The 10 Best College Towns In Wisconsin For 2022


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

The 10 Best College Towns In Wisconsin For 2022

  1. Oshkosh, WI
  2. Stevens Point, WI
  3. Madison, WI
  4. Whitewater, WI
  5. Manitowoc, WI
  6. Menomonie, WI
  7. Appleton, WI
  8. Ripon, WI
  9. Mequon, WI
  10. La Crosse, WI

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

Finally, if you live in Watertown, WI - it's officially the worst college town in Wisconsin. Sorry, Watertown!

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Wisconsin For 2022

Oshkosh, WI
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 66,753
% Undergrad Pop.: 13.6% (11th best)
Median Rent: $786 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 318.7% (13th best)
Crime Rank: 19th best
More on Oshkosh: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Bella Academy of Cosmetology

Stevens Point, WI
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 26,144
% Undergrad Pop.: 31.7% (6th best)
Median Rent: $764 (6th best)
Unemployment Rate: 460.7% (23rd best)
Crime Rank: 7th best
More on Stevens Point: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point

Madison, WI
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 258,366
% Undergrad Pop.: 22.3% (7th best)
Median Rent: $1,147 (29th best)
Unemployment Rate: 282.4% (10th best)
Crime Rank: 24th best
More on Madison: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison Area Technical College, University of Wisconsin Colleges

Whitewater, WI
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 14,762
% Undergrad Pop.: 64.1% (best)
Median Rent: $783 (9th best)
Unemployment Rate: 460.5% (22nd best)
Crime Rank: 11th best
More on Whitewater: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Manitowoc, WI
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 32,558
% Undergrad Pop.: 2.2% (20th best)
Median Rent: $672 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 327.4% (14th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Manitowoc: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Silver Lake College of the Holy Family, Empire Beauty School-Manitowoc

Menomonie, WI
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 16,479
% Undergrad Pop.: 43.9% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $802 (12th best)
Unemployment Rate: 274.0% (9th best)
Crime Rank: 20th best
More on Menomonie: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-Stout

Appleton, WI
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 73,891
% Undergrad Pop.: 1.7% (22nd best)
Median Rent: $796 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 406.2% (19th best)
Crime Rank: 15th best
More on Appleton: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Fox Valley Technical College, Lawrence University, Gill-Tech Academy of Hair Design

Ripon, WI
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 7,802
% Undergrad Pop.: 11.0% (12th best)
Median Rent: $737 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 234.8% (6th best)
Crime Rank: 8th best
More on Ripon: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Ripon College

Mequon, WI
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
9.5
/10

Population: 24,357
% Undergrad Pop.: 15.8% (9th best)
Median Rent: $1,708 (30th best)
Unemployment Rate: 155.8% (best)
Crime Rank: 3rd best
More on Mequon: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Concordia University-Wisconsin

La Crosse, WI
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 51,543
% Undergrad Pop.: 19.7% (8th best)
Median Rent: $820 (14th best)
Unemployment Rate: 394.5% (18th best)
Crime Rank: 30th best
More on La Crosse: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, Western Technical College, Viterbo University

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

To crunch our data on Wisconsin'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 23 places in Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin For 2022".

And it looks like Oshkosh placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

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

  1. Watertown
  2. Wauwatosa
  3. Kenosha
  4. Ashland
  5. Eau Claire
  6. Milwaukee
  7. Superior
  8. Waukesha
  9. River Falls
  10. Plymouth

For more reading, check out:

23 Best College Towns In Wisconsin

Rank City Population
1 Oshkosh, WI 66753
2 Stevens Point, WI 26144
3 Madison, WI 258366
4 Whitewater, WI 14762
5 Manitowoc, WI 32558
6 Menomonie, WI 16479
7 Appleton, WI 73891
8 Ripon, WI 7802
9 Mequon, WI 24357
10 La Crosse, WI 51543
11 Green Bay, WI 104508
12 Platteville, WI 12113
13 De Pere, WI 25009
14 Plymouth, WI 8654
15 River Falls, WI 15870
16 Waukesha, WI 72419
17 Superior, WI 26260
18 Milwaukee, WI 592649
19 Eau Claire, WI 68720
20 Ashland, WI 7841
21 Kenosha, WI 99767
22 Wauwatosa, WI 48143
23 Watertown, WI 23561

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?