2025’s most popular college towns in the US

College towns: They’re places where residents can catch theatrical performances and concerts they won’t get in other small towns. They might also find cozy bookstores with big-name readings, coffee joints with all-night hours, and football games that turn autumn Saturdays into all-town parties.

That makes them popular spots to settle for folks of all ages and educational stripes.

But not all college towns are created equal; some are attracting more new residents than others.

These college boomtowns have high move interest and low unemployment, making them places that percolate with energy, not just in the form of dive bars and frat houses. As a result, they’re spaces where students who fall in love with their college lifestyle can stay put and trade their dorms for starter homes.

Where are the towns where students can turn campus traditions into lifelong community ties? And how different are they from 2024's top thriving college towns?

MoveBuddha looked at the in-to-out move ratios and unemployment rates of hundreds of America's college towns, whittling the list down to 34 standout cities where, in 2025, more people are moving in than out, and fewer residents over 16 are unemployed than the national average.

Key Takeaways

• West Hartford, Connecticut, is 2025's No. 1 booming college town. Home to the universities of Hartford, St. Joseph, and Connecticut's Hartford campus, there are plenty of opportunities to expand your mind in a city with 2.92 moves inbound for every one out, and an unemployment rate around 12% lower than the national average.
• Reflecting strong, ongoing move interest, two South Carolina cities make the top 10 this year: Greenville and Beaufort.
• In general, southern hospitality is winning hearts (and moves): 44% of the top 25 booming college towns are sipping sweet tea below the Mason-Dixon.
• Asheville, North Carolina, and Saratoga Springs, New York, retain their boomtown status from 2024, but Johnson City, Tennessee, Hickory, North Carolina, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and Knoxville, Tennessee, tumbled off the list in 2025.
• Of the 34 college towns with a favorable in-move ratio and lower-than-average unemployment, West Hartford, Connecticut, is the most popular, with a 21% higher move ratio than No. 2 St. George, Utah.
• With just 1.7% unemployment, Oxford, Mississippi, offers grads the best chance at a stable job when the graduation parties are over and real life begins.
• Abilene, Texas, has the lowest home prices among college boomtowns this year — an average home here will set you back $202,484.

In 2025, Movers are Heading to West Hartford and the South

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Of the 650 total college towns analyzed, these 34 are all winners: They’re spots with high move-interest, few residents leaving, and low unemployment. And while they represent all types of universities and regions, it’s worth noting that the towns form a distinct swath of winners stretching from the U.S. South through the Midwest.

West Hartford is a bright spot off the beaten path, with a sky-high rate of newcomers seeking to move in versus those looking to leave. Here’s how all the top college towns stack up.

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While West Hartford didn’t make 2024’s list, more people are starting to recognize that making their home 5 miles from Connecticut’s capital can help former students (and lovers of lecture series) enjoy academic life well into their 20s.

Newcomers join the 65% of adults here who have earned at least a bachelor's degree (that's 72% higher than the national average). And once they settle in, most residents find they can walk to shops, including tree-lined streets that offer up everything from wine bars to bakeries.

However, the popularity of West Hartford’s New England charm makes it an outlier.

In 2025, college towns in SEC territory are most likely to land among the most popular move-to towns. In fact, using the U.S. Census’s definition of “the South” (which includes Texas), 55% of this year’s list lies in the region.

That includes this list's newcomers from 2025's most popular state: South Carolina. While no Palmetto town made the list in 2024, this year, Greenville, home to Bob Jones University, Furman University, North Greenville University, and the University of South Carolina's School of Medicine, surged to No. 3, while Beaufort, home to the University of South Carolina Beaufort, landed at No. 4.

However, the country’s hottest college towns don’t always follow general moving trends. Along with South Carolina’s two entrants, just No. 9 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, represents a state that is one of the top 10 most popular among general move destinations this year.

2025’s Cities Feature More Diverse Geographies Compared to Last Year

College boomtowns represent more geographic diversity than overall moves: They lie not just in 2025’s most popular states, though they tend to be scattered across the South.

Take Texas, for example, whose cities have fallen off the red-hot real estate lists since pandemic popularity pushed housing prices out of reach for many. Its college towns remain, including gems like Brenham, Amarillo, Belton, Pearland, and Abilene, all of which make the list.

With other top college towns scattered across Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida, it becomes apparent that college towns continue to serve as beacons for movers, even when other cities in their states are losing ground.

That’s even true outside the generally popular South. Consider Wisconsin, which lands four college towns on the list in 2025: Eau Claire, Waukesha, Madison, and Oshkosh.

However, the enduring appeal of many college towns hasn’t meant that the same collegiate cities call to new movers year after year.

In a list with high turnover, Saratoga Springs, New York, and Asheville, North Carolina, are the only two college towns still ranking from last year. Both exited the top 10 this year, but remain on the list, with a positive in-to-out move ratio and low unemployment.

