Austin is the best college town in America, study says. See where your Texas town ranks

Sorry, Lubbock, Dallas, San Antonio, Corpus Christi and everyone else — Austin has been named the best college town in the country. But don’t worry; several Texas cities scored high in other categories.

A great college experience depends on a variety of factors, such as students’ living expenses, academic and employment opportunities, and social environment. A WalletHub analysis considered these to determine the best college towns in America for 2025.

“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 explained. “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.”

WalletHub gathered data on more than 400 U.S. cities based on 31 academic, social and economic indicators.

How did Texas cities rank among others? Here’s a breakdown.

People are also reading: These 5 Texas universities rank among top 100 US News best colleges for 2025. See list

LIST: Top 5 college towns in America

Joining Austin among the top five college towns were two in Florida, one in Michigan and one in North Carolina:

1. Austin
2. Ann Arbor, Mich.
3. Orlando, Fla.
4. Tampa, Fla.
5. Raleigh, N.C.

Austin scores high in academic, economic opportunities and social environment

Overall, Austin scored 65.16 points out of 100 and ranked 14th for academic and economic opportunities. The Texas capital has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and claims the fifth-best annual job growth rate.

The capital of Texas also ranked high (17th) for its social environment. It has plenty of attractions, sports clubs and shopping centers to help students relax from the stress of a classroom. Did we mention Austin also has one of the lowest average prices for pizza? Students can also participate in or watch several top-level sports teams.

Austin ranks 17th for its quality of higher education. And with an annual average of $30,138, it has the 49th cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board).

However, like several high-ranking cities, Austin was somewhere in the middle in terms of wallet friendliness (191 out of 415).

Read more: UT-Austin ranks second in best Texas colleges, study shows. See which school ranks first

Brownsville has lowest cost of living for young people

Brownsville claimed the cheapest cost of living for college-age people, according to the WalletHub analysis. Its cost was three times lower than that of Stanford, the college town with the highest cost of living. Five California towns tied for the highest cost of living for this demographic: Stanford, Sunnyvale, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Santa Clara.

The college towns with the lowest cost of living for young people are as follows:

1. Brownsville
2. Springfield, Mo.
3. Lansing, Mich.
4. Jackson, Miss.
5. Cleveland

College Station is fourth-best small college town

The WalletHub analysis also categorized U.S. college towns by size. While Austin was named the best large college town, College Station ranked fourth among small college towns.

However, some other Texas cities ranked low among the roughly 200 small college towns, including Huntsville (157th), Beaumont (155th), San Angelo (149th) and Nacogdoches (144th).

LIST: Best and worst college towns in Texas

Here’s how Texas college towns ranked overall:

1. Austin (1st overall)
2. College Station (23rd overall)
3. Houston (54th overall)
4. San Antonio (81st overall)
5. Fort Worth (86th overall)
6. Dallas (98th overall)
7. San Marcos (100th overall)
8. Killeen (102nd overall)
9. Bryan (109th overall)
10. McAllen (122nd overall)
11. Carrollton (124th overall)
12. Corpus Christi (134th overall)
13. Pasadena (135th overall)
14. Lubbock (136th overall)
15. Laredo (156th overall)
16. McKinney (165th overall)
17. Brownsville (166th overall)
18. Denton (168th overall)
19. Amarillo (170th overall)
20. El Paso (176th overall)
21. Waco (177th overall)
22. Irving (182nd overall)
23. Arlington (209th overall)
24. Garland (218th overall)
25. Grand Prairie (226th overall)
26. Pearland (237th overall)
27. Richardson (248th overall)
28. Wichita Falls (250th overall)
29. Tyler (262nd overall)
30. Edinburg (292nd overall)
31. Abilene (317th overall)
32. Mesquite (325th overall)
33. Nacogdoches (327th overall)
34. San Angelo (339th overall)
35. Beaumont (355th overall)
36. Huntsville (359th overall)