The 10 Best College Towns In Oregon For 2024


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 Oregon is home to a handful of them.

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

Instead, ride along with us as we determine which college towns in Oregon 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.

The 10 Best College Towns In Oregon For 2024

  1. Ashland, OR
  2. McMinnville, OR
  3. Corvallis, OR
  4. Monmouth, OR
  5. Portland, OR
  6. Eugene, OR
  7. Forest Grove, OR
  8. Newberg, OR
  9. La Grande, OR
  10. Salem, OR

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

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Oregon For 2024

Ashland, OR
Source: Wikipedia User Visitor7 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7.5
/10

Population: 21,401
% Undergrad Pop.: 22.8% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $1,220 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 568.0% (8th best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Ashland: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southern Oregon University

Mcminnville, OR
Source: Wikipedia User M.O. Stevens | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 34,432
% Undergrad Pop.: 4.5% (8th best)
Median Rent: $1,213 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 370.1% (2nd best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Mcminnville: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Linfield College-McMinnville Campus

Corvallis, OR
Source: Wikipedia User Gregkeene | CC BY 3.0 us
Overall SnackAbility
7.5
/10

Population: 60,050
% Undergrad Pop.: 22.9% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $1,315 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 799.9% (13th best)
Crime Rank: 11th best
More on Corvallis: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Oregon State University, Phagans Beauty College

Monmouth, OR
Source: Wikipedia User Finetooth | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 11,054
% Undergrad Pop.: 38.0% (best)
Median Rent: $1,125 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 487.6% (5th best)
Crime Rank: best
More on Monmouth: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Western Oregon University

Portland, OR
Source: Wikipedia User Visitor7 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 646,101
% Undergrad Pop.: 3.7% (10th best)
Median Rent: $1,530 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 559.7% (7th best)
Crime Rank: 14th best
More on Portland: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Portland Community College, Portland State University, University of Portland

Eugene, OR
Source: Wikipedia User Visitor7 | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 176,755
% Undergrad Pop.: 8.3% (6th best)
Median Rent: $1,269 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 711.2% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 10th best
More on Eugene: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Oregon, Lane Community College, Northwest Christian University

Forest Grove, OR
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 26,160
% Undergrad Pop.: 4.2% (9th best)
Median Rent: $1,282 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 434.1% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 3rd best
More on Forest Grove: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Pacific University

Newberg, OR
Source: Wikipedia User M.O. Stevens | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 25,379
% Undergrad Pop.: 6.7% (7th best)
Median Rent: $1,570 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 327.8% (best)
Crime Rank: 7th best
More on Newberg: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: George Fox University

La Grande, OR
Source: Wikipedia User Drown Soda | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 13,097
% Undergrad Pop.: 19.4% (4th best)
Median Rent: $910 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 783.9% (12th best)
Crime Rank: 6th best
More on La Grande: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Eastern Oregon University

Salem, OR
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 175,754
% Undergrad Pop.: 1.4% (12th best)
Median Rent: $1,224 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 610.9% (10th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Salem: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Chemeketa Community College, Willamette University, Corban University

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

To crunch our data on Oregon's best college towns, we used Saturday Night Science to 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 12 places in Oregon 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 Oregon For 2024." We updated this article for 2024. This is our six time ranking the best college towns in Oregon.

And it looks like Ashland placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

If you're looking for the best college towns in Oregon, you came to the right place.

The best college towns in Oregon are Ashland, McMinnville, Corvallis, Monmouth, Portland, Eugene, Forest Grove, Newberg, La Grande, and Salem.

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:

12 Best College Towns In Oregon

Rank City Population
1 Ashland, OR 21401
2 Mcminnville, OR 34432
3 Corvallis, OR 60050
4 Monmouth, OR 11054
5 Portland, OR 646101
6 Eugene, OR 176755
7 Forest Grove, OR 26160
8 Newberg, OR 25379
9 La Grande, OR 13097
10 Salem, OR 175754
11 Klamath Falls, OR 21806
12 Wilsonville, OR 25992

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?