The 10 Best College Towns In Pennsylvania For 2022


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

The 10 Best College Towns In Pennsylvania For 2022

  1. Indiana, PA
  2. Millersville, PA
  3. Easton, PA
  4. West Chester, PA
  5. Media, PA
  6. Greensburg, PA
  7. Bloomsburg, PA
  8. Huntingdon, PA
  9. Mechanicsburg, PA
  10. Bethlehem, PA

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

Finally, if you live in Scranton, PA - it's officially the worst college town in Pennsylvania. Sorry, Scranton!

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Pennsylvania For 2022

Indiana, PA
Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Population: 13,162
% Undergrad Pop.: 29.8% (9th best)
Median Rent: $692 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 1012.9% (45th best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Indiana: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus, Cambria-Rowe Business College-Indiana, Indiana County Technology Center

Millersville, PA
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 8,309
% Undergrad Pop.: 78.2% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $1,158 (42nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 366.3% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Millersville: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Easton, PA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 27,274
% Undergrad Pop.: 8.4% (34th best)
Median Rent: $1,023 (35th best)
Unemployment Rate: 502.3% (16th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Easton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Lafayette College

West Chester, PA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 20,033
% Undergrad Pop.: 51.5% (4th best)
Median Rent: $1,293 (47th best)
Unemployment Rate: 718.3% (28th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on West Chester: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: West Chester University of Pennsylvania

Media, PA
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 5,658
% Undergrad Pop.: 29.7% (10th best)
Median Rent: $1,168 (44th best)
Unemployment Rate: 492.3% (14th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Media: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Delaware County Community College, Pennsylvania State University-Penn State Brandywine, Pennsylvania Institute of Technology

Greensburg, PA
Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Population: 14,239
% Undergrad Pop.: 19.1% (20th best)
Median Rent: $681 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 535.2% (20th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Greensburg: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg, Seton Hill University, Triangle Tech Inc-Greensburg

Bloomsburg, PA
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 13,916
% Undergrad Pop.: 49.2% (6th best)
Median Rent: $785 (2best)
Unemployment Rate: 449.8% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Bloomsburg: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania

Huntingdon, PA
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 6,950
% Undergrad Pop.: 18.6% (2best)
Median Rent: $715 (13th best)
Unemployment Rate: 430.9% (9th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Huntingdon: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Juniata College, Du Bois Business College-Huntingdon

Mechanicsburg, PA
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 8,977
% Undergrad Pop.: 31.2% (8th best)
Median Rent: $924 (33rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 214.7% (2nd best)
Crime Rank: 3rd best
More on Mechanicsburg: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Messiah College

Bethlehem, PA
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 75,571
% Undergrad Pop.: 8.5% (33rd best)
Median Rent: $1,076 (38th best)
Unemployment Rate: 560.0% (23rd best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Bethlehem: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Northampton County Area Community College, Lehigh University, Moravian College

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

To crunch our data on Pennsylvania'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 46 places in Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania For 2022".

And it looks like Indiana placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

If you're looking for the best college towns in Pennsylvania, 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 Pennsylvania, starting with the absolute worst, Scranton:

  1. Scranton
  2. Sharon
  3. Chester
  4. Washington
  5. Allentown
  6. Chambersburg
  7. Meadville
  8. Erie
  9. California
  10. Phoenixville

For more reading, check out:

46 Best College Towns In Pennsylvania

Rank City Population
1 Indiana, PA 13162
2 Millersville, PA 8309
3 Easton, PA 27274
4 West Chester, PA 20033
5 Media, PA 5658
6 Greensburg, PA 14239
7 Bloomsburg, PA 13916
8 Huntingdon, PA 6950
9 Mechanicsburg, PA 8977
10 Bethlehem, PA 75571
11 Carlisle, PA 19188
12 Gettysburg, PA 7684
13 Johnstown, PA 19381
14 Hazleton, PA 24804
15 Lancaster, PA 59321
16 Williamsport, PA 28437
17 Dubois, PA 7413
18 Glenside, PA 7237
19 Swarthmore, PA 6339
20 Edinboro, PA 5599
21 Lock Haven, PA 8997
22 Pittsburgh, PA 301286
23 Clarion, PA 5650
24 Harrisburg, PA 49247
25 Schuylkill Haven, PA 5137
26 East Stroudsburg, PA 10232
27 Collegeville, PA 5105
28 New Kensington, PA 12378
29 Dunmore, PA 13008
30 Middletown, PA 6890
31 Reading, PA 88333
32 Mckeesport, PA 19128
33 Philadelphia, PA 1581531
34 Altoona, PA 43669
35 Beaver Falls, PA 8393
36 Bradford, PA 8284
37 Phoenixville, PA 16961
38 California, PA 6306
39 Erie, PA 96616
40 Meadville, PA 12684
41 Chambersburg, PA 21017
42 Allentown, PA 121156
43 Washington, PA 13404
44 Chester, PA 33855
45 Sharon, PA 13101
46 Scranton, PA 76997

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?