AUSTIN, Texas — Austin has been ranked as the No. 1 college city in the U.S., new data says.
In a new study from WalletHub, Austin came out on top from a pool of 415 cities across the U.S. The overall ranking, which is determined by a culmination of three metrics, placed Austin at No. 1 with a total score of 63.27. Second place went to Ann Arbor, Michigan, the home of the University of Michigan Wolverines, with a score of 61.28.
The study determined its rankings through three different metrics within each city:
- Wallet "friendliness" or affordability for students
- Social environment
- Academic and economic opportunities
Although Austin, home to the University of Texas Longhorns, was ranked at the top of the list, the capital of the Lone Star State didn't make the top of the list for each individual metric.
When it came to "wallet friendliness," Austin ranked No. 204 out of 415, which is a meager 49.16% on the list. The city that ranked No. 1 for affordability was Edinburg, Texas, which is close to McAllen.
With all the things that Austin has to offer, it's no surprise that the city is No. 12 for "social environment," but Honolulu, Hawaii, takes the cake for the best social scene for students.
For the last ranking, "academic and economic opportunities," Austin is No. 21, with No. 1 given to Scottsdale, Arizona.
Even though Austin didn't rank No. 1 for all three metrics, it did maintain its No. 1 position for best college city for a large city. A large city, according to WalletHub, is determined to be a city with a population over 300,000.
Hook 'em, Austin!