The 10 Best College Towns In Colorado For 2022


Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our fifth time ranking the best college towns in Colorado.
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Believe it or not, America has the best colleges in the world. It's been proven by data (and surveys) that the U.S. educational system is of the highest quality

It's actually not even close and Colorado is home to a handful of them.

While we could debate which colleges within the are the 'best,' that's not the goal of this post.

Instead, ride along with us as we determine which college towns in Colorado are the best.

You know, the type of places where there's energy and stimulation, but the type of place you can walk around at night. 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.

Without further ado, here are the best college towns in Colorado for 2022.

The 10 Best College Towns In Colorado For 2022

  1. Denver, CO
  2. Durango, CO
  3. Fort Collins, CO
  4. Greeley, CO
  5. Boulder, CO
  6. Glenwood Springs, CO
  7. Colorado Springs, CO
  8. Aurora, CO
  9. Pueblo, CO
  10. Grand Junction, CO

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

And for those who live in Denver, Durango and Fort Collins - we tip our hats to you and we'll schedule a tour for next week. You can see where Denver ranks in terms of the best college town in America.

Read on to find out more or for more on Colorado check out:

The 10 Best College Towns In Colorado For 2022

Denver, CO
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 715,878
% Undergrad Pop.: 5.3% (9th best)
Median Rent: $1,397 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 434.1% (10th best)
Crime Rank: 15th best
More on Denver: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Metropolitan State University of Denver, University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus, Emily Griffith Technical College

Durango, CO
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 19,413
% Undergrad Pop.: 22.1% (4th best)
Median Rent: $1,297 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 345.5% (5th best)
Crime Rank: 14th best
More on Durango: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Fort Lewis College

Fort Collins, CO
Overall SnackAbility
7.5
/10

Population: 166,069
% Undergrad Pop.: 12.5% (6th best)
Median Rent: $1,373 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 597.6% (16th best)
Crime Rank: 6th best
More on Fort Collins: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Colorado State University-Fort Collins, IBMC College, Hair Dynamics Education Center

Greeley, CO
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 107,445
% Undergrad Pop.: 9.5% (7th best)
Median Rent: $1,063 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 562.7% (14th best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Greeley: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Northern Colorado, Aims Community College, Cheeks International Academy of Beauty Culture-Greeley

Boulder, CO
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 108,777
% Undergrad Pop.: 22.1% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $1,588 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 547.6% (13th best)
Crime Rank: 10th best
More on Boulder: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Colorado Boulder, Naropa University, Montessori Education Center of the Rockies

Glenwood Springs, CO
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 10,048
% Undergrad Pop.: 73.7% (best)
Median Rent: $1,178 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 312.8% (2nd best)
Crime Rank: 11th best
More on Glenwood Springs: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Beauty Academy

Colorado Springs, CO
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 471,686
% Undergrad Pop.: 1.9% (11th best)
Median Rent: $1,196 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 579.4% (15th best)
Crime Rank: 9th best
More on Colorado Springs: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Pikes Peak Community College, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado College

Aurora, CO
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 379,434
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.1% (14th best)
Median Rent: $1,401 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 515.8% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 12th best
More on Aurora: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Community College of Aurora, Everest College-Aurora, Pickens Technical College

Pueblo, CO
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 111,776
% Undergrad Pop.: 4.7% (10th best)
Median Rent: $826 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 768.4% (18th best)
Crime Rank: 17th best
More on Pueblo: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Colorado State University-Pueblo, Pueblo Community College, Colorado Technical University

Grand Junction, CO
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 62,218
% Undergrad Pop.: 8.2% (8th best)
Median Rent: $895 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 630.0% (17th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Grand Junction: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Colorado Mesa University, Intellitec College-Grand Junction, The Salon Professional Academy-Grand Junction

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

To crunch our data on Colorado's best college towns, we had to first decide which qualities (or rankings) make sense to use in the data, and then crunch the numbers for our rankings.

First off, we firmly decided that only cities with a 4 year college should make the cut -- so there has to be at least one college granting bachelors degrees in town.

You might be surprised to hear that there are only 14 places in Colorado with an institution of higher learning with that criteria.

Source of data include OpenStreetMaps, the College Scorecard, the U.S. Census, and FBI reporting data to include the following factors:

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

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

We rolled up the individual scores into the category and ranked them again based on the category.

Finally, we 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 Colorado For 2022".

And it looks like Denver placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

If you're looking for the best college towns in Colorado, 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.

For more reading, check out:

14 Best College Towns In Colorado

Rank City Population
1 Denver, CO 715878
2 Durango, CO 19413
3 Fort Collins, CO 166069
4 Greeley, CO 107445
5 Boulder, CO 108777
6 Glenwood Springs, CO 10048
7 Colorado Springs, CO 471686
8 Aurora, CO 379434
9 Pueblo, CO 111776
10 Grand Junction, CO 62218
11 Golden, CO 20391
12 Lakewood, CO 155733
13 Alamosa, CO 9360
14 Westminster, CO 114832

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?