Houston has entered the spotlight as the No. 3 best large college town in Texas, and it ranks in the top 25 among the largest college towns in America, a new study has proclaimed.
To determine the best college towns, WalletHub analyzed 415 cities based on their "wallet-friendliness," social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for college graduates. Cities are ranked overall and are sorted into one of three population categories: large, midsize, and small cities.
Houston ranked as the 24th best large college town in the U.S., and it ranked 73rd overall regardless of city size.
Out of the three key dimensions, the Bayou City ranked highest for "wallet friendliness" — landing 89th nationally. This category examined local housing costs, student loan debt per person, the adjusted cost of living for young people, and other financial factors.
The city stands at No. 127 nationwide for its "social environment," which compared the number of students per capita, the share of single people, crime rates, and the number of cafés, breweries, food trucks, festivals, and shopping centers per capita, among others.
It may come as a surprise that WalletHub said Houston's academic and economic opportunities leave much to be desired. The city ranked 260th nationally in this category, which analyzed the quality of higher education, the earning potential for college graduates, unemployment rates, job growth rates, the share of part-time jobs and median income of part-time workers, and more.
"As student living expenses can reach over $39,000 per year, it’s important to find the most bang for your buck," the report's author wrote. "Therefore, it’s best to live in a city with a reasonable cost of living, along with good academic and work opportunities. The ideal city should also provide a fun social environment to help students deal with the stress of college."
Other top college towns in Texas
Austin once again topped the list as the No. 1 best college town in America, boosted by the city's wealth of local colleges and universities and the local economy. The Capital City has outshone obvious contenders like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, for five years in a row, and it also tops the large cities list.
According to the report's findings, Austin has the 15th best academic and economic opportunities for college students and graduates, and the 16th best social environment. WalletHub commends Austin for having one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation and the "34th-best annual job growth rate," while also offering students ample ways to "de-stress after class."
"On top of that, Austin ranks 22nd in the nation for the quality of higher education among more than 400 cities in our study," the report said. "It also has the 112th-cheapest in-state tuition (including room and board), at $34,651 per year."
Six other cities in the Lone Star State appeared on the overall list of America's best college towns: College Station (No. 37), Plano (No. 54), San Antonio (No. 72), Denton (No. 77), Lubbock (No. 83), and Fort Worth (No. 100).
In the rankings by city size, San Antonio ranked as the No. 2 best large college town in Texas and 23rd nationwide.
San Marcos, a college town between Austin and San Antonio, ranked as the No. 2 best small college town in Texas, and 54th best among the small colleges nationally. In the overall list regardless of city size, San Marcos ranked 132nd nationally.
The top 10 best college towns in America for 2027 are:
- No. 1 – Austin
- No. 2 – Ann Arbor, Michigan
- No. 3 – Charlottesville, Virginia
- No. 4 – Raleigh, North Carolina
- No. 5 – Atlanta
- No. 6 – Tampa, Florida
- No. 7 – San Diego
- No. 8 – Scottsdale, Arizona
- No. 9 – Orlando
- No. 10 – Charleston, South Carolina
