Economy

The Best College Town to Live In After College

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: September 2, 2021 7:30 am

Many Americans go to college and then move somewhere else for work. This is likely the same for people who went to college in their own hometowns. People with a college degree earn much more than the general population, so they might as well cast as wide a net as possible to find the best and highest paying job. Only the largest cities can give people a chance to stay and make use of what they have learned.

Point2 looked at places with the 100 most successful colleges and universities across 86 cities. They then screened these places across four categories to find the best college town to stay in after graduation. The primary factors fell into four categories: “Human Capital; Housing; Economic Activity; and Earning Power & Equity.” Some of the yardsticks that went into this evaluation covered basic economic factors, such as population change, median change, change in the number of housing units, poverty rate and home price growth.
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Universities themselves make a difference as well. As the authors concluded:

Clearly, universities are a true asset for both the towns and regions where they’re located, making college towns brim with both educational and business opportunities. As such, there’s no denying that the constant influx of students and young people is one of the main reasons these cities are such thriving communities.

Point2 labeled the best college towns to live in after graduation as “the most dynamic American college towns.” Austin, Texas, ranked first. Several facts about the city are important. The census figures for population growth between 2010 and 2020 show that Austin is among the fastest-growing metropolitan statistical areas. That population rose 33.04% over the period to 2,283,371, which makes Austin the 28th largest metro in the country.

Austin has several large colleges. The largest is the University of Texas at Austin. It has 51,000 students and a high graduation rate of 81%. Austin is also home to a number of tech companies, including Apple, Dell, Samsung and IBM.

Click here to see the 30 best college towns in America.