Four Michigan cities ranked among the top 100 college towns in the country, with Ann Arbor topping the list among “small” college towns, according to a recent survey.
High school students are applying to college now, and researchers at WalletHub, a personal financial website, ranked more than 400 U.S. college towns to find the best environment for students, including 12 cities in Michigan.
“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 online. “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 ranked towns overall and then broke them down into large cities over 300,000 people, mid-sized cities of 125,000 to 300,000, and small cities under 125,000 people. The top five towns nationally among the 415 ranked were Austin, Texas, at No. 1, with a total score of 64.54; Ann Arbor, Michigan, at No. 2, with a total score of 62.22; Orlando, Florida, at No. 3, with a total score of 60.55; and Raleigh, North Carolina, at No. 5, with a total score of 60.18.
“As student living expenses can reach over $36,000 for a 12-month period, students should try to find the most bang for their buck,” WalletHub suggested. “Therefore, it’s best for students to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, as well as one that provides good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college.”
Austin, Texas, stood out for its job opportunity, abundance of activities (like shopping centers or clubs for students), quality education and relatively affordable tuition at $31,433 per year with housing, WalletHub said.
The city is home to many colleges, including the University of Texas at Austin, Huston-Tillotson University, St. Edward’s University and Concordia University Texas.
Ann Arbor, home of the University of Michigan Wolverines, ranked No. 2 — and No. 1 among “small” college towns — for its quality education and affordability.
“The city’s schools rank 10th in the nation for educational quality, and the average cost of a year with in-state tuition plus room and board is $34,782,” WalletHub said. “While that’s still a lot, it’s a great deal lower than the over $91,000 per year you can expect to pay in the most expensive cities.
“Ann Arbor also has a lot of students — 348 out of every 1,000 residents — which allows young people to more easily build friendships and communities. There’s a less than 4% difference in the gender balance between students, too, the 27th-best ratio among the more than 400 cities in our study,” WalletHub added.
Ann Arbor ranked 186th for “wallet friendliness,” but was 10th for academic and economic opportunities and 14th for social environment.
East Lansing, home to Michigan State University, was 40th overall (53.69 points) — and 13th among small towns — and ranked 31st for wallet friendliness, 319th for academic and economic opportunity, and 38th for social environment.
Other college towns in Michigan in the top 100 overall included Mount Pleasant at 88th and Grand Rapids at 96th.
Here’s more on WalletHub’s college town ranking.
Which college towns in Michigan are featured in WalletHub’s ranking?
A dozen Michigan college towns are included among the 415 U.S. cities ranked, including:
WalletHub said Lansing was 108th overall for wallet friendliness, but also said it had the third-best cost-of-living for young people.
Why is Ann Arbor the second best college town in the US?
Ann Arbor, home to the University of Michigan took second place for its quality education, cost of in-state tuition and housing priced at $34,782 and its NCAA Division 1 sports.
Ann Arbor’s population includes 348 students out of every 1,000 residents, which makes it easier for freshman to join groups and make friends, WalletHub said.
“And if you want to grab a slice while watching a game, the city has the third-lowest average pizza price in the U.S.,” said WalletHub.
Ann Arbor is also home to Washtenaw Community College and Concordia University Ann Arbor.
What are the best small colleges towns in the US?
Here’s WalletHub’s ranking for the best small college towns, with populations fewer than 125,000:
What are the best mid-size college towns in the US?
Here’s WalletHub’s ranking for the best mid-sized college towns, with populations 125,000 to 300,000:
What are the best large college towns in the US?
Here’s WalletHub’s ranking for the best large college towns, with populations more than 300,000:
Which US college towns were ranked the lowest?
Here are the bottom 10 college towns, according to WalletHub’s ranking:
What was WalletHub’s methodology?
Researchers used three main dimensions: wallet friendliness; social environment; and academic and economic opportunity. Factors were evaluated based on 31 relevant metrics — such as, housing costs, nightlife options per capita, job-growth rate, student loan debt per person and more — and graded on a 100-point scale, with 100 points being the most favorable. Each town or city was weighted and scored overall to rank.
The 415 total college towns were ranked based on 31 metrics that determined academic quality, sociality and economic opportunity. The college towns also were divided based on size, and ranked separately.
Data for the study was collected on Sept. 23, 2025, from sources like the U.S. Census Bureau, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, TripAdvisor and more.
Wallet friendliness includes such things as housing costs, number of rental units, fitness club fees, pizza and burger costs, movie and bowling costs and education costs.
Social environment includes student population, single people, gender balance, nightlife, cafes, breweries, food trucks, shopping and sports.
Academic and economic opportunity includes quality of education, earning potential, part-time jobs, median income, unemployment, job growth and brain drain.
Contact Sarah Moore @ smoore@lsj.com
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Best college towns in the country? Here’s where Ann Arbor, East Lansing rank
Reporting by Sarah Moore, Lansing State Journal / Lansing State Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
