The 101 Best College Towns In America For 2026

Everybody has an opinion about the best college in America. We wanted to know something more fun: which college towns are the best.

You know the type of place. Where there's always something going on, but you can still walk around at night. Where the arena is packed on game day, but the kids still graduate. Where you can send your kids off to school without breaking the bank or worrying about their well-being.

We used Saturday Night Science to rank 232 college towns with a Division I basketball team on sports, safety, cost, the quality of the colleges, and things to do. West Lafayette, IN came out on top.

The 10 Best College Towns In America For 2026

West Lafayette, IN
Fairfax, VA
Charlottesville, VA
Ann Arbor, MI
Madison, WI
Champaign, IL
Chapel Hill, NC
East Lansing, MI
Honolulu, HI
Bloomington, IN

Finishing last out of 232 is Bakersfield, CA, home of CSU Bakersfield.

For more reading, check out:

No. 1 college town in America

West Lafayette, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Qsthomson | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	Purdue University-Main Campus
D1 men's basketball	Purdue (30-9)
Avg. home attendance	14,876
Undergrads	44,503 (99 per 100 residents)
Population	45,159
Median rent	$1,225
Graduation rate	74%
Cost to attend (per year)	$24,591

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West Lafayette is Purdue, and Purdue is West Lafayette. The university enrolls 44,503 undergrads in a town of 45,159, so students are just about the whole population. The Boilermakers went 30-9 and drew 14,876 fans a game to Mackey Arena, and West Lafayette has the 23rd-lowest crime rate of the 232 college towns we ranked. It doesn't win any one category. It's just good at all of them.

No. 2 college town in America

Fairfax, VA

Source: Wikipedia User | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	George Mason University
D1 men's basketball	George Mason (23-10)
Avg. home attendance	4,056
Undergrads	27,752 (111 per 100 residents)
Population	25,026
Median rent	$2,245
Graduation rate	76%
Cost to attend (per year)	$28,604

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Fairfax, home of George Mason, might be the best college town most people have never thought of as a college town. George Mason ranks 9th for student body diversity, and Fairfax finishes 6th for things to do, with more museums and libraries per person than almost anywhere on the list. The Patriots went 23-10. The catch is rent: the median is $2,245 a month, one of the highest of any town we ranked.

No. 3 college town in America

Charlottesville, VA

Source: Wikipedia User Billy Hathorn | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	University of Virginia-Main Campus
D1 men's basketball	Virginia (30-6)
Avg. home attendance	12,885
Undergrads	17,597 (39 per 100 residents)
Population	45,437
Median rent	$1,540
Graduation rate	94%
Cost to attend (per year)	$39,926

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UVA has the best graduation rate in our top ten -- about 94% of students finish -- and the Cavaliers went 30-6 while drawing 12,885 fans a game. Add the Downtown Mall and a 11th finish for things to do, and Charlottesville is an easy pick. The downsides? It's the most expensive school in the top ten at $39,926 a year, and crime ranks just 162nd.

No. 4 college town in America

Ann Arbor, MI

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

Colleges	University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Washtenaw Community College
D1 men's basketball	Michigan (37-3)
Avg. home attendance	12,545
Undergrads	41,993 (34 per 100 residents)
Population	122,036
Median rent	$1,649
Graduation rate	67%
Cost to attend (per year)	$23,240

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Ann Arbor was our No. 1 college town the last time we ran these numbers, and it's still near the top. Michigan went 37-3, the 2nd-best record of any college town in America. What keeps it out of first is the city side of things: median rent is $1,649, which ranks 186th of 232.

No. 5 college town in America

Madison, WI

Source: Wikipedia User Dori | GFDL

Colleges	University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Area Technical College
D1 men's basketball	Wisconsin (24-11)
Avg. home attendance	15,230
Undergrads	46,975 (17 per 100 residents)
Population	278,001
Median rent	$1,413
Graduation rate	66%
Cost to attend (per year)	$24,056

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Madison is one of two state capitals in our top ten, and at 278,001 people it's the second-biggest city in the group, behind Honolulu. It has the 5th-lowest unemployment rate of any town we ranked, and the Badgers drew 15,230 fans a game to the Kohl Center on the way to a 24-11 season. State Street does the rest.

