The 101 Best College Towns In America For 2024

Believe it or not, America has the best colleges in the world. The data (and surveys) prove that the U.S. educational system is of the highest quality

It's not even close.

While we could debate which colleges within the United States are the 'best,' that's not the goal of this post. Depending on how you scrutinize the data, you could make that argument for about a dozen higher-level institutions.

Our goal with this data is a lot more fun.

We wanted to know which college towns are the best.

We used Saturday Night Science to find the places where there's energy and stimulation, but where you can walk around at night. Where sports fans thrive, but where kids graduate. The happiest, chillest, most downright fun places where you can send your kids off to college where you won't break the bank or worry about their well-being.

Yes, those places exist.

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Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

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The 10 Best College Towns In The US For 2024

1. Ann Arbor, MI
2. Fairfax, VA
3. East Lansing, MI
4. Chapel Hill, NC
5. Ogden, UT
6. Morgantown, WV
7. Bloomington, IN
8. Laramie, WY
9. Champaign, IL
10. Stillwater, OK

While some of these may not seem like a 'real' college town per se (hello, Seattle), when you look at the numbers, it's hard to argue against.

And for those who live in Morgantown, Laramie, and Iowa City - we tip our hats to you. There's nothing else to do within a three-hour drive from your college town, so at least you have this!

Finally, if you live in - it's officially the worst college town in America. Sorry, !

Read on to find out more.

How'd we figure out the best college towns in America?

To crunch our data on America's best college towns, we used Saturday Night Science to decide which qualities (or rankings) make sense to use in the data, and then crunch the numbers for our rankings. Now, we had to make some assumptions here, so bear with us as we explain the methodology, and ultimately, how we came up with our rankings.

First off, we firmly decided that only cities with a Division 1 basketball program should make the cut. That's because a college town just isn't the same without a strong sports vibe.

You might be surprised to hear that there are more than 300 Division 1 basketball programs in America, so we didn't leave out very many cities.

We also decided the basketball team had to be good, and that it had to be well supported. Because how good could a college town be with crummy sports teams that no one watches, right?

Beyond sourcing the NCAA Basketball statistical database, we also used OpenStreetMaps, the College Scorecard, the U.S. Census, and FBI reporting data to include the following factors:

• College-specific Factors
• Graduation rate
• Tuition Cost
• Student Body Diversity
• Quality Sports
• Basketball Games
• Basketball Team Win %
• Average Basketball Game Attendance
• Town Characteristics
• Students Make Up Large % of the Population
• Safety
• Affordability
• Income and Employment Opportunities
• Things to Do
• Bars
• Museums & Libraries
• Population Density

And, finally, if a city had more than one Division 1 basketball program, we combined both (or all of) their sports categories into one average score. Phew!

We ranked each city across each of the criteria, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across each category, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title "Best College Town In America".

Best College Towns In The United States For 2024

If you live in Michigan, there's a choice. Michigan or Michigan State.

While these two teams will continue to battle one another on the court or the field for a long time down the road, when it comes to bragging rights off the court, Michigan earned it, big time.

The Michigan men's basketball team is one of the best teams in the nation, as you very well know. A good basketball team has a way of making an entire community a better place.

But it's not just the sporting tradition that makes Ann Arbor shine. It's the 15th safest college town in America we measured, and Ann Arbor is in the top 5% when it comes to entertainment options per capita, too.

Nice job, Maize and Blue.

Colleges: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Community College, Concordia University-Ann Arbor

Would you have thought that the home of George Mason University, Columbia College and VIU would be the second best college town in America? Us either?

And by the way, VIU stands for Virginia International University.

Fairfax has it goin on when it comes to the actual university grade: the cost to attend, graduation rate, and quality of the universities in Fairfax.

Plus, there are more museums per capita in Fairfax than any other college town in America, and plenty of bars, too. Fairfax ranks 4th in the country for our 'entertainment score'.

So, while the sports teams struggle, the quality of life on and around campus more than makes up for it.

