Ranking America’s Best College Destinations
Photo: University of Colorado Boulder, in Boulder, Colorado.
Today, the American Institute for Economic Research ranked the top U.S. metropolitan areas for college students. The annual AIER ranking is based on nine criteria that measure each area’s cultural, demographic and economic qualities.
In its 2017 College Destinations Index, the cities that ranked highest overall in each city size category were San Francisco; Denver; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Boulder, Colorado. (See longer list below.)
“The location you choose to go to college determines where you will likely spend the next four years of your life, and possibly where you will start your career. Our ranking reflects the characteristics that make cities attractive to the average college student,” said Amanda Knarr, program coordinator at AIER.
AIER researchers weighed these criteria: youth unemployment; share of college-educated population; pervasiveness of diversity; the labor force participation of young adults; share of STEM workers; rental costs; ease of access to the city without a car; presence of arts and entertainment; and bars and restaurants.
San Francisco and Denver, the top ranking cities in the two large-city categories, offer a favorable economic climate and strong opportunities to prepare for work after college. The highest ranking metro areas for the small cities and towns, Ann Arbor and Boulder, boast a highly educated population, large numbers of STEM workers, as well as strong public transportation systems and plentiful bars and restaurants.
Cities that didn’t rank #1 nevertheless showed their own areas of strength. New York, for instance, led the major metro category for public transportation. Boston led in employing STEM workers. Minneapolis had low young adult unemployment, and Los Angeles was best for entertainment.
Among the top midsize metros, Portland, Oregon boasted by far the best public transportation system, and Pittsburgh and Cleveland had the lowest rents. Austin, Texas had the lowest youth unemployment, and Nashville and Las Vegas led in arts and entertainment offerings.
In addition to Ann Arbor, Norwich, Connecticut also demonstrated a strong record of employing STEM workers among the top small metros. Kalamazoo, Michigan had the lowest rent among this category, and Lincoln, Nebraska had the lowest young adult unemployment.
And among towns, Champaign-Urbana had the best public transportation system; Boulder, and Lafayette, Indiana ranked first and second on the share of STEM employment; Fargo, North Dakota featured the lowest rents; La Crosse, Wisconsin had the lowest youth unemployment; and after Boulder, Bloomington, Illinois topped the arts and entertainment offerings.
If you or your child is deciding on a place to go to college, our rankings may prove useful. Although our findings are more general, we recognize that individual preferences play a strong role in the decision making process. The “College Destinations Tool” on our website lets you choose factors that you value the most to customize your own ranking. The tool, as well as detailed overall rankings, are available at www.aier.org/cdi.
The top college destinations in each category are, in descending order:
Major metros (over 2.5 million residents):
1. San Francisco
2. Boston
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Minneapolis
5. Seattle
6. New York
7. Los Angeles
8. Chicago
9. Dallas
10. Houston
11. San Diego
12. Baltimore
13. Atlanta
14. St. Louis
15. Miami
Midsize metros (1 million – 2.5 million):
1. Denver, Colorado
2. Austin, Texas
3. Portland, Oregon
4. San José, California
5. Raleigh, North Carolina
6. New Orleans, Louisiana
7. Nashville, Tennessee
8. Columbus, Ohio
9. Milwaukee, Wisconsin
10. Virginia Beach, Virginia
11. Las Vegas, Nevada
12. Kansas City, Missouri
13. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
14. Tucson, Arizona
15. Richmond, Virginia
16. Charlotte, North Carolina
17. Cleveland, Ohio
18. Rochester, New York
19. Hartford, Connecticut
20. Buffalo, New York
Small metros (250,000-1 million):
1. Ann Arbor, Michigan
2. Tallahassee, Florida
3. Durham-Chapel Hill, North Carolina
4. Madison, Wisconsin
5. Gainesville, Florida
6. Fort Collins, Colorado
7. Honolulu, Hawaii
8. Santa Barbara, California
9. Bremerton, Washington
10. Santa Cruz, California
11. Lubbock, Texas
12. Norwich, Connecticut
13. Lexington, Kentucky
14. Lincoln, Nebraska
15. Eugene, Oregon
16. Albuquerque, New Mexico
17. Lansing, Michigan
18. Amarillo, Texas
19. Portland, Maine
20. Kalamazoo, Michigan
College towns (Below 250,000):
1. Boulder, Colorado
2. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
3. Flagstaff, Arizona
4. Ithaca, New York
5. Iowa City, Iowa
6. Bloomington, Indiana
7. College Station, Texas
8. Manhattan, Kansas
9. Columbia, Missouri
10. Bloomington, Illinois
11. Charlottesville, Virginia
12. Lafayette, Indiana
13. Fargo, North Dakota
14. Athens, Georgia
15. State College, Pennsylvania
16. Rochester, Minnesota
17. Blacksburg, Virginia
18. Jacksonville, North Carolina
19. La Crosse, Wisconsin
20. Bellingham, Washington
