Industries where the fewest jobs need a four-year degree
Key facts
- #1 Retail & E-commerce, Industry: 74%
- #2 Construction & Real Estate, Industry: 74%
- #3 Transportation & Logistics, Industry: 75%
- 16 industries ranked across all industries
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 86% across all industries.
- 1Retail & E-commerce Industry74%
- 2Construction & Real Estate Industry74%
- 3Transportation & Logistics Industry75%
- 4Agriculture & Food Production Industry78%
- 5Government & Public Sector Industry79%
- 6Media & Entertainment Industry81%
- 7Professional Services & Consulting Industry83%
- 8Education & EdTech Industry84%
- 9Financial Services & Banking Industry85%
- 10Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry86%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Retail & E-commerce leads on 74%, and #10 Healthcare & Hospital Systems is at 86%.
- Agriculture & Food Production reaches #4 on a sample of 1,670 jobs matched to an occupation, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- Financial Services & Banking is the largest market in the top ten, with 21,518 jobs matched to an occupation behind its figure.
- Industries with fewer than 1,000 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 job families and industries hire almost entirely for four-year-degree occupations, and others have many roles open to people without one. The share shows which is which.
How to use it
If you do not have a four-year degree, the lower end shows where more of the openings are within reach. If you do, the upper end shows where your degree is most often the way in.
The top 25
- 1
Retail & E-commerce Industry
74%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 10,832
- Jobs that do not
- 3,886
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 14,718
Based on 14,718 openings.
- 2
Construction & Real Estate Industry
74%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 2,703
- Jobs that do not
- 942
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 3,645
Based on 3,645 openings.
- 3
Transportation & Logistics Industry
75%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 3,592
- Jobs that do not
- 1,175
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 4,767
Based on 4,767 openings.
- 4
Agriculture & Food Production Industry
78%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 1,308
- Jobs that do not
- 362
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 1,670
Based on 1,670 openings.
- 5
Government & Public Sector Industry
79%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 4,905
- Jobs that do not
- 1,301
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 6,206
Based on 6,206 openings.
- 6
Media & Entertainment Industry
81%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 4,215
- Jobs that do not
- 996
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 5,211
Based on 5,211 openings.
- 7
Professional Services & Consulting Industry
83%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 10,395
- Jobs that do not
- 2,073
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 12,468
Based on 12,468 openings.
Professional Services & Consulting jobs, employers and outlook
- 8
Education & EdTech Industry
84%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 7,311
- Jobs that do not
- 1,409
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 8,720
Based on 8,720 openings.
- 9
Financial Services & Banking Industry
85%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 18,198
- Jobs that do not
- 3,320
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 21,518
Based on 21,518 openings.
- 10
Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry
86%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 18,200
- Jobs that do not
- 2,883
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 21,083
Based on 21,083 openings.
- 11
Nonprofit & Social Impact Industry
87%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 3,917
- Jobs that do not
- 573
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 4,490
Based on 4,490 openings.
- 12
Manufacturing & Industrial Industry
89%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 29,359
- Jobs that do not
- 3,667
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 33,026
Based on 33,026 openings.
- 13
Technology & Software Industry
89%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 50,368
- Jobs that do not
- 6,123
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 56,491
Based on 56,491 openings.
- 14
Energy & Utilities Industry
90%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 6,436
- Jobs that do not
- 680
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 7,116
Based on 7,116 openings.
- 15
Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry
91%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 7,672
- Jobs that do not
- 803
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 8,475
Based on 8,475 openings.
- 16
Aerospace & Defense Industry
94%
- Jobs that need a four-year degree
- 14,201
- Jobs that do not
- 934
- Jobs matched to an occupation
- 15,135
Based on 15,135 openings.
Full ranking
All 16 industries that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | Industry | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail & E-commerce Industry | 74% | 14,718 |
| 2 | Construction & Real Estate Industry | 74% | 3,645 |
| 3 | Transportation & Logistics Industry | 75% | 4,767 |
| 4 | Agriculture & Food Production Industry | 78% | 1,670 |
| 5 | Government & Public Sector Industry | 79% | 6,206 |
| 6 | Media & Entertainment Industry | 81% | 5,211 |
| 7 | Professional Services & Consulting Industry | 83% | 12,468 |
| 8 | Education & EdTech Industry | 84% | 8,720 |
| 9 | Financial Services & Banking Industry | 85% | 21,518 |
| 10 | Healthcare & Hospital Systems Industry | 86% | 21,083 |
| 11 | Nonprofit & Social Impact Industry | 87% | 4,490 |
| 12 | Manufacturing & Industrial Industry | 89% | 33,026 |
| 13 | Technology & Software Industry | 89% | 56,491 |
| 14 | Energy & Utilities Industry | 90% | 7,116 |
| 15 | Pharmaceuticals & Biotech Industry | 91% | 8,475 |
| 16 | Aerospace & Defense Industry | 94% | 15,135 |
How this ranking works
A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles, among those we could match to an occupation, whose occupation typically needs a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree (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. The industry is the one our crawler assigns to the employer. Only industries with at least 1,000 matched jobs are ranked. Our board is professional roles, so every share is high compared with the whole economy.
Sample bar: industries with fewer than 1,000 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 industry ranks first: industries where the fewest jobs need a four-year degree?
- Retail & E-commerce has the lowest share: 74% of its jobs are in occupations that typically need a four-year degree, against 86% across all industries.
- How many industries are ranked?
- 16 industries have at least 1,000 jobs matched to an occupation, so the list has 16 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A industry's score is the share of its open professional roles, among those we could match to an occupation, whose occupation typically needs a bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree (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. The industry is the one our crawler assigns to the employer. Only industries with at least 1,000 matched jobs are ranked. Our board is professional roles, so every share is high compared with the whole economy.
- 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
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Industries where the fewest jobs need a four-year degree,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-where-the-fewest-jobs-need-a-four-year-degree
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/industries-where-the-fewest-jobs-need-a-four-year-degree">Industries where the fewest jobs need a four-year degree (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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