No. 6 college town in America

Champaign, IL

Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL

Colleges	University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
D1 men's basketball	Illinois (28-9)
Avg. home attendance	14,919
Undergrads	36,258 (40 per 100 residents)
Population	89,996
Median rent	$1,123
Graduation rate	86%
Cost to attend (per year)	$33,642

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Illinois went 28-9 and packed the State Farm Center with 14,919 fans a game. Champaign also ranks 13th for graduation rate, and the median rent is a very reasonable $1,123. If there's a knock on it, it's that our numbers don't find a lot to do off campus -- it ranks 107th for things to do.

No. 7 college town in America

Chapel Hill, NC

Source: Wikipedia User Caroline Culler (User:Wgreaves) | GFDL

Colleges	University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
D1 men's basketball	North Carolina (24-9)
Avg. home attendance	19,499
Undergrads	20,752 (34 per 100 residents)
Population	61,607
Median rent	$1,613
Graduation rate	90%
Cost to attend (per year)	$26,055

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Chapel Hill's arena is always full. The Tar Heels averaged 19,499 fans a game, the 2nd-highest attendance of any town we ranked, and went 24-9. UNC also has one of the best graduation rates in the country at about 90%. Franklin Street handles the rest.

No. 8 college town in America

East Lansing, MI

Source: Wikipedia User The original uploader was Jeffness at English Wikipedia | CC BY-SA 2.5

Colleges	Michigan State University
D1 men's basketball	Michigan St. (27-8)
Avg. home attendance	14,797
Undergrads	40,922 (89 per 100 residents)
Population	45,758
Median rent	$1,171
Graduation rate	84%
Cost to attend (per year)	$32,198

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Michigan gets two towns in the top ten. East Lansing has 40,922 undergrads in a city of 45,758, the 29th-lowest crime rate on the list, and a Spartans team that went 27-8. Michigan State's cost to attend ($32,198) and a lack of diversity are what keep it behind Ann Arbor.

No. 9 college town in America

Honolulu, HI

Source: Public Domain

Colleges	University of Hawaii at Manoa
D1 men's basketball	Hawaii (24-9)
Avg. home attendance	5,045
Undergrads	15,029 (4 per 100 residents)
Population	345,482
Median rent	$1,823
Graduation rate	65%
Cost to attend (per year)	$26,433

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Honolulu is the biggest surprise in the top ten. It isn't a college town in the traditional sense, but the University of Hawaii brings plenty of students to a city with lots to do and relatively low crime -- it ranks 50th of 232. The Rainbow Warriors went 24-9. You'll pay for it, though: median rent is $1,823.

No. 10 college town in America

Bloomington, IN

Source: Wikipedia User Yahala | CC BY-SA 3.0

Colleges	Indiana University-Bloomington
D1 men's basketball	Indiana (18-14)
Avg. home attendance	15,677
Undergrads	37,806 (47 per 100 residents)
Population	80,049
Median rent	$1,200
Graduation rate	76%
Cost to attend (per year)	$28,801

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Indiana's second town in the top ten comes down to basketball and bars. The Hoosiers drew 15,677 fans a game even in a 18-14 season, and Bloomington ranks 15th for bars per person. It's also one of the more affordable towns near the top, with median rent at $1,200.

Saturday Night Science

How we determined the best college towns in America

First, we decided that only cities with a Division I men's basketball team would make the cut. A college town just isn't the same without a sports scene. There are 361 Division I programs, so that doesn't leave out many places. We also required a college with more than 5,000 undergrads and a town of at least 5,000 people, which left us with 232 college towns.

Then we ranked every town on four categories:

Sports: the basketball team's winning percentage, the number of home games, and average home attendance for the 2025-26 season
The town: unemployment rate, median rent, crime per capita, and undergrads as a share of the population
The colleges: graduation rate, the average cost to attend, and student body diversity
Things to do: bars, museums and libraries per capita, and population density

If a town has more than one Division I team, we combined their records and attendance.

We ranked each town on every measure, averaged those ranks into a score for each category, and then averaged the categories. The town with the best overall score is the best college town in America.

Our data comes from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (enrollment, graduation rates, cost, and diversity), the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 American Community Survey, the FBI's 2024 crime report, and the NCAA's 2025-26 statistics and attendance records. We left out colleges that are online-only or mostly online, since their students don't actually live in town. A handful of towns don't report crime to the FBI, so we gave them the average.