Colleges: George Mason University, Stratford University, Columbia College

While Michigan took top honors, it's rival down the road isn't too far behind. While Michigan has the 3rd best ranked sports program according to our metrics, MSU is 10th. (It has the 2nd highest winning percentage in the last 5 years.)

Michigan State ranks 8th in the country for graduation rate, and has a really low unemployment rate too, meaning lots of students stick around once they graduate. East Lansing is also the 10th safest college town in America, too.

The downside? MSU is far above average when it comes to tuition cost. Does that make a college town less 'awesome?' Maybe just a teeny bit.

Colleges: Michigan State University, Douglas J Aveda Institute, Michigan State University-College of Law

Having spent nearly four years living in Chapel Hill, the author of this post can attest to the quality of life in Chapel Hill. Not only is the basketball team the best in the nation (and very well supported), the quality of life on and around campus is amazing.

Franklin Street has bars on top of bars (literally), and plenty of places to eat and mingle. It's not a very diverse place, nor is it very affordable.

But in terms of charm, safety and lovability, Chapel Hill is pretty much the best college town you could call home.

It's A Great Day To Be A Tar Heel!

Colleges: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Aveda Institute-Chapel Hill

Colleges: Weber State University, Ogden-Weber Applied Technology College, Nightingale College

If you've ever been to Morgantown, you already know it - this place is an island in the middle of nowhere. Perhaps that's why there's so much jam packed in such a small area.

When it comes to quality of basketball and the attendance for games, UWV students have it made; the university ranks 8th in the nation for our sports score.

Other factors: An entertainment score that puts Morgantown in the top 15%.

Factors that bring Morgantown down - a lack of diversity, and a higher than average unemployment rate. But hey - it's cheap to live here!

Colleges: West Virginia University, West Virginia Junior College-Morgantown, Monongalia County Technical Education Center

There's two main reasons why Bloomington makes the top ten. Basketball and beer.

Game days are a huge deal in these parts, and practically everyone in town is at the game or has the game on. Now, when it comes to drinking, Bloomington is a real party town, too. There are only 10 other college towns in America with more kegs per student than right here in south central Indiana.

It's a relatively expensive degree, but just about everyone graduates.

Colleges: Indiana University-Bloomington, Tricoci University of Beauty Cuture LLC-Bloomington, Ivy Tech Community College-Bloomington

Say what Cowboys?

People in Wyoming are probably eyes wide open at this one. Sure, Laramie, like Morgantown, is an island among some of the most isolated (and boring) regions in the country. Which is why is likely ranks in the top 20% in the country for 'things to do' per capita.

But what really sets Laramie apart is the 'city characteristics' category, where it's 4th in America. It's relatively affordable, there are plenty of jobs (for residents), and crime is the 5th lowest in America.

It's not a very diverse place, and the basketball team is average (but the games are very well attended).

Frankly, there are FAR worse college towns within 1,000 miles of Laramie where you could spent 4 years, that's for sure.

Colleges: University of Wyoming, Wyotech-Laramie

Colleges: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Parkland College, Regency Beauty Institute-Champaign

Colleges: Oklahoma State University-Main Campus, Meridian Technology Center

There You Have It -- The Best College Towns In The US

If you're looking for the best college towns in America, you came to the right place. These places all have great college sports programs, tons of stuff to do, and are great places to raise a family.

The best college cities in the United States are Ann Arbor, MI, Fairfax, VA, East Lansing, MI, Chapel Hill, NC, Ogden, UT, Morgantown, WV, Bloomington, IN, Laramie, WY, Champaign, IL, and Stillwater, OK.

