Austin Named Best College Town in America for Fifth Straight Year

Austin has claimed the top spot in WalletHub's annual list of the best college towns in America for 2027, extending its winning streak to five years. The city also leads the ranking of large cities.

The report beat out well-known college destinations such as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor, Michigan. WalletHub credited Austin's collection of local colleges and universities and its strong economy.

To build the list, WalletHub compared 415 cities on three broad areas: wallet-friendliness, social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for graduates. Each city receives an overall rank and is also placed in one of three population groups: large, midsize or small.

Austin ranked 15th for academic and economic opportunities and 16th for social environment. WalletHub pointed to one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country and the 34th-best annual job growth rate, and noted that students have plenty of ways to destress after class. The report also said Austin ranks 22nd in the nation for quality of higher education among more than 400 cities studied, with the 112th-cheapest in-state tuition, including room and board, at $34,651 per year.

Beyond the University of Texas at Austin, the metro area includes Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University, St. Edward's University, Southwestern University in Georgetown, and Texas State University in San Marcos. The Austin Community College district also serves students across Central Texas, including in Lockhart, Kyle, Elgin, Round Rock, Cedar Park and Leander.

Affordability remains a weak point. Austin placed 188th in the wallet-friendliness category, which weighed local housing costs, student loan debt per person, the adjusted cost of living for young people and other financial factors.

Behind Austin, the top 10 consists of Ann Arbor, Charlottesville in Virginia, Raleigh in North Carolina, Atlanta, Tampa in Florida, San Diego, Scottsdale in Arizona, Orlando, and Charleston in South Carolina, in that order.

Seven other Texas cities made the overall list: College Station at No. 37, Plano at No. 54, San Antonio at No. 72, Houston at No. 73, Denton at No. 77, Lubbock at No. 83, and Fort Worth at No. 100. Among large college towns, San Antonio was the second-best in Texas and 23rd nationally, with Houston third in the state and 24th in the country.

San Marcos, home to Texas State University, ranked as the second-best small college town in Texas and 54th among small college towns nationwide. On the overall list regardless of city size, it placed 132nd.