The 2019 Best College Towns in America
Who says you have to be a student to live in (and love!) a college town?
We ranked the Top 50 Best College Towns in the U.S. based on public schools, cost of living, job opportunities, crime, and local amenities as part of our 2019 Best Places to Live in America.
See where your favorite college town ranks!
Rank | City | State | Town Population | Town's Overall Niche Grade | Affordability Grade | Associated College |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rank
1
|
City
Ann Arbor
|
State
Michigan
|
Town Population
119,303
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
|
Rank
2
|
City
Berkeley
|
State
California
|
Town Population
120,179
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
D+
|
Associated College
University of California - Berkeley
|
Rank
3
|
City
Evanston
|
State
Illinois
|
Town Population
75,557
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C
|
Associated College
Northwestern University
|
Rank
4
|
City
Cambridge
|
State
Massachusetts
|
Town Population
110,893
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
|
Rank
5
|
City
Newton
|
State
Massachusetts
|
Town Population
88,479
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Boston College
|
Rank
6
|
City
Princeton
|
State
New Jersey
|
Town Population
30,722
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Princeton University
|
Rank
7
|
City
Hanover
|
State
New Hampshire
|
Town Population
11,428
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Dartmouth College
|
Rank
8
|
City
Granville
|
State
Ohio
|
Town Population
5,721
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
Denison University
|
Rank
9
|
City
Davidson
|
State
North Carolina
|
Town Population
12,325
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B-
|
Associated College
Davidson College
|
Rank
10
|
City
Irvine
|
State
California
|
Town Population
256,877
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
D
|
Associated College
University of California - Irvine
|
Rank
11
|
City
Chapel Hill
|
State
North Carolina
|
Town Population
59,234
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C
|
Associated College
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
|
Rank
12
|
City
Richardson
|
State
Texas
|
Town Population
111,055
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
University of Texas - Dallas
|
Rank
13
|
City
Lawrence
|
State
Kansas
|
Town Population
93,954
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
University of Kansas
|
Rank
14
|
City
Druid Hills
|
State
Georgia
|
Town Population
13,895
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C
|
Associated College
Emory University
|
Rank
15
|
City
Blacksburg
|
State
Virginia
|
Town Population
44,079
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C
|
Associated College
Virginia Tech
|
Rank
16
|
City
Ames
|
State
Iowa
|
Town Population
65,005
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
Iowa State University
|
Rank
17
|
City
Williamstown
|
State
Massachusetts
|
Town Population
7,623
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
Williams College
|
Rank
18
|
City
Manhattan
|
State
Kansas
|
Town Population
55,427
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
Kansas State University
|
Rank
19
|
City
Iowa City
|
State
Iowa
|
Town Population
73,415
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B-
|
Associated College
University of Iowa
|
Rank
20
|
City
Gambier
|
State
Ohio
|
Town Population
2,493
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
A-
|
Associated College
Kenyon College
|
Rank
21
|
City
State College
|
State
Pennsylvania
|
Town Population
42,224
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Penn State
|
Rank
22
|
City
Wellesley
|
State
Massachusetts
|
Town Population
29,004
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Wellesley College
|
Rank
23
|
City
Madison
|
State
Wisconsin
|
Town Population
248,856
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B-
|
Associated College
University of Wisconsin
|
Rank
24
|
City
Boulder
|
State
Colorado
|
Town Population
106,271
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
D+
|
Associated College
University of Colorado - Boulder
|
Rank
25
|
City
Hamilton
|
State
New York
|
Town Population
4,015
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
Colgate University
|
Rank
26
|
City
Coral Gables
|
State
Florida
|
Town Population
50,909
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
University of Miami
|
Rank
27
|
City
Auburn
|
State
Alabama
|
Town Population
61,462
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
Auburn University
|
Rank
28
|
City
University Heights
|
State
Ohio
|
Town Population
13,201
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
John Carroll University
|
Rank
29
|
City
Fayetteville
|
State
Arkansas
|
Town Population
81,889
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
University of Arkansas
|
Rank
30
|
City
Oberlin
|
State
Ohio
|
Town Population
8,317
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
A-
|
Associated College
Oberlin College
|
Rank
31
|
City
Columbia
|
State
Missouri
|
Town Population
118,620
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
University of Missouri
|
Rank
32
|
City
East Lansing
|
State
Michigan
|
Town Population
48,281
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
Michigan State University
|
Rank
33
|
City
Claremont
|
State
California
|
Town Population
35,949
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
D+
|
Associated College
Pomona College
|
Rank
34
|
City
College Station
|
State
Texas
|
Town Population
107,445
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
Texas A&M University
|
Rank
35
|
City
Northfield
|
State
Minnesota
|
Town Population
20,297
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
B+
|
Associated College
Carleton College
|
Rank
36
|
City
Fort Collins
|
State
Colorado
|
Town Population
159,150
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Colorado State University
|
Rank
37
|
City
Decorah
|
State
Iowa
|
Town Population
7,850
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
A-
|
Associated College
Luther College
|
Rank
38
|
City
Charlottesville
|
State
Virginia
|
Town Population
46,487
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
C+
|
Associated College
University of Virginia
|
Rank
39
|
City
Norman
|
State
Oklahoma
|
Town Population
119,820
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
B+
|
Associated College
Moore Norman Technology Center
|
Rank
40
|
City
Pullman
|
State
Washington
|
Town Population
32,382
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Washington State University
|
Rank
41
|
City
Corvallis
|
State
Oregon
|
Town Population
56,224
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Oregon State University
|
Rank
42
|
City
Tempe
|
State
Arizona
|
Town Population
178,339
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
C
|
Associated College
Arizona State University
|
Rank
43
|
City
Gainesville
|
State
Florida
|
Town Population
129,394
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
B-
|
Associated College
University of Florida
|
Rank
44
|
City
Champaign
|
State
Illinois
|
Town Population
85,710
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
B
|
Associated College
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
|
Rank
45
|
City
Houghton
|
State
Michigan
|
Town Population
7,882
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
B-
|
Associated College
Michigan Technological University
|
Rank
46
|
City
Bloomington
|
State
Indiana
|
Town Population
83,636
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
B-
|
Associated College
Indiana University - Bloomington
|
Rank
47
|
City
Ithaca
|
State
New York
|
Town Population
30,720
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
C-
|
Associated College
Cornell University
|
Rank
48
|
City
Williamsburg
|
State
Virginia
|
Town Population
14,817
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A+
|
Affordability Grade
C
|
Associated College
College of William & Mary
|
Rank
49
|
City
San Luis Obispo
|
State
California
|
Town Population
46,997
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
D+
|
Associated College
Laurus College
|
Rank
50
|
City
Kings Point
|
State
New York
|
Town Population
5,181
|
Town's Overall Niche Grade
A
|
Affordability Grade
D+
|
Associated College
United States Merchant Marine Academy
|
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