State College is the best small college town in Pennsylvania, site says. Here’s why
State College is the best small college town in Pennsylvania and among the top locations for college students in the country, according to a new ranking.
Preply, an online language tutoring company, recently ranked State College the best college town in the commonwealth and the 31st best nationally in its comparison of 200 U.S. cities.
The ranking considered affordability of popular purchases, including a restaurant meal, gym membership, apartment rent and beer. Preply evaluated social environment factors such as diversity, crime rate and cafes, parks and nightlife per capita.
Other metrics included average monthly net salary, unemployment rates and more. Information was sourced from Numbeo and TripAdvisor, according to Preply.
According to crowd-sourced data website Numbeo, the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the city center is $1,200 in State College, compared to $1,459.91 in Pittsburgh. Here are more cost-of-living indicators for State College, from Numbeo:
Meal at an “inexpensive restaurant:” $14.50
Fitness club membership: $42.50 per month for one adult
One-bedroom apartment outside of city center: $983.33 per month
Three-bedroom apartment in city center: $2,766.67 per month
Three-bedroom apartment outside of city center: $2,183.33 per month
Average monthly salary after taxes: $3,152.23
Utilities for a 915-square-foot apartment (includes electricity, heating, cooling, water and garbage): $144.06 monthly
State College received an overall score of 57.42 out of 100 for favorable conditions for college students. Preply gave the city a 16.54 for affordability, 22 for social environment and 18.87 for economic opportunity, all out of 33.33.
Ann Arbor, Mich., had the highest score at 73.96 and Greenville, N.C., had the lowest at 28.62. Here are the top 50 small college towns in the U.S., according to Preply:
- Ann Arbor, Mich.
- St. Charles, Mo.
- Newark, Del.
- La Crosse, Wis.
- Grand Forks, N.D.
- Rochester, Minn.
- Clemson, S.C.
- West Lafayette, Ind.
- Asheville, N.C.
- Auburn, Ala.
- Coral Gables, Fla.
- Laramie, Wyo.
- Norman, Okla.
- Brookline, Mass.
- Ithaca, N.Y.
- Oshkosh, Wis.
- Huntsville, Texas
- Wilmington, N.C.
- Richmond, Calif.
- Germantown, Md.
- Stony Brook, N.Y.
- Medford, Mass.
- Stanford, Calif.
- Burlington, Vt.
- Davie, Fla.
- Santa Barbara, Calif.
- Edmond, Okla.
- Normal, Ill.
- Cedar Falls, Iowa
- Westminster, Calif.
- State College, Penn.
- Urbana, Ill.
- Richardson, Texas
- Conway, Ark.
- Green Bay, Wis.
- Charlottesville, Va.
- Costa Mesa, Calif.
- Chapel Hill, N.C.
- San Luis Obispo, Calif.
- Oxford, Ohio
- Somerville, Mass.
- Bozeman, Mont.
- Valdosta, Ga.
- Kendall, Fla.
- Bowling Green, Ohio
- Radford, Va.
- Cambridge, Mass.
- Fargo, N.D.
- Beaumont, Texas
- Waltham, Mass.
