The 10 Best College Towns In Georgia For 2024


Editor's Note: We updated this article for 2024. This is our six time ranking the best college towns in Georgia.

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 Georgia 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 Georgia 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 Georgia for 2024.

The 10 Best College Towns In Georgia For 2024

  1. Carrollton, GA
  2. Valdosta, GA
  3. Decatur, GA
  4. Marietta, GA
  5. Dalton, GA
  6. Tifton, GA
  7. Kennesaw, GA
  8. Douglas, GA
  9. Statesboro, GA
  10. Lawrenceville, GA

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

Finally, if you live in Brunswick, GA - it's officially the worst college town in Georgia. Sorry, Brunswick!

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Georgia For 2024

Carrollton, GA
Source: Wikipedia User Michael Rivera | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 26,622
% Undergrad Pop.: 26.7% (4th best)
Median Rent: $972 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 576.5% (13th best)
Crime Rank: 18th best
More on Carrollton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of West Georgia

Valdosta, GA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
3
/10

Population: 55,266
% Undergrad Pop.: 13.5% (9th best)
Median Rent: $932 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 568.7% (12th best)
Crime Rank: 10th best
More on Valdosta: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Valdosta State University, Wiregrass Georgia Technical College

Decatur, GA
Source: Wikipedia User Goingstuckey | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7.5
/10

Population: 24,421
% Undergrad Pop.: 3.7% (16th best)
Median Rent: $1,611 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 379.1% (6th best)
Crime Rank: 12th best
More on Decatur: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Agnes Scott College, Gupton Jones College of Funeral Service, Columbia Theological Seminary

Marietta, GA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 61,387
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.5% (19th best)
Median Rent: $1,372 (20th best)
Unemployment Rate: 343.7% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 16th best
More on Marietta: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Chattahoochee Technical College, Life University, Toni & Guy Hairdressing Academy-Atlanta

Dalton, GA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 34,358
% Undergrad Pop.: 9.1% (13th best)
Median Rent: $866 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 394.4% (7th best)
Crime Rank: 11th best
More on Dalton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Dalton State College, Georgia Beauty Academy

Tifton, GA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 17,059
% Undergrad Pop.: 15.4% (8th best)
Median Rent: $765 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 247.7% (2nd best)
Crime Rank: 14th best
More on Tifton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College

Kennesaw, GA
Source: Wikipedia User Open street map | CC BY 2.5
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 33,360
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.0% (22nd best)
Median Rent: $1,673 (24th best)
Unemployment Rate: 539.4% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Kennesaw: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Cobb Beauty College Inc, Empire Beauty School-Kennesaw, ITT Technical Institute-Kennesaw

Douglas, GA
Source: Wikipedia User Mjrmtg | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Population: 11,694
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.0% (22nd best)
Median Rent: $717 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 284.0% (3rd best)
Crime Rank: best
More on Douglas: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: South Georgia State College

Statesboro, GA
Source: Wikipedia User | GFDL
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 33,185
% Undergrad Pop.: 38.1% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $895 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1127.2% (24th best)
Crime Rank: 9th best
More on Statesboro: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Georgia Southern University, Ogeechee Technical College, East Georgia State College - Statesboro

Lawrenceville, GA
Source: Wikipedia User Open street map | CC BY 2.5
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 30,465
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.0% (22nd best)
Median Rent: $1,341 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 634.4% (15th best)
Crime Rank: 7th best
More on Lawrenceville: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Gwinnett Technical College, Empire Beauty School-Gwinnett, Georgia Gwinnett College

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

To crunch our data on Georgia'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 24 places in Georgia 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 Georgia For 2024".

And it looks like Carrollton placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

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

If you're curious, these are the worst college towns in Georgia, starting with the absolute worst, Brunswick:

  1. Brunswick
  2. Fort Valley
  3. Savannah
  4. Thomasville
  5. Columbus
  6. Milledgeville
  7. Swainsboro
  8. Dahlonega
  9. Atlanta
  10. Barnesville

For more reading, check out:

24 Best College Towns In Georgia

Rank City Population
1 Carrollton, GA 26622
2 Valdosta, GA 55266
3 Decatur, GA 24421
4 Marietta, GA 61387
5 Dalton, GA 34358
6 Tifton, GA 17059
7 Kennesaw, GA 33360
8 Douglas, GA 11694
9 Statesboro, GA 33185
10 Lawrenceville, GA 30465
11 Sandy Springs, GA 107221
12 Morrow, GA 6563
13 Americus, GA 16020
14 Albany, GA 68926
15 Barnesville, GA 6200
16 Atlanta, GA 494838
17 Dahlonega, GA 7083
18 Swainsboro, GA 7542
19 Milledgeville, GA 17021
20 Columbus, GA 204572
21 Thomasville, GA 18744
22 Savannah, GA 147583
23 Fort Valley, GA 8821
24 Brunswick, GA 15243

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?