The 10 Best College Towns In Connecticut For 2022


Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2022. This is our fifth time ranking the best college towns in Connecticut.
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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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut for 2022.

The 10 Best College Towns In Connecticut For 2022

  1. New Haven, CT
  2. Storrs, CT
  3. Willimantic, CT
  4. Groton, CT
  5. Bridgeport, CT
  6. Stamford, CT
  7. Middletown, CT
  8. New London, CT
  9. New Britain, CT
  10. Hartford, CT

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 New Haven, Storrs and Willimantic - we tip our hats to you and we'll schedule a tour for next week. You can see where New Haven ranks in terms of the best college town in America.

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Connecticut For 2022

New Haven, CT
Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Population: 130,381
% Undergrad Pop.: 11.7% (4th best)
Median Rent: $1,219 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 856.4% (10th best)
Crime Rank: 15th best
More on New Haven: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southern Connecticut State University, Yale University, Gateway Community College

Storrs, CT
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 16,392
% Undergrad Pop.: 80.8% (best)
Median Rent: $1,442 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 591.4% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 7th best
More on Storrs: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: University of Connecticut

Willimantic, CT
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 18,669
% Undergrad Pop.: 25.8% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $881 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 960.7% (13th best)
Crime Rank: best
More on Willimantic: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Eastern Connecticut State University, Windham Memorial Hospital-Radiologic Technology Program, Windham Technical High School

Groton, CT
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 8,999
% Undergrad Pop.: 6.7% (6th best)
Median Rent: $971 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 586.9% (3rd best)
Crime Rank: 3rd best
More on Groton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Connecticut-Avery Point, Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy-Groton

Bridgeport, CT
Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Population: 145,014
% Undergrad Pop.: 1.1% (12th best)
Median Rent: $1,171 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1146.0% (15th best)
Crime Rank: 9th best
More on Bridgeport: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Housatonic Community College, University of Bridgeport, St Vincent's College

Stamford, CT
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 130,057
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.8% (14th best)
Median Rent: $1,877 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 582.4% (2nd best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Stamford: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Connecticut-Stamford

Middletown, CT
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 46,406
% Undergrad Pop.: 5.9% (7th best)
Median Rent: $1,138 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 548.3% (best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Middletown: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Wesleyan University, Middlesex Community College, Vinal Technical High School

New London, CT
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 27,001
% Undergrad Pop.: 9.0% (5th best)
Median Rent: $1,034 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 743.3% (7th best)
Crime Rank: 8th best
More on New London: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Connecticut College, Mitchell College, Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute-New London

New Britain, CT
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 72,543
% Undergrad Pop.: 13.0% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $1,030 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 954.7% (12th best)
Crime Rank: 12th best
More on New Britain: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Central Connecticut State University, Lincoln Technical Institute-New Britain, Charter Oak State College

Hartford, CT
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 122,549
% Undergrad Pop.: 1.7% (11th best)
Median Rent: $1,004 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1134.2% (14th best)
Crime Rank: 14th best
More on Hartford: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Capital Community College, Trinity College, Lincoln Technical Institute-Hartford

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

To crunch our data on Connecticut'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 Connecticut 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 Connecticut For 2022".

And it looks like New Haven placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

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

Rank City Population
1 New Haven, CT 130381
2 Storrs, CT 16392
3 Willimantic, CT 18669
4 Groton, CT 8999
5 Bridgeport, CT 145014
6 Stamford, CT 130057
7 Middletown, CT 46406
8 New London, CT 27001
9 New Britain, CT 72543
10 Hartford, CT 122549
11 Waterbury, CT 107841
12 Danbury, CT 84650
13 West Haven, CT 54666
14 East Hartford, CT 50036

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?