Austin’s top-quality universities, thriving economy, and vibrant culture have earned the city a stellar new reputation as the No. 1 best college town in America for 2025.
The Texas capital outshined the rest of the nation in WalletHub’s annual ranking of the best American college towns. Austin has consistently topped the list since 2022.
Rounding out the top five best U.S. college towns are Ann Arbor, Michigan (No. 2); Orlando (No. 3) and Tampa, Florida (No. 4); and Raleigh, North Carolina (No. 5).
Austin earned a score of 65.16 points out of a possible 100, and performed its best in the national rankings for “academic and economic opportunities” (No. 14). WalletHub’s analysts said Austin has a “great economic environment,” which matches another study this year naming Austin an economic boomtown.
“[Austin has] one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. and the fifth-best annual job growth rate, allowing students to easily find work while in school or helping them transition to a job immediately after,” the report’s author wrote.
Outside of the major employers and the tech industry, there are other things driving the city’s economy, too. Freelancers are a major backbone benefitting Austin’s economy – generating over $4 billion in 2023 alone – showing that there’s a broad range of professions for students and recent graduates in the city.
Austin also ranked high in the category for “social environment,” ranking No. 17 nationally.
“In addition, Austin has a very high number of attractions, sports clubs and shopping centers to help students destress after class, and it has one of the lowest average pizza prices in the U.S.,” the report said. “The city’s schools also enable students to pursue or watch Division 1 basketball, baseball, soccer and football, among other sports.”
The city (predictably) flunked out in the category for “wallet friendliness” – coming in at No. 191 out of all 415 U.S. cities in the report. WalletHub said Austin has the 94th cheapest in-state tuition (which includes room and board) for students, at $30,138 annually, but doesn’t explain how it got that number. According to UT Austin’s tuition calculator, a year in the liberal arts college for a Texas resident living on campus costs $31,616 — but that includes other incidentals like transportation.
In WalletHub’s national rankings by city size, Austin was crowned No. 1 in the “large city” category.
“Picking the right college is crucial, but it’s also important to make sure that the surrounding college town will be a place where you’ll truly love spending your college years,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. “Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college.”
The top 10 best college towns in the U.S. are:
- No. 1 – Austin, Texas
- No. 2 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
- No. 3 – Orlando, Florida
- No. 4 – Tampa, Florida
- No. 5 – Raleigh, North Carolina
- No. 6 – Scottsdale, Arizona
- No. 7 – Charlottesville, Virginia
- No. 8 – Tempe, Arizona
- No. 9 – Gainesville, Florida
- No. 10 – Atlanta, Georgia
The report examined 415 U.S. cities across 31 metrics across three key dimensions — “Wallet Friendliness,” “Social Environment,” and “Academic and Economic Opportunities” — to determine their rankings. Factors that were included in the report include the adjusted cost of living for “young people,” number of attractions, crime rates, earning potential for college graduates, “brain drain,” and more. Data was sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor Statistics, among others.
More information and studies can be found on wallethub.com.