If you're curious, these are the worst college towns in America, starting with the absolute worst, Bakersfield:

1. Bakersfield, California - home of Cal State Bakersfield
2. Jackson, Mississippi - home of Jackson State University
3. Clarksville, Tennessee - home of Austin Peay University
4. Santonio, Texas - home of UT - San Antonio
5. Riverside, California - home of UC Riverside
6. Chattanooga, Tennessee - home of UT - Chattanooga
7. Indianapolis, Indiana - home of Butler University
8. Littlee Rock, Arkansas - home of UA Little Rock
9. Newark, NJ - home of Rutgers University
10. Akron, Ohio - home of the University of AkronLittl

For more reading, check out:

• Snobbiest Cities In America
• Poorest States In America
• Most Liberal Cities In America

101 Best College Towns In America

Rank	City	Population
1	Ann Arbor, MI	122,216
2	Fairfax, VA	24,242
3	East Lansing, MI	45,403
4	Chapel Hill, NC	58,919
5	Ogden, UT	86,754
6	Morgantown, WV	30,220
7	Bloomington, IN	79,006
8	Laramie, WY	31,735
9	Champaign, IL	88,628
10	Stillwater, OK	48,644
11	Manhattan, KS	54,287
12	Iowa City, IA	74,878
13	Seattle, WA	734,603
14	Buffalo, NY	276,688
15	Fort Myers, FL	88,699
16	New Brunswick, NJ	55,718
17	Omaha, NE	489,201
18	Towson, MD	57,617
19	Santa Barbara, CA	88,640
20	Provo, UT	114,400
21	Tempe, AZ	181,005
22	Williamsburg, VA	15,486
23	Tampa, FL	388,768
24	Moscow, ID	25,616
25	Logan, UT	53,246
26	Lincoln, NE	290,531
27	Madison, WI	268,516
28	Tucson, AZ	541,033
29	Ruston, LA	22,282
30	Evanston, IL	77,181
31	Cincinnati, OH	308,870
32	Murray, KY	17,414
33	Lawrence, KS	95,103
34	Albany, NY	99,692
35	Berkeley, CA	121,385
36	Atlanta, GA	494,838
37	Fayetteville, AR	95,022
38	Providence, RI	189,715
39	Boston, MA	665,945
40	Normal, IL	52,920
41	Tallahassee, FL	198,259
42	Boulder, CO	106,598
43	Salt Lake City, UT	201,269
44	Pittsburgh, PA	303,843
45	Washington, DC	670,587
46	Bowling Green, OH	30,157
47	Columbia, MO	126,172
48	Vermillion, SD	11,667
49	Ithaca, NY	31,359
50	Radford, VA	16,379
51	Dayton, OH	137,305
52	Harrisonburg, VA	51,784
53	Thibodaux, LA	15,738
54	Syracuse, NY	146,134
55	Orlando, FL	307,738
56	Brookings, SD	23,530
57	San Diego, CA	1,383,987
58	Nacogdoches, TX	32,148
60	Reno, NV	265,196
61	Kent, OH	27,336
62	Las Vegas, NV	644,835
63	Fresno, CA	541,528
64	Lynchburg, VA	79,166
65	Green Bay, WI	106,846
66	Huntington, WV	46,637
67	Corvallis, OR	60,050
68	Boca Raton, FL	97,980
69	Macomb, IL	15,207
70	Durham, NC	284,094
71	Wichita, KS	395,951
72	Durham, NH	10,789
73	Fullerton, CA	142,280
74	Lubbock, TX	258,190
75	Ames, IA	66,265
76	Fort Collins, CO	168,758
77	Ypsilanti, MI	20,204
78	Columbus, OH	902,449
79	Milwaukee, WI	573,299
80	Eugene, OR	176,755
81	Denton, TX	142,262
82	Norman, OK	127,701
83	San Luis Obispo, CA	47,529
84	San Marcos, TX	67,143
85	Poughkeepsie, NY	31,717
86	Charleston, SC	149,960
87	Philadelphia, PA	1,593,208
88	Norfolk, VA	236,973
89	Las Cruces, NM	111,273
90	Carbondale, IL	22,039
91	Charleston, IL	17,795
92	Arlington, TX	393,469
93	Albuquerque, NM	562,551
94	New Haven, CT	135,736
95	Auburn, AL	76,660
96	Portland, OR	646,101
97	Lafayette, LA	121,706
98	Missoula, MT	74,627
99	Knoxville, TN	191,857
100	Greensboro, NC	297,202
101	Binghamton, NY	47,617