Best College Towns in America (2025)

High school seniors face a laundry list of tasks when getting ready for college. Between standardized tests, essays and financial-aid applications, the final months before orientation can be difficult. One of the most important steps in the process is the campus visit, which often includes a tour of the city or town that will serve as the student’s home for the next several years.

In addition to its curriculum and social environment, a college’s geographical location can also have an impact on a student’s academic success and personal development. As student living expenses can reach over $36,000 for a 12-month period, students should try to find the most bang for their buck. Therefore, it’s best for students to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, as well as one that provides good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college.

To help prospective college students narrow down their school choices following the release of 2026’s College & University Rankings, WalletHub compared more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes based on 31 key indicators of academic, social and economic opportunities for students. The data set ranges from the cost of living and the crime rate to the quality of higher education in the city.

Top 5 College Towns in America

1. Austin, TX
2. Ann Arbor, MI
3. Orlando, FL
4. Tampa, FL
5. Raleigh, NC

“Picking the right college is crucial, but it’s also important to make sure that the surrounding college town will be a place where you’ll truly love spending your college years. Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college.”

Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst

Overall Ranking

Best College Towns & Cities

Cost of Living for Young People

Lowest

• 1. Brownsville, TX
• 2. Springfield, MO
• 3. Lansing, MI
• 4. Jackson, MS
• 5. Cleveland, OH

Highest

• T-372. Santa Clara, CA
• T-372. San Francisco, CA
• T-372. Santa Monica, CA
• T-372. Sunnyvale, CA
• T-372. Stanford, CA

Best City vs. Worst City: 3x Difference

Brownsville, TX vs. Stanford, CA

Share of Rental Units

Highest

• 1. Isla Vista, CA
• 2. Statesboro, GA
• 3. New Brunswick, NJ
• 4. Boone, NC
• 5. Newark, NJ

Lowest

• 410. Pearland, TX
• 411. Sterling Heights, MI
• T-412. Cape Coral, FL
• T-412. Rio Rancho, NM
• T-412. Port St. Lucie, FL

Best City vs. Worst City: 6x Difference

Isla Vista, CA vs. Port St. Lucie, FL

Cost of Higher Education

Lowest

• 1. Laredo, TX
• 2. Asheville, NC
• 3. Valdosta, GA
• 4. Gainesville, FL
• 5. Cedar Falls, IA

Highest

• 222. Ithaca, NY
• T-223. New Haven, CT
• T-223. Medford, MA
• 225. Coral Gables, FL
• 226. Evanston, IL

Best City vs. Worst City: 4x Difference

Laredo, TX vs. Evanston, IL

Students per Capita

Most

• T-1. Stony Brook University, NY
• T-1. Storrs, CT
• T-1. Isla Vista, CA
• T-1. Stanford, CA
• T-1. Durham, NH

Fewest

• 411. Vancouver, WA
• 412. Kansas City, KS
• 413. Fort Lauderdale, FL
• 414. Scottsdale, AZ
• 415. Cape Coral, FL

Best City vs. Worst City: 27x Difference

Stony Brook University, NY vs. Cape Coral, FL

Share of Part-Time Jobs

Highest

• 1. Stony Brook University, NY
• 2. Storrs, CT
• 3. Isla Vista, CA
• 4. Durham, NH
• 5. Amherst Town, MA

Lowest

• 411. McKinney, TX
• 412. Alexandria, VA
• 413. Miramar, FL
• 414. Arlington, VA
• 415. Pearland, TX

Best City vs. Worst City: 5x Difference

Stony Brook University, NY vs. Pearland, TX

Brain Drain

Lowest

• 1. Stony Brook University, NY
• 2. Boone, NC
• 3. Miramar, FL
• 4. Huntsville, TX
• 5. Huntington, WV

Highest

• 411. Whitewater, WI
• 412. Blacksburg, VA
• 413. Charleston, IL
• T-414. Stanford, CA
• T-414. Rexburg, ID

Quality of Higher Education

Highest

• 1. Princeton, NJ
• 2. New Haven, CT
• 3. Cambridge, MA
• 4. Pasadena, CA
• 5. Evanston, IL

Lowest

• 238. Columbus, GA
• 239. Montgomery, AL
• 240. Savannah, GA
• 241. Baton Rouge, LA
• 242. Jackson, MS

Best City vs. Worst City: 2x Difference

Princeton, NJ vs. Jackson, MS

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In-Depth Look at the Top College Towns for 2026

Austin, TX

Austin, TX holds the crown as the top college town of 2026, home to schools like the University of Texas at Austin, Huston-Tillotson University, St. Edward’s University and Concordia University. Austin also has a great economic environment, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. and the 27th-best annual job growth rate, allowing students to easily find work while in school or helping them transition to a job immediately after.

In addition, Austin has a very high number of attractions, sports clubs and shopping centers to help students destress after class, and it has one of the lowest average pizza prices in the U.S. The city’s schools also enable students to pursue or watch Division 1 basketball, baseball, soccer and football, among other sports.

On top of that, Austin ranks 18th in the nation for the quality of higher education among more than 400 cities in our study. It also has the 85th-cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board), at $31,433 per year.

Ann Arbor, MI

The second-best college town is Ann Arbor, MI, known for the University of Michigan. The city’s schools rank 10th in the nation for educational quality, and the average cost of a year with in-state tuition plus room and board is $34,782. While that’s still a lot, it’s a great deal lower than the over $91,000 per year you can expect to pay in the most expensive cities.

