How Much It Costs To Buy a House in the Biggest College Town in Every State

Vibrant, youthful and packed with plenty to do, college towns can be great places to live — and with a never-ending stream of potential renters, they’re also fantastic spots for investment properties. 

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GOBankingRates used Washington Post data to identify the urban area in all 50 states with the highest concentration of college students. Many of them are small towns where the presence of a single school can make students a major chunk of the population.

All home value data comes from Zillow as of March 15, 2023. But the site doesn’t offer specific information on a handful of towns. In those cases, the stated home value is the average of the surrounding area. For example, Air Force Academy, Colorado, includes data from Colorado Springs. For Mississippi, home values are from Hinds County instead of Raymond.

Keep reading to learn what it takes to own a home in the most college-centric town in every state.

Also see the best banks for college students in 2023.

• Median home value: $169,493

Home to the flagship among four Troy University campuses in the state, 31% of Troy’s population consists of college students.

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• Median home value: $366,102

The University of Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Pacific University and Wayland Baptist University-Anchorage are all in or adjacent to Northeast Anchorage, where one in 10 residents is a student.

• Median home value: $603, 547

The main campus of Northern Arizona University — there are more than 20 in the state — is located in Flagstaff.

• Median home value: $144,120

Henderson State University, Southern Arkansas University Main Campus and Ouachita Baptist University are three of the six colleges and universities — four private and two public — in the Arkadelphia area.

• Median home value: $836,565

UC Davis, home of the Aggies, is considered a Public Ivy and the heart of California college culture.

• Median home value: $441,691

The United States Air Force Academy is a census-designated region within the Colorado Springs metro region.

• Median home value: $205,402

Willimantic is home to Eastern Connecticut State University.

• Median home value: $289,960

Both Delaware State University and Wesley College are located in the state’s capital.

• Median home value: $279,105

The sprawling University of Florida campus dominates the city of Gainesville.

• Median home value: $304,776

Dahlonega is home to one of five University of North Georgia campuses, which have roots dating back to the 1870s.

• Median home value: $1,293,986

Laie hosts the Hawaii satellite campus of Brigham Young University.

• Median home value: $385,903

Far across the Pacific from Laie is Rexburg, which is also home to a Brigham Young University campus.

• Median home value: $91,161

Founded in 1899, Western Illinois University makes Macomb the state’s top college town.

• Median home value: $182,206

One of America’s oldest Evangelical Christian colleges, Taylor University has been part of Upland’s culture since the 1840s.

• Median home value: $252.723

The state’s largest higher education institution, Iowa State University has its main campus in Ames.

• Median home value: $243,365

Although it shares a town with Manhattan Christian College, Kansas State University is why Manhattan is the No. 1 college town in the state.

• Median home value: $133,334

Morehead State University consistently ranks as one of the best regional public colleges in the South.

• Median home value: $200,721

The largest city in the Eastern Ark-La-Tex region, Ruston is home to Louisiana Tech University, with Grambling State University next door in Grambling.

• Median home value: $230,760

Known as UMF, the University of Maine Farmington is part of the statewide UM system.

• Median home value: $177,697

Prince Ann takes the top spot thanks to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, a historically black public land-grant research college.

• Median home value: $209,596

Although the state is famous for Harvard, MIT, BU, BC and the other big-name schools in the east, North Adams in the west wins thanks to the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.

• Median home value: $173,488

The student body of Ferris State University can take most of the credit for Big Rapids’ position at the top of the list of Michigan college towns.

• Median home value: $340,243

Carleton College and St. Olaf College — both private liberal arts schools — have made their homes in Northfield.

• Median home value: $103,560

Hinds Community College is the only school in Raymond, but the town is just west of Jackson, home to Jackson State University, Millsaps College and Mississippi College.

• Median home value: $194,056

Maryville is the home base for both Northwest Missouri State University and Maryville University.

• Median home value: $639,735

The student population of Montana State University buoys the Rocky Mountain town of Bozeman.

• Median home value: $188,981

Wayne State College, part of the Nebraska State College system, calls its namesake city home.

• Median home value: $246,683

With no major colleges in town or on its borders, just 8% of West Wendover’s population is made up of students, making it one of the three least college-dominated towns on the list. 

• Median home value: $302,021

Plymouth is a classic New England college town, with Plymouth State University anchoring the city’s campus culture.

• Median home value: $220,620

Joining Providence and West Andover at 8% in a three-way tie for last place is Browns Mills, where no colleges are located. But Rutgers and Princeton are nearby. 

• Median home value: $160,812

New Mexico Tech, one of the top STEM colleges in America, is located in Socorro.

• Median home value: $148,777

Alfred University dominates its tiny namesake town so thoroughly that Alfred is the country’s top college town — 85% of its residents are students.

• Median home value: $417,505

Founded in 1899 as a teacher’s college, Appalachian State University earns Boone its title of North Carolina’s top college town.

• Median home value: $242,414

Hugging the Minnesota border, the University of North Dakota is Grand Forks’ claim to college fame.

• Median home value: $252,463

Cedarville University, a private Baptist college, is enough for Cedarville to tie for third place on the list — 67% of its population is made up of college students.

• Median home value: $217,223

Home of the Cowboys, Oklahoma State University is located in Stillwater.

• Median home value: $507,808

Located in Central Western Oregon, Corvallis is dominated by the campus of Oregon State University.

• Median home value: $135,218

Slippery Rock University’s influence is so great that the town it calls home ties for third place, with 67% of its population being college students.

• Median home value: $334,007

Despite the presence of Brown University, Providence College and Rhode Island College, Providence ties for last place with a college population of just 8%.

• Median home value: $61,537

Students from Voorhees University, a private HBCU, account for more than one in four residents of tiny Voorhees.

• Median home value: $231,521

The University of South Dakota gives Vermillion its large student population.

• Median home value: $165,568

UT Martin is one of five campuses in the University of Tennessee system.

• Median home value: $158,901

With students representing 78% of the population, Prairie View is second only to Alfred, N.Y., thanks to Prairie View A&M University.

• Median home value: $331,720

Snow College, home of the Badgers, has enough students to give tiny Ephraim top billing in Utah.

• Median home value: $361,027

Middlebury College has not just a campus, but an entire farm in its hometown.

• Median home value: $289,773

The Virginia Military Institute and Washington and Lee University are both located in Lexington.

• Median home value: $403,699

Pullman is home to the flagship campus of Washington State University.

• Median home value: $412,328

Shepherd University earns its home city the top spot in West Virginia.

• Median home value: $255,999

The University of Wisconsin Whitewater is a public university known as UWW or just UW.

• Median home value: $339,770

More than 14,000 students attend the University of Wyoming — Laramie.

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