The American Institute For Economic Research has released their 2017 report detailing the best college cities in America. They define ‘city’ as a metropolis with over 2.5 million residents. The determining factors of what makes for the ‘best college cities’ include Diversity, College Educated (% of population), City Access, Bars and Restaurants, Arts and Entertainment, Youth Unemployment, Labor-Force Participation, Innovation, and Rent.
The Institute claims the single most important factor of whether or not a city is good for college students and recent college grads is the prevalence of other college students and recent college grads. The data suggest that the best cities are ones full of current and recent college grads. Over at Business Insider you can find a complete explanation of why the cities are ranked they way there are, but here’s a look at the list of the best college cities in America right now:
15. Miami, Florida
14. St. Louis, Missouri (ranks #1 for Rent)
13. Atlanta, Georgia
12. Baltimore, Maryland
11. San Diego, California
10. Houston, Texas (ranks #2 for Diversity)
9. Dallas, Texas
8. Chicago, Illinois
7. Los Angeles, California (ranks #1 for Arts and Entertainment)
6. New York, New York (ranks #1 for City Access)
5. Seattle, Washington
4. Minneapolis, Minnesota
3. Washington, District of Columbia (ranks #1 for College Educated)
2. Boston, Massachusetts (ranks #1 for Innovation)
1. San Francisco, California (ranks #1 for Diversity)
I get that San Franciso is one of the best places in the world to live, but it’s also one of the most expensive. Just because there are a ton of colleges there it doesn’t make the cost of living any less insane. I’m having trouble seeing why San Franciso’s ranked as the #1 college destination city in America, but I’ll accept their data because it seems legit.
You can see a list of the best midsize metros, smalls metros, and college towns in America on the AIER website.