Cities with the most jobs that 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 San Francisco, CA: 902 jobs
- #2 Los Angeles, CA: 428 jobs
- #3 Seattle, WA: 316 jobs
- 47 cities ranked in the West Coast
- Data as of November 2026
- 1San Francisco CA902 jobs
- 2Los Angeles CA428 jobs
- 3Seattle WA316 jobs
- 4San Diego CA196 jobs
- 5San Jose CA162 jobs
- 6Irvine CA124 jobs
- 7Sacramento CA124 jobs
- 8Bellevue WA117 jobs
- 9Portland OR102 jobs
- 10Torrance CA65 jobs
What stands out
- The lead is wide: San Francisco (902 jobs) is well clear of Torrance at #10 (65 jobs).
- Portland reaches #9 on a sample of 546 jobs matched to an occupation, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- San Francisco is the largest market in the top ten, with 8,984 jobs matched to an occupation behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 60 jobs matched to an occupation are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
A four-year degree is not the only way into a professional job. Counting the openings in occupations that typically need less shows which cities have the most of them.
How to use it
If you do not have a four-year degree, the top cities show where the most such roles are. Big markets lead in the count, so read it with the share list.
The top 25
- 1
San Francisco CA
902 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 902
- Share of the city's jobs
- 10%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 8,984
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 8,984 openings.
- 2
Los Angeles CA
428 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 428
- Share of the city's jobs
- 12%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 3,573
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 3,573 openings.
- 3
Seattle WA
316 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 316
- Share of the city's jobs
- 8%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 4,071
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 4,071 openings.
- 4
San Diego CA
196 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 196
- Share of the city's jobs
- 9%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 2,132
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 2,132 openings.
- 5
San Jose CA
162 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 162
- Share of the city's jobs
- 9%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,804
Hiring most here: Super Micro Computer, Advanced Micro Devices, Cisco Systems
Based on 1,804 openings.
- 6
Irvine CA
124 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 124
- Share of the city's jobs
- 11%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,102
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, Field AI, Rivian Automotive
Based on 1,102 openings.
- 7
Sacramento CA
124 jobs
- 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.
- 8
Bellevue WA
117 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 117
- Share of the city's jobs
- 11%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,079
Hiring most here: Amazon, TerraPower, Okta
Based on 1,079 openings.
- 9
Portland OR
102 jobs
- 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.
- 10
Torrance CA
65 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 65
- Share of the city's jobs
- 11%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 571
Hiring most here: Divergent Technologies, Valar Atomics, Neros
Based on 571 openings.
- 11
Oakland CA
63 jobs
- 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.
- 12
Palo Alto CA
56 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 56
- Share of the city's jobs
- 6%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 965
Hiring most here: SpaceX, Rivian Automotive, Stanford Health Care
Based on 965 openings.
- 13
Santa Clara CA
55 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 55
- Share of the city's jobs
- 5%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,086
Hiring most here: Pure Storage, Advanced Micro Devices, Amazon
Based on 1,086 openings.
- 14
El Segundo CA
48 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 48
- Share of the city's jobs
- 7%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 685
Hiring most here: Chaos Industries, Radiant, Varda Space Industries
Based on 685 openings.
- 15
Long Beach CA
46 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 46
- Share of the city's jobs
- 7%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 671
Hiring most here: Relativity Space, Rocket Lab, Vast
Based on 671 openings.
- 16
Sunnyvale CA
44 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 44
- Share of the city's jobs
- 4%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,201
Hiring most here: Applied Intuition, Wayve, Amazon
Based on 1,201 openings.
- 19
Fremont CA
35 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 35
- Share of the city's jobs
- 10%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 361
Hiring most here: Agility Robotics, Coherent, LAM Research
Based on 361 openings.
- 20
Redwood City CA
35 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 35
- Share of the city's jobs
- 10%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 345
Hiring most here: Corcept Therapeutics, SB Energy, C3 AI
Based on 345 openings.