West Hartford, Connecticut, is the College Town Everyone Wants to Move To

Looking for the most popular destination regardless of unemployment and housing costs? Head to West Hartford, Connecticut. While an average home here sets newcomers back more than all but four cities that make this year’s list, at $492,047. Despite high costs, it remains a destination attracting new residents (and retaining those who are already there).

Or look to St. George, Utah, and Greenville, South Carolina, which also come with in-to-out move ratios over 2.0, with more than twice as many new residents looking to move in as those seeking to leave.

Reflecting South Carolina’s massive popularity surge, Greenville is also the destination with the most overall inbound searches in raw numbers. So while its ratio is comparable to that of smaller St. George, Utah, its overall inbound searches are nearly three times as large.

Among the least popular college towns that still maintain a positive in-to-out ratio, Cambridge, Massachusetts, takes the prize. With an in-to-out ratio of 1.01, the Boston-area town saw a single extra search inbound compared to out. Cambridge also represents the highest average home price of all the top college towns that made this year’s list, at $1,074,801.

Oxford, Mississippi, Offers the Lowest Unemployment

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Oxford, Mississippi, offers new movers the lowest unemployment of any of the popular college towns on this list. At 1.7%, that's 58% lower than the national average. Oxford has a 5.3% higher cost of living than the Mississippi average, and its affluence fuels a more robust college-town economy with plenty of demand for low-barrier service, construction, and retail jobs — all of which support low unemployment.

Interestingly, rock-bottom unemployment isn’t always associated with the academic bubble. In the lowest 10 towns for unemployment, college economies dominate small towns (like Oxford, but also Holland, Michigan, Saratoga Springs, New York, and Belton, Texas). These are towns with populations of fewer than 40,000 residents, where many inhabitants are nonworking students who create demand, but don’t hold down jobs themselves.

However, the list also includes robust regional economies. Consider Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Madison, Wisconsin, or Nampa, Idaho, for a regional powerhouse experience with the perks of a small college town. These cities have cracked the 100,000 resident mark without creating unemployment for long-term residents.

You’ll find the highest unemployment on the list in Asheville, North Carolina. Just under the national average at 4%, the North Carolina mountain town is also known for its service-based economy, which includes tourism. That means plenty of jobs, though not the type that often support the town’s position as one of the most expensive housing markets on this list. Asheville homes, which average $484,020, are the seventh-highest on the list.

Texas and Wisconsin College Towns Lead in Affordable Homes

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These 10 most affordable college towns will run new homeowners an average of $275,062 for a new home, more than 25% less than the U.S. average (and about $600 less per month in mortgage payments). That might make it an attractive landing spot for new grads who can live larger on entry-level salaries.

Texas leads the way in terms of affordability. In Abilene, home to Abilene Christian University, Hardin-Simmons University, and McMurry University, newcomers can expect to pay more than 45% less than the national average.

But along with Texas, Wisconsin also contributes three college towns to the most affordable towns on this popular cities list. Places like Oshkosh, Waukesha, and Madison combine low housing costs with unemployment rates under 4% — a rare pairing that offers both economic opportunity and livability.

In a post-pandemic housing landscape where movers are chasing affordability, these towns offer a financial foundation that many recent grads and young families won’t find in bigger-name cities.

College Towns Aren’t Just for Co-Eds Anymore

In 2025, college towns continue to punch above their weight, not just as four-year detours, but as long-term destinations. Whether in intellectual buzz, low unemployment, or late-night pizza, these towns promise a mix of lifestyle, community, and culture. And as such, they’re attracting new grads, families, and remote workers alike.

In 2025, the South dominates the map, but the appeal of these cities stretches well beyond regional trends, with Midwest gems and even a charming New England enclave or two.

So, graduating seniors and adults who are wistful for the overstuffed bookstores, record shops, and art exhibitions of their college years: Consider relocating to these popular college towns that are increasingly being discovered by all kinds of movers. One of 2025’s most popular college towns may just be the place you can relive your college years, minus the exams.

Methodology

The researchers anchored this list of university towns in Wikipedia's list of towns that are economically dominated by the four-year universities that call them home.

These university towns meet certain criteria for proximity to larger metro areas and for the percentage of students compared to the overall population, giving these towns their distinctive vibe, a young population, and a cultural advantage over other enclaves of a similar size.

In total, researchers amassed a list of 650 college towns in the U.S.

From there, they cross-referenced these college towns with the previous year of data from the moveBuddha moving cost calculator to find the towns that are attractive to all kinds of newcomers, with few residents looking to move away.

These are cities that are retaining their existing residents and appealing to more newcomers than anywhere else.

Researchers added U.S. Census unemployment data and examined only towns with positive in-to-out move ratios (greater than 1) and lower-than-average unemployment rates (4.1 nationwide). Thirty-four towns met the criteria, comprising this year's top booming college towns.

While it's not part of the ranking criteria, included is data on Zillow's current housing costs to make it easier to find a popular college town that's growing and where jobs are plentiful — but where housing prices are just right, too.

This story was produced by moveBuddha and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.