- A list from the American Institute for Economic Research ranked top college towns.
- It looked to economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors.
- Boulder, Colorado was the top-ranked town.
Boulder, Colorado, is the top-ranked college town in the US, according to a list from the American Institute for Economic Research.
The city of roughly 200,000 (for its metro area population) earned the top spot thanks to its accessibility – more than 20% of commuters take public transportation or cycle around Boulder Creek Corridor – and diverse and educated population. Boulder also has an active bar-and-restaurant scene, with plenty of coffee shops and microbreweries.
AIER compiled its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. It defines college towns as having fewer than 250,000 residents.
Aside from the overall ranking, we included cities’ individual scores for noteworthy metrics including rent, earnings, and bars and restaurants. We chose the one metric where the city scored the highest out of the nine.
Scroll through to find out the 20 best college towns.
20. Bellingham, Washington — home of Western Washington University
Metro area population: 208,832
College student population in the metro area: 24,926
No. 4 in arts and entertainment
19. La Crosse, Wisconsin — home of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse
Metro area population: 136,824
College student population in the metro area: 16,081
No. 1 in youth unemployment
18. Jacksonville, North Carolina — home of the University of Mount Olive
Metro area population: 186,684
College student population in the metro area: 15,297
No. 3 in rent
17. Blacksburg, Virginia — home of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech)
Metro area population: 180,649
College student population in the metro area: 41,438
No. 3 in bars and restaurants
16. Rochester, Minnesota — home of the University of Minnesota at Rochester
Metro area population: 170,519
College student population in the metro area: 11,363
No. 4 in rent
15. State College, Pennsylvania — home of Pennsylvania State University
Metro area population: 159,341
College student population in the metro area: 39,577
No. 5 in bars and restaurants
14. Athens, Georgia — home of the University of Georgia
Metro area population: 159,341
College student population in the metro area: 39,577
No. 5 in bars and restaurants
13. Fargo, North Dakota — home of North Dakota State University
Metro area population: 167,166
College student population in the metro area: 21,346
No. 1 in rent
12. Lafayette, Indiana — the metropolitan area is home to Purdue University
Metro area population: 212,704
College student population in the metro area: 44,252
No. 2 in innovation
11. Charlottesville, Virginia — home of the University of Virginia
Metro area population: 227,179
College student population in the metro area: 26,327
No. 3 in youth unemployment
10. Bloomington, Illinois — home of Illinois State University
Metro area population: 189,628
College student population in the metro area: 25,689
No. 2 in arts and entertainment
9. Columbia, Missouri — home of the University of Missouri
Metro area population: 172,738
College student population in the metro area: 32,287
No. 4 in labor force
8. Manhattan, Kansas — home of Kansas State University
Metro area population: 98,643
College student population in the metro area: 17,537
No. 5 in labor force
7. College Station, Texas — home of Texas A&M University
Metro area population: 242,453
College student population in the metro area: 58,018
No. 1 in bars and restaurants
6. Bloomington, Indiana — home of Indiana University at Bloomington
Metro area population: 163,726
College student population in the metro area: 41,211
No. 2 bars and restaurants
5. Iowa City, Iowa — home of the University of Iowa
Metro area population: 164,043
College student population in the metro area: 33,358
No. 3 in college educated
4. Ithaca, New York — home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
Metro area population: 104,592
College student population in the metro area: 28,164
No. 2 in college educated
3. Flagstaff, Arizona — home of Northern Arizona University
Metro area population: 138,039
College student population in the metro area: 24,832
No. 1 in diversity
2. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois — home of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Metro area population: 207,584
College student population in the metro area: 47,895
No. 1 in city access
1. Boulder, Colorado
Metro area population: 199,129
College student population in the metro area: 31,958
No. 1 in innovation