- 21
Corona CA
34 jobs
- 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.
- 22
Mountain View CA
33 jobs
- Jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- 33
- Share of the city's jobs
- 3%
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,194
Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google
Based on 1,194 openings.
- 23
Glendale CA
33 jobs
- 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.
- 24
Carlsbad CA
31 jobs
- 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
Riverside CA
31 jobs
- 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.
Full ranking
All 47 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco CA | 902 jobs | 8,984 |
| 2 | Los Angeles CA | 428 jobs | 3,573 |
| 3 | Seattle WA | 316 jobs | 4,071 |
| 4 | San Diego CA | 196 jobs | 2,132 |
| 5 | San Jose CA | 162 jobs | 1,804 |
| 6 | Irvine CA | 124 jobs | 1,102 |
| 7 | Sacramento CA | 124 jobs | 925 |
| 8 | Bellevue WA | 117 jobs | 1,079 |
| 9 | Portland OR | 102 jobs | 546 |
| 10 | Torrance CA | 65 jobs | 571 |
| 11 | Oakland CA | 63 jobs | 410 |
| 12 | Palo Alto CA | 56 jobs | 965 |
| 13 | Santa Clara CA | 55 jobs | 1,086 |
| 14 | El Segundo CA | 48 jobs | 685 |
| 15 | Long Beach CA | 46 jobs | 671 |
| 16 | Sunnyvale CA | 44 jobs | 1,201 |
| 17 | Redmond WA | 44 jobs | 914 |
| 18 | San Mateo CA | 41 jobs | 712 |
| 19 | Fremont CA | 35 jobs | 361 |
| 20 | Redwood City CA | 35 jobs | 345 |
| 21 | Corona CA | 34 jobs | 108 |
| 22 | Mountain View CA | 33 jobs | 1,194 |
| 23 | Glendale CA | 33 jobs | 128 |
| 24 | Carlsbad CA | 31 jobs | 232 |
| 25 | Riverside CA | 31 jobs | 118 |
| 26 | Santa Monica CA | 30 jobs | 214 |
| 27 | Fresno CA | 28 jobs | 150 |
| 28 | Pasadena CA | 27 jobs | 189 |
| 29 | Anaheim CA | 25 jobs | 133 |
| 30 | Bakersfield CA | 25 jobs | 77 |
| 31 | Roseville CA | 24 jobs | 120 |
| 32 | Newark CA | 24 jobs | 105 |
| 33 | Stockton CA | 24 jobs | 86 |
| 34 | Berkeley CA | 22 jobs | 179 |
| 35 | Newport Beach CA | 21 jobs | 196 |
| 36 | Santa Barbara CA | 21 jobs | 117 |
| 37 | Beverly Hills CA | 21 jobs | 101 |
| 38 | Santa Ana CA | 20 jobs | 206 |
| 39 | Everett WA | 19 jobs | 146 |
| 40 | Orange CA | 19 jobs | 102 |
| 41 | Milpitas CA | 16 jobs | 197 |
| 42 | Santa Rosa CA | 16 jobs | 115 |
| 43 | Spokane WA | 16 jobs | 99 |
| 44 | Tacoma WA | 16 jobs | 92 |
| 45 | Oxnard CA | 16 jobs | 84 |
| 46 | Modesto CA | 16 jobs | 70 |
| 47 | Salem OR | 15 jobs | 82 |
How this ranking works
A city's score is the number 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 15 such jobs and 60 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 60 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 with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the west coast?
- San Francisco has the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast: 902 jobs in our data.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 47 cities have at least 60 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 47 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A city's score is the number 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 15 such jobs and 60 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 with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Cities with the most jobs that do not need a four-year degree in the West Coast,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-with-the-most-jobs-that-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-west-coast
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/cities-with-the-most-jobs-that-do-not-need-a-four-year-degree-in-the-west-coast">Cities with the most jobs that 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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