CLARKSBURG, W.Va. (WBOY) — A recent WalletHub study ranked 415 college towns and cities across the United States; here’s how Morgantown stacked up.
Overall, Morgantown, home of the West Virginia University Mountaineers, ranked 123rd, but it definitely did better in some categories than others. There were three main categories used to create the overall ranking, and West Virginia ranked in the top 25 for Social Environment at 23rd. It also ranked top 100 for Wallet Friendliness at 92nd. However, for Academic and Economic Opportunity, WalletHub placed Morgantown at 373rd.
The ranking took into account everything from the quality of education, to housing costs, to the number of part-time jobs available.
Morgantown was the only college town in West Virginia that was included in the ranking.
According to WalletHub, the best college towns and cities for 2023 are:
- Austin, Texas
- Ann Arbor, Mich.
- Orlando, Fla.
- Gainsville, Fla.
- Tampa, Fla.
- Rexburg, Idaho
If you’re looking for the most affordable towns for college, WalletHub says Edinburg, Texas, Brookings, S.D., and Brownville, Texas are your best options. However, all of these towns ranked lower overall than Morgantown.
If you’re looking for the best social environment, WalletHub recommends Honolulu, Hawaii, Orlando, Fla, or Miami, Fla. And if academic and economic opportunities are your main focus, Scottsdale, Ariz., Princeton, N.J., and Pasadena, Cali. were the top-ranked in that category.
Click here to see the full ranking and methodology.
