Joliet One of 'Worst' College Towns in America - Report

Bad news for the city of champions.

Consumer finance site WalletHub just ranked Joliet among the Worst College Cities & Towns in America.

The city, home to both the University of St. Francis and Joliet Junior College, ranked at 275 among the 280 college towns included in the study.

According to WalletHub, the study used 23 metrics to rank college towns in the U.S. in order to find out which offered the best — or worst — combination of academic, social and economic environments. Factors considered in the study included the quality of higher education, crime rates and the cost of living.

That meant ranking college towns based on “Wallet Wellness,” or cost of living, such as rent and food costs, along with cost of higher education; “Youth-Oriented Environment,” as in the number of students and single people per capita, along with shops and nightlife; and “Opportunities” for college grads, such as job openings and job growth rate.

Joliet ranked at 271 out of 280 in “Wallet Wellness,” 258 for youth orientation and 129 for opportunities, for an overall rank of 275.

Ranking below Joliet were Springfield, MA; Miramar, FL; North Las Vegas, NV; Bridgeport, CT; and Yonkers, NY. Ranking No. 1 was Oxford, OH, home of Miami University.

Learn more about the rankings and methodology at WalletHub.