The best college town or city for students in every US state

Austin, Texas, was ranked as the best college town in the US in a WalletHub study. A WalletHub study ranked over 400 college locations across the US. It ranked college towns and larger cities on affordability, social scene, and academic prospects. Austin was ranked as the best place for students in the US, with Ann Arbor and Orlando following. Where a student attends college can shape their experience as much as academics, athletics, and campus life do. Beyond being the backdrop for college memories, a school's setting often determines what students do outside class and the opportunities and experiences they have access to as they pursue their degrees. In a study released last October, WalletHub analyzed more than 400 college towns across the US — defined as cities with college populations over 7,500 students — in three categories: wallet-friendliness, social environment, and academic and economic opportunity. While some states had many of their college locations listed — California had 90 locations on the list, and Florida took up five of the top 15 spots — others were barely represented, and Maine had no entries at all. The analysis considered factors such as housing and education costs, the share of residents ages 18 to 35, nightlife and dining options, higher education quality, and graduates' earning potential to determine each location's rank. The study used data from federal agencies, including the US Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Center for Education Statistics, as well as from companies such as TransUnion, TripAdvisor, and Yelp, along with other WalletHub research. For this list, we took the highest-ranked place in each US state to determine the best college town or city in every state. ALABAMA: /iStockphoto National rank (in WalletHub's report): #52 Schools: University of Alabama in Huntsville; Alabama A&M University Huntsville's college scene is closely tied to the city's aerospace and research economy. Home to the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Alabama A&M University, it was Alabama's top-ranked city in the WalletHub study, ranking 52nd among college towns nationwide. ALASKA: National rank: #191 School: University of Alaska Anchorage Urban yet outdoorsy, Anchorage and its unique natural setting make for Alaska's best college town. The city, home to the University of Alaska Anchorage, has a rich outdoor scene, with snowy mountains in the background and access to hiking trails. ARIZONA: Tempe Tempe, Arizona. National rank: #6 School: Arizona State University Shaped by Arizona State University's student life, Tempe ranked sixth among the best college towns in the US. The city has a bustling downtown and nightlife scene, and sports energize the local population. ARKANSAS: /iStockphoto National rank: #139 School: University of Arkansas With a lively downtown, an energetic SEC sports culture, and access to the natural landscapes of the Ozarks, Fayetteville ranked as Arkansas's best college town, in part thanks to its high wallet-friendliness score in the study. CALIFORNIA: National rank: #21 School: California State University, Sacramento Sacramento, which ranked 19th nationwide for its social environment, offers students opportunities beyond academics in areas such as government, policy, and healthcare. COLORADO: National rank: #48 School: Colorado State University With a classic college-town feel, Fort Collins offers students a lively culture, with breweries and outdoor activities shaping student life beyond the classroom. CONNECTICUT: New Haven New Haven, Connecticut. National rank: #20 School: Yale University New Haven, Connecticut, the home of Yale University, ranked 20th among the best college towns in the US. Casual eateries, student neighborhoods, and a historic campus give the town its distinct student identity. DELAWARE: Newark Newark, National rank: #54 School: University of Delaware Newark, Delaware, offers a student experience shaped by a vibrant, walkable Main Street and a campus-centered layout. The city came 20th nationwide in the study's social environment rank, which considered factors such as students per capita, student gender balance, and nightlife options, cafés, and sports clubs per capita. FLORIDA: National rank: #3 School: University of Central Florida Orlando ranked as the third-best college town in the US and was the highest-ranking in Florida, despite fierce competition in the state, which had five cities ranking within the top 15. The city ranked sixth nationwide for its social environment, with students benefiting from a major metro setting shaped by entertainment, hospitality, healthcare, and tourism. GEORGIA: National rank: #7 Schools: Georgia Tech; Georgia State University; Emory University; Spelman College; Morehouse College Atlanta ranked second nationwide in social environment, reflecting its rich nightlife, sports, and dining scenes, as well as major employers and a large student network across the city. The city, considered a major education hub in the Southeast, is also home to renowned HBCUs, such as Spelman College and Morehouse College. HAWAII: National rank: #129 School: University of Hawaii at Mānoa In WalletHub's study, Honolulu ranked first nationwide for its social environment, offering students access to beaches, island culture, and a setting unlike any other college location in the study. IDAHO: Boise Boise, Idaho. /iStockphoto National rank: #23 School: Boise State University With the main campus sitting close to downtown and the Boise River, students in Boise, Idaho, have access to city life, outdoor recreation, and a growing local