Ithaca ranks in top 20 best college towns: report

Posted: Nov 29, 2022 / 04:51 PM EST

Updated: Nov 29, 2022 / 04:51 PM EST

ITHACA, N.Y. (WETM) – Ithaca, New York—home to both Cornell University and Ithaca College—has been ranked as one of the top 20 best college towns in a new report from WalletHub.

WalletHub looked at 415 college towns and cities of different sizes across the U.S. To determine the best and worst, the company examined wallet friendliness, social environment, and academic and economic opportunities for students.

Ithaca was the only New York city to rank in the top 30. Specifically, Ithaca ranked 17 for social environment, 78 for academic and economic opportunities, and 290 for wallet friendliness.

Other New York cities that ranked in the top 100 are Buffalo, Troy, and Rochester. In Pennsylvania, the City of Pittsburgh was the only Commonwealth city in the top 30.

At the bottom of the list of 415 cities are Flint, Michigan; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Compton, California.

The full report can be read here.

The top 30 college towns are listed below, according to WalletHub’s study:

Overall Rank	City	Total Score	Wallet Friendliness	Social Environment	Academic & Economic Opportunities
1	Austin, TX	63.27	204	12	21
2	Ann Arbor, MI	61.48	243	22	20
3	Orlando, FL	61.42	138	2	93
4	Gainesville, FL	60.89	67	48	51
5	Tampa, FL	59.65	172	9	83
6	Rexburg, ID	59.38	8	155	65
7	Provo, UT	58.6	25	135	73
8	Scottsdale, AZ	58.35	327	92	1
9	Miami, FL	57.71	210	3	151
10	Raleigh, NC	57.61	166	24	117
11	Princeton, NJ	56.82	386	84	2
12	Orem, UT	56.75	134	270	23
13	Irvine, CA	56.73	370	85	5
14	Atlanta, GA	56.61	263	8	94
15	College Station, TX	56.54	34	88	150
16	Charlottesville, VA	56.33	259	37	68
17	Salt Lake City, UT	55.99	165	28	159
18	Seattle, WA	55.89	372	5	40
19	Ithaca, NY	55.84	290	17	78
20	Pittsburgh, PA	55.75	187	6	202
21	Cary, NC	55.33	254	274	7
22	San Diego, CA	55.25	355	4	70
23	Colorado Springs, CO	55.23	208	53	95
24	Santa Barbara, CA	55.11	376	43	15
25	Athens, GA	55	79	168	113
26	St. Louis, MO	54.99	128	90	140
27	Cambridge, MA	54.96	406	29	13
28	Columbus, OH	54.94	112	73	164
29	Reno, NV	54.91	169	27	187
30	Oxford, OH	54.81	7	11	340