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 New York 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 New York 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 New York for 2023.
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 Brockport, Ithaca and Stony Brook - we tip our hats to you and we'll schedule a tour for next week. You can see where Brockport ranks in terms of the best college town in America.
Finally, if you live in Lawrence, NY - it's officially the worst college town in New York. Sorry, Lawrence!
Read on to find out more or for more on New York check out:
Population: 8,142
% Undergrad Pop.: 82.9% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $812 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 695.7% (42nd best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Brockport: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: SUNY College at Brockport
Population: 30,715
% Undergrad Pop.: 46.5% (9th best)
Median Rent: $1,171 (25th best)
Unemployment Rate: 490.0% (24th best)
Crime Rank: 54th best
More on Ithaca: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Colleges: Cornell University, Ithaca College, Finger Lakes School of Massage
Population: 11,785
% Undergrad Pop.: 112.5% (best)
Median Rent: $2,177 (5best)
Unemployment Rate: 308.2% (8th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Stony Brook: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: Stony Brook University
Population: 7,169
% Undergrad Pop.: 84.1% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $1,313 (26th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1170.2% (56th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on New Paltz: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: State University of New York at New Paltz
Population: 8,218
% Undergrad Pop.: 63.2% (5th best)
Median Rent: $846 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 626.8% (29th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Geneseo: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: SUNY College at Geneseo
Population: 13,855
% Undergrad Pop.: 48.9% (8th best)
Median Rent: $901 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 534.0% (25th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Oneonta: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick College, Otsego Area BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Population: 8,869
% Undergrad Pop.: 56.9% (7th best)
Median Rent: $1,874 (47th best)
Unemployment Rate: 352.5% (10th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Farmingdale: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: Farmingdale State College
Population: 19,343
% Undergrad Pop.: 27.8% (15th best)
Median Rent: $840 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 578.1% (28th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Plattsburgh: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: SUNY College at Plattsburgh, Clinton Community College, Clinton Essex Warren Washington BOCES
Population: 96,860
% Undergrad Pop.: 16.6% (2best)
Median Rent: $992 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 674.0% (38th best)
Crime Rank: 5best
More on Albany: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report
Colleges: SUNY at Albany, The College of Saint Rose, Mildred Elley School-Albany Campus
Population: 7,130
% Undergrad Pop.: 25.0% (17th best)
Median Rent: $2,061 (50th best)
Unemployment Rate: 272.0% (6th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Nyack: Real Estate | Cost Of Living
Colleges: Nyack College
To crunch our data on New York'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 44 places in New York 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:
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 New York For 2023".
And it looks like Brockport placed Summa Cum Laude.
If you're looking for the best college towns in New York, 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 New York, starting with the absolute worst, Lawrence:
For more reading, check out:
Rank | City | Population |
---|---|---|
1 | Brockport, NY | 8142 |
2 | Ithaca, NY | 30715 |
3 | Stony Brook, NY | 11785 |
4 | New Paltz, NY | 7169 |
5 | Geneseo, NY | 8218 |
6 | Oneonta, NY | 13855 |
7 | Farmingdale, NY | 8869 |
8 | Plattsburgh, NY | 19343 |
9 | Albany, NY | 96860 |
10 | Nyack, NY | 7130 |
11 | New York, NY | 8379552 |
12 | Potsdam, NY | 9003 |
13 | Bronxville, NY | 6450 |
14 | Troy, NY | 49253 |
15 | Poughkeepsie, NY | 30341 |
16 | Hamburg, NY | 9672 |
17 | Cortland, NY | 18633 |
18 | Hempstead, NY | 55153 |
19 | Saratoga Springs, NY | 28056 |
20 | Canton, NY | 6486 |
21 | Rockville Centre, NY | 24552 |
22 | Syosset, NY | 19254 |
23 | Buffalo, NY | 255805 |
24 | Newburgh, NY | 28146 |
25 | Fredonia, NY | 10311 |
26 | Syracuse, NY | 142553 |
27 | Oswego, NY | 17371 |
28 | Bethpage, NY | 18012 |
29 | Monroe, NY | 8567 |
30 | Geneva, NY | 12720 |
31 | Jamestown, NY | 29290 |
32 | New Rochelle, NY | 79367 |
33 | Elmira, NY | 27236 |
34 | Schenectady, NY | 65336 |
35 | Dobbs Ferry, NY | 10959 |
36 | Rochester, NY | 206357 |
37 | White Plains, NY | 58171 |
38 | Glen Cove, NY | 27172 |
39 | Monsey, NY | 23733 |
40 | Dix Hills, NY | 23995 |
41 | Peekskill, NY | 24111 |
42 | Utica, NY | 59984 |
43 | Mount Kisco, NY | 10949 |
44 | Lawrence, NY | 6517 |
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