Strategy: The 20 best college towns in America

The American Institute for Economic Research (AIER) looked beyond major cities to rank the best college towns in the US.

As summer vacation winds down, the newest crop of college freshman are preparing for their first year in a new place.

If they — or their parents — are wondering what to expect, they can look to a ranking of college towns in Americas from the American Institute for Economic Research (AIER).

AIER compiled its list using nine economic, demographic, and quality-of-life factors. It defines college towns as those which are home to a college or university and have fewer than 250,000 residents.

Aside from the overall ranking, AIER scored each city on nine metrics including rent, earnings, and bars and restaurants. Below, we've highlighted the metric for which each city scored highest.

Scroll through to find out the 20 best college towns.

20. Bellingham, Washington — home of Western Washington University

Metro area population: 208,832

College student population in the metro area: 24,926

No. 4 in arts and entertainment

19. La Crosse, Wisconsin — home of the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse

Metro area population: 136,824

College student population in the metro area: 16,081

No. 1 in youth unemployment

18. Jacksonville, North Carolina — home of the University of Mount Olive

Metro area population: 186,684

College student population in the metro area: 15,297

No. 3 in rent

17. Blacksburg, Virginia — home of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (Virginia Tech)

Metro area population: 180,649

College student population in the metro area: 41,438

No. 3 in bars and restaurants

16. Rochester, Minnesota — home of the University of Minnesota at Rochester

Metro area population: 170,519

College student population in the metro area: 11,363

No. 4 in rent

15. State College, Pennsylvania — home of Pennsylvania State University

Metro area population: 159,341

College student population in the metro area: 39,577

No. 5 in bars and restaurants

14. Athens, Georgia — home of the University of Georgia

Metro area population: 159,341

College student population in the metro area: 39,577

No. 5 in bars and restaurants

13. Fargo, North Dakota — home of North Dakota State University

Metro area population: 167,166

College student population in the metro area: 21,346

No. 1 in rent

12. Lafayette, Indiana — the metropolitan area is home to Purdue University

Metro area population: 212,704

College student population in the metro area: 44,252

No. 2 in innovation

11. Charlottesville, Virginia — home of the University of Virginia

Metro area population: 227,179

College student population in the metro area: 26,327

No. 3 in youth unemployment

10. Bloomington, Illinois — home of Illinois Wesleyan University

Metro area population: 189,628

College student population in the metro area: 25,689

No. 2 in arts and entertainment

9. Columbia, Missouri — home of the University of Missouri

Metro area population: 172,738

College student population in the metro area: 32,287

No. 4 in labor force

8. Manhattan, Kansas — home of Kansas State University

Metro area population: 98,643

College student population in the metro area: 17,537

No. 5 in labor force

7. College Station, Texas — home of Texas A&M University

Metro area population: 242,453

College student population in the metro area: 58,018

No. 1 in bars and restaurants

6. Bloomington, Indiana — home of Indiana University at Bloomington

Metro area population: 163,726

College student population in the metro area: 41,211

No. 2 bars and restaurants

5. Iowa City, Iowa — home of the University of Iowa

Metro area population: 164,043

College student population in the metro area: 33,358

No. 3 in college educated

4. Ithaca, New York — home of Cornell University and Ithaca College

Metro area population: 104,592

College student population in the metro area: 28,164

No. 2 in college educated

3. Flagstaff, Arizona — home of Northern Arizona University

Metro area population: 138,039

College student population in the metro area: 24,832

No. 1 in diversity

2. Champaign-Urbana, Illinois — home of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Metro area population: 207,584

College student population in the metro area: 47,895

No. 1 in city access

1. Boulder, Colorado — home of the University of Colorado-Boulder

Metro area population: 199,129

College student population in the metro area: 31,958

No. 1 in innovation

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