The 10 Best College Towns In Oklahoma For 2022


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

The 10 Best College Towns In Oklahoma For 2022

  1. Stillwater, OK
  2. Tahlequah, OK
  3. Alva, OK
  4. Edmond, OK
  5. Weatherford, OK
  6. Ada, OK
  7. Okmulgee, OK
  8. Norman, OK
  9. Chickasha, OK
  10. Lawton, OK

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

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Oklahoma For 2022

Stillwater, OK
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 50,183
% Undergrad Pop.: 33.0% (4th best)
Median Rent: $826 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 405.6% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Stillwater: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Oklahoma State University-Main Campus, Meridian Technology Center

Tahlequah, OK
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 16,684
% Undergrad Pop.: 43.1% (best)
Median Rent: $683 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 823.0% (16th best)
Crime Rank: 7th best
More on Tahlequah: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Northeastern State University, Indian Capital Technology Center-Tahlequah, Beauty Technical College Inc

Alva, OK
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 5,046
% Undergrad Pop.: 34.1% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $731 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 519.9% (10th best)
Crime Rank: best
More on Alva: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Northwest Technology Center-Alva

Edmond, OK
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 93,101
% Undergrad Pop.: 14.5% (8th best)
Median Rent: $1,092 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 359.8% (3rd best)
Crime Rank: 2nd best
More on Edmond: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Christian University

Weatherford, OK
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 11,908
% Undergrad Pop.: 35.5% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $678 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 307.5% (2nd best)
Crime Rank: 3rd best
More on Weatherford: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Ada, OK
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 17,399
% Undergrad Pop.: 18.7% (6th best)
Median Rent: $699 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 406.2% (5th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Ada: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: East Central University, Pontotoc Technology Center

Okmulgee, OK
Overall SnackAbility
1
/10

Population: 11,768
% Undergrad Pop.: 20.6% (5th best)
Median Rent: $644 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 1099.9% (17th best)
Crime Rank: 16th best
More on Okmulgee: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, Green Country Technology Center, College of the Muscogee Nation

Norman, OK
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 124,086
% Undergrad Pop.: 14.3% (9th best)
Median Rent: $882 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 553.0% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 6th best
More on Norman: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus, Moore Norman Technology Center, Hollywood Cosmetology Center

Chickasha, OK
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 16,326
% Undergrad Pop.: 8.6% (12th best)
Median Rent: $735 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 278.7% (best)
Crime Rank: 12th best
More on Chickasha: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma

Lawton, OK
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 93,535
% Undergrad Pop.: 4.9% (14th best)
Median Rent: $810 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 751.5% (15th best)
Crime Rank: 8th best
More on Lawton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Cameron University, Great Plains Technology Center, Platt College-Lawton

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

To crunch our data on Oklahoma'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 17 places in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma For 2022".

And it looks like Stillwater placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

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

17 Best College Towns In Oklahoma

Rank City Population
1 Stillwater, OK 50183
2 Tahlequah, OK 16684
3 Alva, OK 5046
4 Edmond, OK 93101
5 Weatherford, OK 11908
6 Ada, OK 17399
7 Okmulgee, OK 11768
8 Norman, OK 124086
9 Chickasha, OK 16326
10 Lawton, OK 93535
11 Claremore, OK 18875
12 Durant, OK 18516
13 Tulsa, OK 402441
14 Bethany, OK 19292
15 Moore, OK 61683
16 Shawnee, OK 31361
17 Oklahoma City, OK 649821

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?