Ann Arbor also has a lot of students – 348 out of every 1,000 residents – which allows young people to more easily build friendships and communities. There’s a less than 4% difference in the gender balance between students, too, the 27th-best ratio among the more than 400 cities in our study.

Finally, Ann Arbor offers access to NCAA Division 1 basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey and football, among other sports. And if you want to grab a slice while watching a game, the city has the third-lowest average pizza price in the U.S.

Orlando, FL

Orlando is the third-best college town in the country, and its most notable school is the University of Central Florida. Despite being a big city, Orlando has the 14th-cheapest tuition (including room and board) for in-state students, at just $24,668 per year. It also has high-quality education, ranking 54th among the more than 400 cities in our study for school quality.

Unsurprisingly, Orlando also provides a ton of enrichment for students outside of class, boasting an especially high number of attractions, sports clubs, shopping centers, food trucks and coffee shops per capita. Students can also play or watch NCAA Division 1 basketball, soccer and football, among other sports.

In addition, Orlando has a great economy, with one of the lowest unemployment rates and 16th-highest job growth rates in the nation, so it’s a great place to stay and work even after graduation.

Ranking by City Size

Ask the Experts

Colleges and universities drive their surrounding areas culturally, economically and intellectually, making those places an ideal place to live for both students and nonstudents. We asked a panel of experts to share their insight and advice on the various roles of college towns. Click on the experts’ profiles to read their bios and responses to the following key questions:

1. In deciding which university to attend, how important is the surrounding city/town?
2. Are college cities/towns a good option for retirees? What about families?
3. How can parents prepare their children for managing finances in college (student loans, credit cards, etc.)?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of going to college in-state versus out-of-state?
5. How can local authorities make their cities/towns more appealing to both new students and potential residents?

Ask the Experts

Philip G. Altbach
Monan University Professor Emeritus and Distinguished Fellow, Center for International Higher Education - Boston College
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Penny A. Pasque
Ph.D. – Professor, Higher Education & Student Affairs, Department of Educational Studies, College of Education and Human Ecology - The Ohio State University
Read More

Mark M. D'Amico
Ph.D. – Professor of Higher Education - UNC Charlotte | Cato College of Education | Dept. of Educational Leadership
Read More

Molly Ott
Ph.D. – Associate Professor, Higher & Postsecondary Education, Arizona State University
Read More

Dr. Mark Fabrizi
Professor, Secondary Education and Education Department Chair – Eastern Connecticut State University
Read More

Karen Menke Paciorek
Ph.D. – Professor Emeritus, Early Childhood Education – Eastern Michigan University
Read More

More Experts

Methodology

In order to determine the best college towns and cities in America, WalletHub examined 415 cities of varying sizes across three key dimensions: 1) Wallet Friendliness, 2) Social Environment and 3) Academic & Economic Opportunities.

We evaluated those three key dimensions using 31 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 representing the most favorable conditions for college students. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we used the square root of the population to calculate the population size in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.

Finally, we determined each town and city’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.

In this report, including the above tables, “cities” refers to both cities and towns for simplicity. We limited our selection of cities to those with a university or college population of at least 7,500 students. Some cities that met the college-population criterion were excluded from the analysis due to lack of available data. The cities were categorized based on the following population-size guidelines:

• Large Cities: More than 300,000 people
• Midsize Cities: 125,000 to 300,000 people
• Small Cities: Fewer than 125,000 people

Please note that we considered only the city proper in each case and excluded any cities in the surrounding metro area.

Wallet Friendliness – Total Points: 25

• Housing Costs: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the price of a two-bedroom apartment rental.
• Adjusted Cost of Living for Young People: Double Weight (~6.67 Points)
• Share of Rental Units: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
• Average Monthly Fitness-Club Fee: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Average Cost of Pizza & Burgers: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Movie & Bowling Cost: Half Weight (~1.67 Points)
• Cost of Higher Education: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the average tuition fee weighted by the number of students.
• Student Loan Debt per Person: Full Weight (~3.33 Points)

Social Environment – Total Points: 25

• Students per Capita: Double Weight (~3.03 Points)
• Share of Population Aged 18 to 35: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Share of Single People: Half Weight (~0.76 Points)
• Student Gender Balance: Half Weight (~0.76 Points)
• Nightlife Options per Capita*: Double Weight (~3.03 Points)
• Cafés per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Breweries per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Food Trucks per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Shopping Centers per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Sports Clubs per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Presence of NCAA Division 1 Sport Teams: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
  Note: This binary metric measures the presence or absence of a NCAA Division 1 sport team in a city.
• City Accessibility: Half Weight (~0.76 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the share of workers who bike, walk or use public transportation.
• Festivals per Capita*: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Number of Attractions: Full Weight (~1.52 Points)
• Crime Rate: Double Weight (~3.03 Points)

Academic & Economic Opportunities – Total Points: 50

• Quality of Higher Education: Triple Weight (~13.64 Points)
• Earning Potential for College Graduates: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the median earnings of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Share of Part-Time Jobs: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
• Median Income of Part-Time Workers: Double Weight (~9.09 Points)
• Unemployment Rate: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
• Entrepreneurial Activity: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the four-year average net change in the number of businesses per capita.
• Brain Drain: Full Weight (~4.55 Points)
  Note: This metric measures the annual change in the share of the population holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.
• Job-Growth Rate (2021-2024): Full Weight (~4.55 Points)

 
Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected as of September 23, 2025 from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Center for Education Statistics, Numbeo, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, TransUnion, TripAdvisor, AreaVibes, Yelp and WalletHub research.

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