We updated this article for 2026. This is our eleventh time ranking the best college towns in America.

Summary

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

If you're looking for the best college towns in America, West Lafayette, IN is where to start.

The best college towns in America are West Lafayette, IN, Fairfax, VA, Charlottesville, VA, Ann Arbor, MI, Madison, WI, Champaign, IL, Chapel Hill, NC, East Lansing, MI, Honolulu, HI, and Bloomington, IN.

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best college town in America for 2026?

West Lafayette, IN is the best college town in America for 2026, followed by Fairfax, VA and Charlottesville, VA.

How did you rank the best college towns in America?

We looked at every city with a Division I men's basketball team and a college with more than 5,000 undergrads, then ranked them on sports, city characteristics, college characteristics, and things to do. The town with the best average rank is number one.

What is the worst college town in America?

Bakersfield, CA ranks last of the 232 college towns we ranked in America for 2026.

The 101 Best College Towns In America For 2026

Rank	City	D1 Team	Population	Undergrads	Median Rent
1	West Lafayette, IN	Purdue	45,159	44,503	$1,225
2	Fairfax, VA	George Mason	25,026	27,752	$2,245
3	Charlottesville, VA	Virginia	45,437	17,597	$1,540
4	Ann Arbor, MI	Michigan	122,036	41,993	$1,649
5	Madison, WI	Wisconsin	278,001	46,975	$1,413
6	Champaign, IL	Illinois	89,996	36,258	$1,123
7	Chapel Hill, NC	North Carolina	61,607	20,752	$1,613
8	East Lansing, MI	Michigan St.	45,758	40,922	$1,171
9	Honolulu, HI	Hawaii	345,482	15,029	$1,823
10	Bloomington, IN	Indiana	80,049	37,806	$1,200
11	Tempe, AZ	Arizona St.	188,065	76,342	$1,743
12	Berkeley, CA	California	120,257	33,068	$2,133
13	Fayetteville, AR	Arkansas	99,319	28,677	$1,065
14	Stillwater, OK	Oklahoma St.	49,269	21,773	$947
15	Logan, UT	Utah St.	54,907	20,272	$1,149
16	Tampa, FL	South Fla.	401,618	69,251	$1,701
17	Tucson, AZ	Arizona	547,073	56,779	$1,145
18	Ames, IA	Iowa St.	67,669	25,367	$1,023
19	Morgantown, WV	West Virginia	30,236	17,385	$937
20	Normal, IL	Illinois St.	53,569	19,057	$965
21	Seattle, WA	Seattle U, Washington	754,195	31,942	$2,030
22	Laramie, WY	Wyoming	32,234	7,944	$925
23	Towson, MD	Towson	58,679	16,136	$1,764
24	Notre Dame, IN	Notre Dame	6,890	8,818	$1,258
25	Pullman, WA	Washington St.	32,229	21,099	$1,062
26	Lincoln, NE	Nebraska	294,856	25,951	$1,086
27	Athens, GA	Georgia	127,345	32,137	$1,219
28	Lawrence, KS	Kansas	96,051	21,217	$1,091
29	Storrs, CT	UConn	15,207	19,835	$1,678
30	Blacksburg, VA	Virginia Tech	45,446	30,923	$1,359
31	Iowa City, IA	Iowa	75,752	22,264	$1,094
32	St. Louis, MO	Saint Louis	288,512	25,806	$997
33	New Brunswick, NJ	Rutgers	56,345	37,751	$1,814
34	Washington, DC	Howard, George Washington, American, Georgetown	681,294	36,125	$1,954
35	College Station, TX	Texas A&M	124,570	59,615	$1,194
36	Boca Raton, FL	Fla. Atlantic	100,234	23,757	$2,508
37	College Park, MD	Maryland	34,540	30,760	$1,912
38	Orlando, FL	UCF	319,758	98,632	$1,747
39	Raleigh, NC	NC State	481,031	47,046	$1,572
