By this measure, metro areas with the most stringent education requirements include Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C., San Jose, Calif., and metropolitan Washington, D.C. Areas where jobs are least likely to require college degrees tend to be found in the Sun Belt and regions with industries more tied to tourism or manufacturing.
Select a metro area to view its approximate education requirements, along with job totals and wage estimates for each occupation:
- Estimated education requirements do not reflect regional variations in typical requirements for the same occupations.
- The Labor Department does not publish employment and wage estimates for a limited number of occupations (not listed) within metro areas.
- For educational attainment for all adults within metro areas, see this table from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.