NJ | 12% | 299 |
| 26 | Andover MA | 12% | 109 |
| 27 | Stamford CT | 12% | 198 |
| 28 | Reading PA | 11% | 151 |
| 29 | Princeton NJ | 11% | 247 |
| 30 | Providence RI | 10% | 136 |
| 31 | White Plains NY | 10% | 146 |
| 32 | Somerville MA | 10% | 187 |
| 33 | Cambridge MA | 9% | 631 |
| 34 | King of Prussia PA | 9% | 255 |
| 35 | Waltham MA | 8% | 417 |
| 36 | Lexington MA | 8% | 162 |
| 37 | Parsippany NJ | 7% | 164 |
| 38 | Jersey City NJ | 7% | 362 |
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 northeast?
- Mechanicsburg leads the Northeast: 47% 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?
- 38 cities have at least 80 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 38 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 Northeast
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Northeast
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Northeast
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Northeast
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Northeast
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Northeast
- 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 Northeast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-northeast
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-northeast">Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the Northeast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
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