Austin was recently dubbed the top college town in America by WalletHub.
Austin American Statesman
College Station, San Antonio and Houston may be great college towns, but nothing beats the vibes in Austin.
The Texas capital was once again named the best college town in the country — but a few other cities in the Lone Star State earned recognition in various categories. A new WalletHub study analyzed factors that enhance the college experience, like students’ living expenses, academic and professional opportunities and social environment. Data on 31 academic, social and economic indicators were gathered from over 400 American cities to determine the best college towns in the country.
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“Picking the right college is crucial, but it’s also important to make sure that the surrounding college town will be a place where you’ll truly love spending your college years,” WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo said in a statement. “Towns with a low cost of living, plenty of activities and large student populations can make your college experience a lot less stressful and a lot more enjoyable. In addition, cities with a great economic environment can make it easier to get a job during or immediately after college.”
Austin topped the list for 2026, just as it had for 2025 rankings. How did other Texas towns compare? Here’s what what WalletHub found.
Austin is No. 1 college town for 2026: WalletHub
People watch a chemistry show at the Engineering Education and Research Center during Girl Day at UT Austin on Saturday February 22, 2020. Girl Day is an international event celebrated during Engineers Week each year in February.
Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman
The Texas capital claimed the title of the top college town for 2026. According to WalletHub, the city “has a great economic environment, with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the U.S. and the 27th-best annual job growth rate, allowing students to easily find work while in school or helping them transition to a job immediately after.”
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Austin also offers a wide range of entertainment for college students, including many attractions, sports clubs and shopping centers. It has among the lowest average pizza prices in the country. Austin’s colleges also allow students to play or watch Division 1 basketball, baseball, soccer, football and other sports.
Among the over 400 cities in WalletHub’s study, Austin ranked 18th for the quality of higher education. It also offers the 85th-cheapest in-state tuition — including room and board — at $31,433 per year.
Here’s how it ranked in other categories:
Total score:Â 64.54
Wallet friendliness rank:Â 186
Social environment rank:Â 14
Academic & economic opportunities rank:Â 10
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What are the best college towns in Texas?
Besides Austin, other cities in the Lone Star State were scattered among WalletHub’s rankings. A few stood out in specific categories, for better or worse:
Brownsville offers the lowest cost of living for young people nationally, which is three times more inexpensive than Stanford, Calif., which has the highest.
Laredo has the lowest cost of higher education, which is four times lower than Evanston, Ill., with the highest.
Huntsville had the fourth-lowest “brain drain” — defined as the departure of educated/professional people from one area to another that offers better pay and/or living conditions.
Pearland has the lowest share of part-time jobs to offer, at a five-times lower rate than Stony Brook University, N.Y., which has the highest share. Pearland also has the fifth-lowest share of rental units.
McKinney has the fifth-lowest share of rental units.
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Here’s how each Texas city included in the study ranked overall:
No. 1:Â Austin
No. 45:Â College Station
No. 65: San Antonio
No. 67: Houston
No. 89: Fort Worth
No. 91: Plano
No. 103: Denton
No. 108: Lubbock
No. 109: Corpus Christi
No. 123: San Marcos
No. 125: Killeen
No. 130: Bryan
No. 132: Dallas
No. 143: Amarillo
No. 146: McAllen
No. 149: El Paso
No. 184: Waco
No. 185: Brownsville
No. 189: Wichita Falls
No. 192: Irving
No. 193: Laredo
No. 205: Carrollton
No. 212: Richardson
No. 214: Arlington
No. 217: Huntsville
No. 222: McKinney
No. 223: Pasadena
No. 237: Grand Prairie
No. 250: Edinburg
No. 255: Tyler
No. 261: Nacogdoches
No. 265: Pearland
No. 280: San Angelo
No. 287: Garland
No. 299: Abilene
No. 307: Beaumont
No. 348: Mesquite
Top 5 college towns in America, 2026
Austin, Texas
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Orlando, Fla.
Tampa, Fla.
Raleigh, N.C.
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Top Texas college towns by size, 2026
In the same study, WalletHub divided the college towns by size: 68 were considered “large cities” with populations over 300,000; 154 were “midsize cities” with populations between 125,000 and 300,000; and 193Â were “small cities” with fewer than 125,000 people. The data gathered was limited to the city proper and excluded cities in the surrounding metro area.
No. 1:Â Austin
No. 21:Â San Antonio
No. 22:Â Houston
No. 27:Â Fort Worth
No. 35:Â Corpus Christi
No. 43:Â Dallas
No. 46:Â El Paso
No. 57:Â Arlington
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No. 24:Â Plano
No. 29:Â Denton
No. 31:Â Lubbock
No. 34: Killeen (tied with Norman, Okla.)
No. 41:Â Amarillo
No. 43:Â McAllen
No. 54:Â Waco
No. 55:Â Brownsville
No. 59:Â Irving
No. 60:Â Laredo
No. 64:Â Carrollton
No. 69:Â McKinney
No. 70:Â Pasadena
No. 76:Â Grand Prairie
No. 87:Â Pearland
No. 96:Â Garland
No. 104:Â Abilene
No. 130:Â Mesquite
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No. 16:Â College Station
No. 51:Â San Marcos
No. 53:Â Bryan
No. 79:Â Wichita Falls
No. 90:Â Richardson
No. 92:Â Huntsville
No. 109:Â Edinburg
No. 112:Â Tyler
No. 115:Â Nacogdoches
No. 122:Â San Angelo
No. 133:Â Beaumont