40	Providence, RI	Providence, Brown	191,767	12,275	$1,408
41	Ogden, UT	Weber St.	87,413	16,360	$1,216
42	Stanford, CA	Stanford	18,662	7,554	$1,976
43	Manhattan, KS	Kansas St.	54,239	15,142	$1,003
44	Omaha, NE	Omaha, Creighton	488,837	20,263	$1,187
45	Murray, KY	Murray St.	18,080	6,688	$870
46	Columbus, OH	Ohio St.	914,802	63,187	$1,295
47	Boulder, CO	Colorado	106,433	40,443	$2,018
48	Williamsburg, VA	William & Mary	15,798	7,055	$1,407
49	Kent, OH	Kent St.	27,116	19,320	$991
50	Albuquerque, NM	New Mexico	562,218	32,447	$1,145
51	Santa Barbara, CA	UC Santa Barbara	87,779	33,002	$2,413
52	Clemson, SC	Clemson	18,072	23,300	$1,007
53	Moscow, ID	Idaho	26,286	7,747	$927
54	Cincinnati, OH	Cincinnati, Xavier	311,224	35,549	$1,001
55	Harrisonburg, VA	James Madison	51,392	20,888	$1,184
56	Pittsburgh, PA	Duquesne, Pittsburgh	304,759	42,568	$1,261
57	Fort Collins, CO	Colorado St.	170,229	25,538	$1,690
58	Corvallis, OR	Oregon St.	59,960	30,743	$1,391
59	Bowling Green, OH	Bowling Green	29,983	12,812	$897
60	Syracuse, NY	Syracuse	146,384	15,477	$1,039
61	Cedar Falls, IA	UNI	40,888	7,529	$1,203
62	Provo, UT	BYU	114,766	32,952	$1,193
63	Gainesville, FL	Florida	145,702	46,751	$1,296
64	Reno, NV	Nevada	273,212	23,280	$1,556
65	Evanston, IL	Northwestern	76,340	9,201	$1,762
66	Atlanta, GA	Georgia Tech, Georgia St.	505,268	66,399	$1,711
67	Jacksonville, AL	Jacksonville St.	14,437	7,036	$820
68	Tallahassee, FL	Florida St., Florida A&M	201,875	50,847	$1,293
69	Highland Heights, KY	Northern Ky.	6,444	8,246	$1,144
70	Davis, CA	UC Davis	66,978	32,253	$2,187
71	Ithaca, NY	Cornell	32,814	15,995	$1,447
72	Fort Myers, FL	FGCU	95,051	24,926	$1,580
73	Coral Gables, FL	Miami (FL)	49,802	12,913	$2,373
74	Nacogdoches, TX	SFA	32,197	8,728	$964
75	Vermillion, SD	South Dakota	11,878	5,439	$764
76	San Luis Obispo, CA	Cal Poly	48,491	29,176	$1,965
77	Wichita, KS	Wichita St.	397,945	10,780	$975
78	Wilmington, NC	UNCW	120,805	24,686	$1,395
79	Ruston, LA	Louisiana Tech	22,284	8,312	$816
80	Denton, TX	North Texas	152,866	43,108	$1,420
81	Portland, OR	Portland St., Portland	641,165	32,713	$1,655
82	Boston, MA	Harvard, Boston U., Northeastern	666,442	63,166	$2,147
83	Tuscaloosa, AL	Alabama	111,038	33,227	$1,055
84	San Marcos, TX	Texas St.	70,897	36,177	$1,322
85	New Haven, CT	Yale	134,349	13,053	$1,488
86	Green Bay, WI	Green Bay	106,253	12,045	$932
87	Troy, AL	Troy	17,716	9,805	$922
88	Bethlehem, PA	Lehigh	77,956	13,565	$1,382
89	Dayton, OH	Dayton, Wright St.	136,579	27,752	$918
90	Columbia, MO	Missouri	128,548	23,929	$1,097
91	Greenville, SC	Furman	72,935	8,916	$1,312
92	Austin, TX	Texas	979,539	73,044	$1,729
93	Charleston, SC	Col. of Charleston, Charleston So., The Citadel	154,338	21,070	$1,722
94	Boise, ID	Boise St.	237,242	17,674	$1,446
95	New Britain, CT	Central Conn. St.	74,223	41,467	$1,253
96	Stony Brook, NY	Stony Brook	12,868	18,101	$3,501
97	Buffalo, NY	Buffalo, Canisius	276,854	31,308	$1,046
98	Norman, OK	Oklahoma	129,672	22,734	$1,090
99	Irvine, CA	UC Irvine	311,690	40,483	$2,997
100	Auburn, AL	Auburn	80,594	26,816	$1,098
101	Tulsa, OK	Tulsa, Oral Roberts	413,794	12,228	$1,052