The 10 Best College Towns In Minnesota For 2024


Believe it or not, America has the best colleges in the world. It's been proven by data (and surveys) that the U.S. educational system is of the highest quality

It's actually not even close and Minnesota is home to a handful of them.

While we could debate which colleges within Minnesota are the 'best,' that's not the goal of this post.

Instead, ride along with us as we determine which college towns in Minnesota are the best.

You know, the type of places where there's energy and stimulation, but the type of place you can walk around at night. The happiest, chillest, most downright fun places where you can send your kids off to college where you won't break the bank, or worry about their well being.

The 10 Best College Towns In Minnesota For 2024

  1. Morris, MN
  2. Marshall, MN
  3. New Ulm, MN
  4. Crookston, MN
  5. Northfield, MN
  6. Minneapolis, MN
  7. Rochester, MN
  8. Plymouth, MN
  9. Woodbury, MN
  10. Bloomington, MN

While some of these may not seem like a 'real' college town per se, when you look at the numbers, it's hard to argue against.

And for those who live in Morris, Marshall and New Ulm - we tip our hats to you and we'll schedule a tour for next week. You can see where Morris ranks in terms of the best college town in America.

Read on to find out more or for more on Minnesota check out:

The 10 Best College Towns In Minnesota For 2024

Morris, MN
Source: Wikipedia User Wavehunter | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 5,094
% Undergrad Pop.: 36.2% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $816 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 40.0% (best)
Crime Rank: 8th best
More on Morris: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Minnesota-Morris

Marshall, MN
Source: Wikipedia User Jon Platek | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 13,647
% Undergrad Pop.: 30.4% (4th best)
Median Rent: $715 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 306.9% (9th best)
Crime Rank: 2nd best
More on Marshall: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southwest Minnesota State University

New Ulm, MN
Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha'Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 14,055
% Undergrad Pop.: 7.3% (10th best)
Median Rent: $883 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 283.3% (8th best)
Crime Rank: best
More on New Ulm: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Martin Luther College

Crookston, MN
Source: Flickr User uberculture | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 7,472
% Undergrad Pop.: 37.1% (best)
Median Rent: $825 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 351.5% (11th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Crookston: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Minnesota-Crookston

Northfield, MN
Source: Wikipedia User 123dieinafire of English Wikipedia | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
9
/10

Population: 20,518
% Undergrad Pop.: 24.1% (6th best)
Median Rent: $955 (7th best)
Unemployment Rate: 618.7% (26th best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Northfield: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: St Olaf College, Carleton College

Minneapolis, MN
Source: Wikipedia User Bobak Ha'Eri | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 426,877
% Undergrad Pop.: 9.0% (9th best)
Median Rent: $1,267 (16th best)
Unemployment Rate: 578.2% (24th best)
Crime Rank: 25th best
More on Minneapolis: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis Community and Technical College, Augsburg College

Rochester, MN
Source: Wikipedia User Phthalogreen | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7.5
/10

Population: 120,848
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.1% (17th best)
Median Rent: $1,218 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 373.9% (13th best)
Crime Rank: 15th best
More on Rochester: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Rochester Community and Technical College, Crossroads College, Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences

Plymouth, MN
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
10
/10

Population: 79,918
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.0% (23rd best)
Median Rent: $1,625 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 209.6% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Plymouth: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Minnesota School of Business-Plymouth, PCI Academy-Plymouth, Minnesota School of Cosmetology-Plymouth Campus

Woodbury, MN
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
9
/10

Population: 75,549
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.8% (15th best)
Median Rent: $1,767 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 324.1% (10th best)
Crime Rank: 7th best
More on Woodbury: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Globe University-Woodbury

Bloomington, MN
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
8
/10

Population: 89,244
% Undergrad Pop.: 0.9% (13th best)
Median Rent: $1,426 (19th best)
Unemployment Rate: 441.1% (18th best)
Crime Rank: 22nd best
More on Bloomington: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Normandale Community College, National American University-Bloomington, Academy College

How'd we figure out the best college towns in Minnesota?

To crunch our data on Minnesota's best college towns, we used Saturday Night Science to decide which qualities (or rankings) make sense to use in the data, and then crunch the numbers for our rankings.

First off, we firmly decided that only cities with a 4 year college should make the cut -- so there has to be at least one college granting bachelors degrees in town.

You might be surprised to hear that there are only 19 places in Minnesota with an institution of higher learning with that criteria.

Source of data include OpenStreetMaps, the College Scorecard, the U.S. Census, and FBI reporting data to include the following factors:

  • Students Make Up Large % of the Population
  • College-specific Factors
    • Graduation rate
    • Tuition Cost
    • Student Body Diversity
  • Town Characteristics
    • Safety
    • Affordability
    • Income and Employment Opportunities
  • Things to Do
    • Bars
    • Museums & Libraries
    • Population Density

We ranked each city across each of the criteria, with one being the best.

We rolled up the individual scores into the category and ranked them again based on the category.

Finally, we took the average rank across each category, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title "Best College Town In Minnesota For 2024." We updated this article for 2024. This is our six time ranking the best college towns in Minnesota.

And it looks like Morris placed Summa Cum Laude.

There You Have It -- The Best College Towns In The Minnesota

If you're looking for the best college towns in Minnesota, you came to the right place.

The best college towns in Minnesota are Morris, Marshall, New Ulm, Crookston, Northfield, Minneapolis, Rochester, Plymouth, Woodbury, and Bloomington.

These places all have great college sports programs, tons of stuff to do, and are great places to raise a family.

For more reading, check out:

19 Best College Towns In Minnesota

Rank City Population
1 Morris, MN 5094
2 Marshall, MN 13647
3 New Ulm, MN 14055
4 Crookston, MN 7472
5 Northfield, MN 20518
6 Minneapolis, MN 426877
7 Rochester, MN 120848
8 Plymouth, MN 79918
9 Woodbury, MN 75549
10 Bloomington, MN 89244
11 Winona, MN 26083
12 Richfield, MN 36809
13 Eagan, MN 68262
14 Blaine, MN 70047
15 Duluth, MN 86772
16 St. Cloud, MN 68910
17 Bemidji, MN 15441
18 Brooklyn Center, MN 33109
19 Waite Park, MN 8290

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?