economy. ILLINOIS: Champaign Champaign is home to over 59,000 students at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. National rank: #28 School: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Located 2.5 hours from Chicago, the city of Champaign is ranked the 28th-best college town in the US. The city's character is shaped by its student population, with a lively downtown scene and close connection to the city of Urbana defining the campus experience. INDIANA: National rank: #25 School: Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana, is home to Purdue University, which shapes much of the city's daily life, from student housing and a widespread research culture to athletics and game-day traditions. IOWA: National rank: #116 School: Iowa State University Ames, Iowa, with its classic college-town feel, has a strong research focus and a local culture anchored in Iowa State University student life. KANSAS: National rank: #106 School: University of Kansas Lawrence, home to the University of Kansas, is known for its local sports, downtown, and arts scenes, and ranks highest in the wallet-friendliness category. KENTUCKY: National rank: #98 School: University of Louisville Louisville, Kentucky, ranked 98th among US college towns and was the highest-ranked city in the state. Home to the University of Louisville, the city offers a large urban setting for students, with sports, healthcare, restaurants, and tourism shaping life beyond campus. LOUISIANA: National rank: #168 Schools: Tulane University; University of New Orleans Beyond its rich local culture, New Orleans is also home to major schools such as Tulane University and the University of New Orleans. New Orleans offers a lively social environment, with music, food, festivals, and tourism shaping the student experience. MAINE: /iStockphoto School: University of Southern Maine While no Maine college town made WalletHub's ranking, Niche's 2026 Best College Locations lists Portland as the best college town in the state, based on "key statistics and student reviews." Portland, which is home to the University of Southern Maine, offers students a coastal city setting with a strong food scene, arts and culture, and easy access to the waterfront. The city's student experience is shaped by its walkable downtown, independent shops and restaurants, and proximity to beaches, islands, and outdoor recreation. MARYLAND: National rank: #196 Schools: Johns Hopkins University; University of Maryland, Baltimore Home to Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, as well as other smaller schools, student life in Baltimore across campuses is closely tied to medicine, research, and the arts. MASSACHUSETTS: National rank: #37 Schools: Harvard University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a prestigious educational hub, home to institutions such as Harvard University and MIT. Cambridge ranked 37th among the best college towns in the US and was the highest-ranking in the state. The city ranked fifth nationwide for academic and economic opportunities, reflecting its high concentration of top institutions, innovative startups, and ambitious research. MICHIGAN: Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is the home to the University of Michigan. National rank: #2 School: University of Michigan The second-best college town in the US, Ann Arbor, is home to the University of Michigan. The city's downtown, restaurants, arts scene, and Big Ten sports culture are closely tied to the university, and the city ranked highly for social environment and academic and economic opportunities. MINNESOTA: National rank: #35 School: University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Minneapolis's large urban setting offers lively music, nightlife, and sports scenes, with the lakes providing a natural landscape that contributed to the city's high ranking in the social environment category. MISSISSIPPI: National rank: #64 School: Mississippi State University Home to Mississippi State University, Starkville is shaped by its strong SEC football culture, and its highest ranking in the study was for wallet friendliness. MISSOURI: St. National rank: #33 School: Lindenwood University Located 20 miles outside St. Louis, St. Charles is home to the private Lindenwood University and is known for its historic riverfront and easy access to the broader St. Louis area. MONTANA: National rank: #55 School: University of Montana Missoula has a mountain-town feel, with river trails, breweries, music, and outdoor recreation shaping student life. NEBRASKA: Omaha Omaha, Nebraska. National rank: #110 Schools: University of Nebraska Omaha; Creighton University Local healthcare and finance help anchor job opportunities in Omaha, while sports and restaurants shape the student experience. NEVADA: /iStockphoto National rank: #8 School: University of Nevada, Reno Ranked as the eighth-best college town in the US, Reno offers a strong social environment for students with proximity to Lake Tahoe, outdoor activities, festivals, and casinos shaping life there. NEW HAMPSHIRE: /iStockphoto National rank: #328 School: University of New Hampshire at Manchester Manchester, which is home to the University of New Hampshire at Manchester, offers students a small urban setting and access to southern New Hampshire's job market. NEW JERSEY: National rank: #159 School: Princeton University Princeton offers a classic college-town experience for students, with the historic university setting and a compact downtown shaping its campus-centered identity. NEW MEXICO: National rank: #112 School: University of New Mexico Albuquerque is home to the University of New Mexico and offers