2 CA Cities Among Top 20 College Towns In U.S.: Report

CALIFORNIA — Two cities in California are among the top 20 best college towns in the country, according to a new report by WalletHub.

With college application season in full swing, WalletHub this week released its report on the Best and Worst College Towns in America for 2025. The report aims to help prospective college students narrow down their school choices following the recent release of WalletHub's 2025 College and University Rankings.

Researchers at the personal finance website compared more than 400 U.S. cities of varying sizes based on 31 key indicators of academic, economic and social opportunities for students. The data set ranged from the cost of living and the crime rate to the quality of higher education.

"Picking the right college is crucial, but it's also important to make sure that the surrounding college town will be a place where you'll truly love spending your college years," WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said. "Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college."

Sacramento ranked as the best college town in California, according to the report. The city ranked 13th overall and as the eighth-best large college town. San Diego ranked 20th overall and 10th among large-size cities.

Austin, Texas, ranked as the best college town in the country, according to WalletHub. The city is home to the University of Texas at Austin, Concordia University, Huston-Tillotson University and St. Edward's University. Austin has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. and the fifth-best annual job growth rate, allowing students to easily find work while in school or helping them transition to a job immediately after graduation.

Ann Arbor, Michigan, ranked as the second-best college town and Orlando, Florida, ranked third. Tampa, Florida, and Raleigh, North Carolina, rounded out the top five in fourth and fifth place, respectively.

East Los Angeles ranked as the worst college town in the country, according to the report.

These are the best and worst college towns in California, according to WalletHub. Their overall rankings are in parenthesis.

1. Sacramento (13)
2. San Diego (20)
3. Santa Barbara (27)
4. Berkeley (29)
5. Pasadena (37)
6. Fresno (41)
7. Irvine (45)
8. Chico (64)
9. Costa Mesa (66)
10. San Luis Obispo (69)
11. Long Beach (75)
12. Bakersfield (77)
13. Temecula (83)
14. Los Angeles (94)
15. Davis (99)
16. Huntington Beach (104)
17. Riverside (133)
18. Clovis (139)
19. Santa Monica (140)
20. Roseville (174)
21. San Buenaventura (Ventura) (175)
22. Modesto (178)
23. Torrance (189)
24. Santa Ana (198)
25. Santa Clara (202)
26. Oakland (212)
27. San Francisco (213)
28. Rancho Cucamonga (214)
29. San Jose (215)
30. Visalia (216)
31. Corona (228)
32. Merced (229)
33. Fullerton (232)
34. Murrieta (233)
35. Redding (239)
36. San Marcos (241)
37. Oceanside (242)
38. Chula Vista (247)
39. Anaheim (252)
40. Santa Rosa (256)
41. Chino Hills (270)
42. Sunnyvale (282)
43. Redlands (283)
44. Ontario (285)
45. Stanford (300)
46. Santa Cruz (301)
47. San Bernardino (303)
48. Simi Valley (307)
49. Fremont (309)
50. Fontana (313)
51. Rialto (315)
52. Stockton (328)
53. Elk Grove (331)
54. Garden Grove (332)
55. Pomona (334)
56. Escondido (341)
57. Santa Clarita (343)
58. Hayward (344)
59. Concord (345)
60. Oxnard (353)
61. Orange (354)
62. Moreno Valley (362)
63. Victorville (366)
64. Glendale (369)
65. Salinas (370)
66. Whittier (371)
67. Westminster (372)
68. Burbank (374)
69. El Cajon (375)
70. Vallejo (377)
71. Fairfield (379)
72. Thousand Oaks (381)
73. Hawthorne (382)
74. Alhambra (385)
75. Antioch (386)
76. West Covina (388)
77. El Monte (389)
78. Lancaster (391)
79. Downey (392)
80. Azusa (393)
81. Arden-Arcade (397)
82. Palmdale (398)
83. Richmond (401)
84. Inglewood (404)
85. Daly City (405)
86. Norwalk (406)
87. Carson (409)
88. Compton (412)
89. Isla Vista (413)
90. East Los Angeles (415)

View the complete rankings on WalletHub.