Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast
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 Corona, CA: 31%
- #2 Stockton, CA: 28%
- #3 Riverside, CA: 26%
- 53 cities ranked in the West Coast
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 10% across all cities in our data.
What stands out
- The lead is wide: Corona (31%) is well clear of Portland at #10 (19%).
- Portland is the largest market in the top ten, with 546 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
Corona CA
31%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 34
- Share of the city's jobs
- 31%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 108
Hiring most here: Monster Energy Company, Lubrizol, Gallagher
Based on 108 openings.
- 3
Riverside CA
26%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 31
- Share of the city's jobs
- 26%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 118
Hiring most here: Kaiser Permanente, Pyramid Global Hospitality
Based on 118 openings.
- 4
Glendale CA
26%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 33
- Share of the city's jobs
- 26%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 128
Hiring most here: Gallagher, Arthur J. Gallagher, Gallagher Bassett
Based on 128 openings.
- 5
Newark CA
23%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 24
- Share of the city's jobs
- 23%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 105
Hiring most here: Lucid Motors, Applied Industrial Technologies, Stratus Technologies
Based on 105 openings.
- 6
Beverly Hills CA
21%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 21
- Share of the city's jobs
- 21%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 101
Hiring most here: Fashion Nova, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, e.l.f. Beauty
Based on 101 openings.
- 7
Roseville CA
20%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 24
- Share of the city's jobs
- 20%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 120
Hiring most here: Adventist Health, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Juniper Networks
Based on 120 openings.
- 8
Oxnard CA
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 16
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 84
Hiring most here: Swarm Aero, Mercury Systems, Northrop Grumman
Based on 84 openings.
- 9
Anaheim CA
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 25
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 133
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Legrand North America
Based on 133 openings.
- 10
Portland OR
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 102
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 546
Hiring most here: Oregon Health & Science University, Legacy Health, Keen Footwear
Based on 546 openings.
- 11
Fresno CA
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 28
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 150
Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, University Of California San Francisco Foundation, Creative Financial Staffing
Based on 150 openings.
- 12
Orange CA
19%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 19
- Share of the city's jobs
- 19%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 102
Hiring most here: UC Irvine (incl. UCI Health), Alignment Healthcare, Foundation Risk Partners
Based on 102 openings.
- 13
Salem OR
18%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 15
- Share of the city's jobs
- 18%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 82
Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Garmin, Northwest Human Services
Based on 82 openings.
- 14
Santa Barbara CA
18%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 21
- Share of the city's jobs
- 18%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 117
Hiring most here: AppFolio, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Arthrex
Based on 117 openings.
- 15
Tacoma WA
17%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 16
- Share of the city's jobs
- 17%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 92
Hiring most here: Globe Main, TOTE Maritime
Based on 92 openings.
- 17
Oakland CA
15%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 63
- Share of the city's jobs
- 15%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 410
Hiring most here: Pacific Gas & Electric, Blue Shield of California, Fivetran
Based on 410 openings.
- 18
Pasadena CA
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 27
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 189
Hiring most here: California Institute Of Technology, Kaiser Permanente, East West Bank
Based on 189 openings.
- 19
Kent WA
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 14
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 99
Hiring most here: Stoke Space, Cowboy Space, Amazon
Based on 99 openings.
- 20
Santa Monica CA
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 30
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 214
Hiring most here: Amazon, Snap, FIGS
Based on 214 openings.
- 21
Santa Rosa CA
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 16
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 115
Hiring most here: Keysight Technologies
Based on 115 openings.
- 22
Renton WA
14%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 13
- Share of the city's jobs
- 14%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 95
Hiring most here: Hasbro, Providence Health & Services Washington, Michels
Based on 95 openings.
- 23
Sacramento CA
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 124
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 925
Hiring most here: Sutter Health, California Correctional Health Care Services, Nalu Medical
Based on 925 openings.
- 24
Carlsbad CA
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 31
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 232
Hiring most here: Viasat, L3HARRIS Technologies, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 232 openings.
- 25
Everett WA
13%
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 19
- Share of the city's jobs
- 13%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 146
Hiring most here: Helion Energy, Fortive, TerraPower
Based on 146 openings.
Full ranking
All 53 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Corona CA | 31% | 108 |
| 2 | Stockton CA | 28% | 86 |
| 3 | Riverside CA | 26% | 118 |
| 4 | Glendale CA | 26% | 128 |
| 5 | Newark CA | 23% | 105 |
| 6 | Beverly Hills CA | 21% | 101 |
| 7 | Roseville CA | 20% | 120 |
| 8 | Oxnard CA | 19% | 84 |
| 9 | Anaheim CA | 19% | 133 |
| 10 | Portland OR | 19% | 546 |
| 11 | Fresno CA | 19% | 150 |
| 12 | Orange CA | 19% | 102 |
| 13 | Salem OR | 18% | 82 |
| 14 | Santa Barbara CA | 18% | 117 |
| 15 | Tacoma WA | 17% | 92 |
| 16 | Spokane WA | 16% | 99 |
| 17 | Oakland CA | 15% | 410 |
| 18 | Pasadena CA | 14% | 189 |
| 19 | Kent WA | 14% | 99 |
| 20 | Santa Monica CA | 14% | 214 |
| 21 | Santa Rosa CA | 14% | 115 |
| 22 | Renton WA | 14% | 95 |
| 23 | Sacramento CA | 13% | 925 |
| 24 | Carlsbad CA | 13% | 232 |
| 25 | Everett WA | 13% | 146 |
| 26 | Walnut Creek CA | 13% | 111 |
| 27 | Berkeley CA | 12% | 179 |
| 28 | Vancouver WA | 12% | 99 |
| 29 | Los Angeles CA | 12% | 3,573 |
| 30 | Torrance CA | 11% | 571 |
| 31 | Irvine CA | 11% | 1,102 |
| 32 | Bellevue WA | 11% | 1,079 |
| 33 | Newport Beach CA | 11% | 196 |
| 34 | Redwood City CA | 10% | 345 |
| 35 | San Francisco CA | 10% | 8,984 |
| 36 | Kirkland WA | 10% | 120 |
| 37 | Santa Ana CA | 10% | 206 |
| 38 | Fremont CA | 10% | 361 |
| 39 | San Diego CA | 9% | 2,132 |
| 40 | San Jose CA | 9% | 1,804 |
| 41 | Milpitas CA | 8% | 197 |
| 42 | Seattle WA | 8% | 4,071 |
| 43 | Culver City CA | 8% | 169 |
| 44 | El Segundo CA | 7% | 685 |
| 45 | Long Beach CA | 7% | 671 |
| 46 | Palo Alto CA | 6% | 965 |
| 47 | San Mateo CA | 6% | 712 |
| 48 | Santa Clara CA | 5% | 1,086 |
| 49 | Redmond WA | 5% | 914 |
| 50 | Foster CA | 4% | 336 |
| 51 | Menlo Park CA | 4% | 341 |
| 52 | Sunnyvale CA | 4% | 1,201 |
| 53 | Mountain View CA | 3% | 1,194 |
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 west coast?
- Corona leads the West Coast: 31% of its jobs are in occupations that do not typically need a four-year degree, against 10% across all cities in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 53 cities have at least 80 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 53 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 West Coast
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the West Coast
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the West Coast
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the West Coast
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the West Coast
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the West Coast
- 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 West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-west-coast
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-where-the-most-jobs-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-west-coast">Cities where the biggest share of jobs do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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