- 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.
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The 20 best college towns in America
Did your college town make the cut?
Boulder, Colorado, won top billing. Read on to see which other college towns made the cut.
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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.
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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
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No. 4 in arts and entertainment
19. La Crosse, Wisconsin — home of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse
: 136,824
College student population in the metro area: 16,081
No. 1 in youth unemployment
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18. Jacksonville, North Carolina — home of the University of Mount Olive
: 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)
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: 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
: 170,519
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College student population in the metro area: 11,363
No. 4 in rent
15. State College, Pennsylvania — home of Pennsylvania State University
: 159,341
College student population in the metro area: 39,577
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No. 5 in bars and restaurants
14. Athens, Georgia — home of the University of Georgia
: 159,341
College student population in the metro area: 39,577
No. 5 in bars and restaurants
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13. Fargo, North Dakota — home of North Dakota State University
: 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
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: 212,704
College student population in the metro area: 44,252
No. 2 in innovation
11. Charlottesville, Virginia — home of the University of Virginia
: 227,179
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College student population in the metro area: 26,327
No. 3 in youth unemployment
10. Bloomington, Illinois — home of Illinois State University
: 189,628
College student population in the metro area: 25,689
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No. 2 in arts and entertainment
9. Columbia, Missouri — home of the University of Missouri
: 172,738
College student population in the metro area: 32,287
No. 4 in labor force
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8. Manhattan, Kansas — home of Kansas State University
: 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
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: 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
: 163,726
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College student population in the metro area: 41,211
No. 2 bars and restaurants
5. Iowa City, Iowa — home of the University of Iowa
: 164,043
College student population in the metro area: 33,358
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No. 3 in college educated
4. Ithaca, New York — home of Cornell University and Ithaca College
: 104,592
College student population in the metro area: 28,164
No. 2 in college educated
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3. Flagstaff, Arizona — home of Northern Arizona University
: 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
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: 207,584
College student population in the metro area: 47,895
No. 1 in city access
1. Boulder, Colorado
: 199,129
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College student population in the metro area: 31,958
No. 1 in innovation
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