a mountain setting with food, arts, and breweries defining the local student life. NEW YORK: National rank: #44 Schools: SUNY's University at Buffalo and Buffalo State University Buffalo offers a multi-campus student experience, with sports culture and food shaping life for locals. The city ranked highly for both its social environment and wallet friendliness. NORTH CAROLINA: Raleigh Raleigh is home to North Carolina State University. Raleigh is home to North Carolina State University. National rank: #5 School: North Carolina State University The North Carolina capital offers access to state government jobs and the Research Triangle economy, which connects to nearby Durham and Chapel Hill. NORTH DAKOTA: National rank: #30 School: North Dakota State University Fargo stood out in the study for wallet friendliness. A growing downtown gives students access to restaurants, bars, and arts venues as part of the local lifestyle. OHIO: /iStockphoto National rank: #24 School: Ohio State University Ohio's capital city, Columbus, combines a huge Big Ten campus with a capital-city economy, and sports, nightlife, and a large young-professional population define life for students and locals. OKLAHOMA: National rank: #49 School: Oklahoma State University Located an hour outside the state's capital, Stillwater, home to Oklahoma State University, is ranked highly for wallet-friendliness in the study and offers a classic college-town experience for students. OREGON: National rank: #113 Schools: Portland State University; University of Portland; Reed College; Lewis & Clark College An education hub on the West Coast, Portland was the highest-rated in the state, despite its low affordability. The city ranked highly in the study's social environment ranking, in part thanks to its lively food, music, and coffee-shop scenes, as well as its transit-friendliness and access to parks. PENNSYLVANIA: Pittsburgh Pittsburgh. National rank: #11 School: University of Pittsburgh; Carnegie Mellon University Ranked 11th among college towns in the US, Pittsburgh offers students access to major research opportunities and a lively sports culture, and ranks third-highest nationwide in the study's social environment ranking. RHODE ISLAND: /iStockphoto National rank: #147 Schools: Brown University; Providence College The capital of Rhode Island is also its best college town, according to the WalletHub study. A compact city, Providence is known for a vibrant arts scene, restaurants, historic neighborhoods, and several campuses close to downtown. SOUTH CAROLINA: National rank: #19 School: College of Charleston Ranked as the 19th-best college town in the US, Charleston ranked ninth nationwide for its social environment, thanks in part to its historic coastal setting, restaurants, beaches, and tourism-driven local energy. SOUTH DAKOTA: /iStockphoto National rank: #93 Schools: Augustana University; University of Sioux Falls Sioux Falls offers students a regional hub with healthcare, finance, parks, and a growing downtown. TENNESSEE: National rank: #46 School: University of Tennessee, Knoxville Knoxville, Tennessee, is the 46th-best college town in the US and the highest-ranking in the state. Student life in the city is shaped by SEC sports, live music, a lively downtown riverfront, and access to the Great Smoky Mountains. TEXAS: National rank: #1 School: University of Texas at Austin Named the best college town in the US in WalletHub's study, Austin offers students a mix of university life, music, tech, food, nightlife, outdoor spaces, and strong academic and economic opportunities. UTAH: Salt National rank: #17 School: University of Utah Salt Lake City offers students an urban setting with quick access to outdoor activities, such as skiing and hiking, as well as opportunities in healthcare and tech, and it performed especially well in the study's social environment ranking. VERMONT: /iStockphoto National rank: #236 School: University of Vermont Despite being ranked 236th in the country, Burlington is Vermont's highest-ranked college town in the WalletHub study. The city has a classic New England college-town feel and offers rich local music and food scenes as well as outdoor recreation. VIRGINIA: Charlottesville Charlottesville, Virginia. National rank: #9 School: University of Virginia Charlottesville ranked highly in the study for both academic and economic opportunities and social environment, with historic architecture, restaurants, wineries, music, and access to the Blue Ridge mountains shaping the student experience. WASHINGTON: National rank: #16 School: University of Washington Seattle, home to the University of Washington, offers students access to strong tech and healthcare sectors, as well as coffee shops, music, and water views. WEST VIRGINIA: National rank: #74 School: West Virginia University Morgantown, home to West Virginia University, ranked highly in the study's social environment and wallet-friendliness rankings, with sports, hilly Appalachian scenery, and a lively student scene. WISCONSIN: /iStockphoto National rank: #18 School: University of Wisconsin—Madison Madison blends student life at the flagship university with a state capital setting, offering students lake views, bike paths, farmers markets, and a lively downtown lined with bars and eateries. WYOMING: Laramie Laramie is home to over 10,000 University of Wyoming students. /iStockphoto National rank: #27 School: University of Wyoming Home to the University of Wyoming, Laramie is anchored by the school's campus and was ranked highly in the study's wallet-friendliness rank. Read the original article on Business Insider

Read it at Business Insider ↗

← Front page