Best College Cities In America 2020: Charlotte Makes The List

CHARLOTTE, NC — With the college application process now in full swing, there’s good news for high school seniors planning to attend school in Charlotte, or even other cities in North Carolina.

The personal finance website WalletHub recently released its report on 2020’s Best College Towns & Cities In America.

Our city finished No. 52 out of 415 U.S. cities. Here’s how WalletHub ranked the Queen City in specific areas:

• Wallet Friendliness: No. 213
• Social Environment: No. 35
• Academic & Economic Opportunities: No. 218

Here’s how other North Carolina cities ranked, according to the report:

• Raleigh — No. 7 for large cities, No. 13 overall
• Durham — No. 10 for midsize cities, No. 44 overall
• Cary — No. 12 for midsize cities, No. 46 overall
• Asheville — No. 12 for small cities, No. 41 overall
• Chapel Hill — No. 16 for small cities, No. 52
• Charlotte — No. 22 for large cities, No. 52 overall
• Boone — No. 26 for small cities, No. 81 overall
• Wilmington — No. 30 for small cities, No. 89 overall
• Winston-Salem — No. 93 for midsize cities, No. 278 overall
• Greensboro — No. 102 for midsize cities, No. 292 overall
• Fayetteville — No. 128 for midsize cities, No. 357 overall
• Greenville — No. 155 for small cities, No. 338 overall
• High Point — No. 195 for small cities, No. 408 overall

Austin, Texas, was ranked as the best college city in America, according to the good folks at WalletHub, followed by Orlando, Florida, and Scottsdale, Arizona.

On the other end of the spectrum, Germantown, Maryland, finished as the very worst college city in the United States. The bottom five were rounded out by Kendall, Florida, Shreveport, Louisiana, Bridgeport, Connecticut, and New Rochelle, New York.

Stony Brook, New York, was ranked as having the most students per capita and the highest share of part-time jobs available.

The ranking compared more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes on 31 relevant metrics of academic, social and economic opportunities for students.

Each relevant metric was then listed with its corresponding weight, and the cities were graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the best possible college city.

“One of the most important steps in the process (college application) is the campus visit, which often includes a tour of the city or town that will serve as the student’s home for the next several years,” authors of the WalletHub study wrote. “Experts have argued that a school’s geographical location is just as important as a strong curriculum and supportive school environment to a student’s academic success.”

Here are WalletHub’s 15 best college cities in America:

1. Austin, Texas
2. Orlando, Florida
3. Scottsdale, Arizona
4. Tampa, Florida
5. Ann Arbor, Michigan
6. Seattle, Washington
7. San Diego, California
8. Las Vegas, Nevada
9. Salt Lake City, Utah
10. Provo, Utah
11. Reno, Nevada
12. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
13. Raleigh, North Carolina
14. Minneapolis, Minnesota
15. Gainesville, Florida

The full report is available on WalletHub.