The 10 Best College Towns In New York 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 New York is home to a handful of them.

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

Instead, ride along with us as we determine which college towns in New York 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 New York For 2024

  1. Poughkeepsie, NY
  2. Brockport, NY
  3. New Paltz, NY
  4. Oneonta, NY
  5. Stony Brook, NY
  6. Ithaca, NY
  7. Potsdam, NY
  8. Fredonia, NY
  9. Bronxville, NY
  10. Albany, NY

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 Poughkeepsie, Brockport and New Paltz - we tip our hats to you and we'll schedule a tour for next week. You can see where Poughkeepsie ranks in terms of the best college town in America.

Finally, if you live in Lawrence, NY - it's officially the worst college town in New York. Sorry, Lawrence!

Read on to find out more or for more on New York check out:

The 10 Best College Towns In New York For 2024

Poughkeepsie, NY
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
5
/10

Population: 31,717
% Undergrad Pop.: 22.4% (18th best)
Median Rent: $1,291 (23rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 730.9% (38th best)
Crime Rank: 8th best
More on Poughkeepsie: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Dutchess Community College, Marist College, Vassar College

Brockport, NY
Source: Wikipedia User Michael C. Byrnes | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 7,192
% Undergrad Pop.: 93.9% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $844 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 519.7% (23rd best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Brockport: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: SUNY College at Brockport

New Paltz, NY
Source: Wikipedia User Daniel Case | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 7,732
% Undergrad Pop.: 78.0% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $1,588 (27th best)
Unemployment Rate: 916.6% (49th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on New Paltz: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: State University of New York at New Paltz

Oneonta, NY
Source: Wikipedia User Opusiv | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 14,097
% Undergrad Pop.: 48.0% (9th best)
Median Rent: $980 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 360.3% (8th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Oneonta: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: SUNY Oneonta, Hartwick College, Otsego Area BOCES-Practical Nursing Program

Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 12,501
% Undergrad Pop.: 106.0% (best)
Median Rent: $2,831 (52nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 368.1% (9th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Stony Brook: Real Estate | Cost Of Living

Colleges: Stony Brook University

Ithaca, NY
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 31,359
% Undergrad Pop.: 45.6% (10th best)
Median Rent: $1,391 (25th best)
Unemployment Rate: 585.8% (30th best)
Crime Rank: 53rd best
More on Ithaca: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Cornell University, Ithaca College, Finger Lakes School of Massage

Potsdam, NY
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 8,570
% Undergrad Pop.: 71.4% (4th best)
Median Rent: $727 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 930.7% (5best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Potsdam: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: SUNY College at Potsdam, Clarkson University

Fredonia, NY
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 9,710
% Undergrad Pop.: 48.8% (8th best)
Median Rent: $934 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 323.3% (5th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Fredonia: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: SUNY at Fredonia

Bronxville, NY
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 6,570
% Undergrad Pop.: 26.1% (16th best)
Median Rent: $3,387 (54th best)
Unemployment Rate: 347.9% (6th best)
Crime Rank: 26th best
More on Bronxville: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Sarah Lawrence College, Concordia College-New York

Albany, NY
Source: Wikipedia User UpstateNYer | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 99,692
% Undergrad Pop.: 16.1% (19th best)
Median Rent: $1,130 (22nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 802.0% (42nd best)
Crime Rank: 56th best
More on Albany: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: SUNY at Albany, The College of Saint Rose, Mildred Elley School-Albany Campus

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

To crunch our data on New York'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 43 places in New York 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 New York For 2024." We updated this article for 2024. This is our six time ranking the best college towns in New York.

And it looks like Poughkeepsie placed Summa Cum Laude.

There You Have It -- The Best College Towns In The New York

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

The best college towns in New York are Poughkeepsie, Brockport, New Paltz, Oneonta, Stony Brook, Ithaca, Potsdam, Fredonia, Bronxville, and Albany.

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

If you're curious, these are the worst college towns in New York, starting with the absolute worst, Lawrence:

  1. Lawrence
  2. Peekskill
  3. Monsey
  4. Mount Kisco
  5. Glen Cove
  6. Dix Hills
  7. Utica
  8. Jamestown
  9. Rochester
  10. Dobbs Ferry

For more reading, check out:

43 Best College Towns In New York

Rank City Population
1 Poughkeepsie, NY 31717
2 Brockport, NY 7192
3 New Paltz, NY 7732
4 Oneonta, NY 14097
5 Stony Brook, NY 12501
6 Ithaca, NY 31359
7 Potsdam, NY 8570
8 Fredonia, NY 9710
9 Bronxville, NY 6570
10 Albany, NY 99692
11 Farmingdale, NY 8428
12 New Rochelle, NY 80828
13 Plattsburgh, NY 19907
14 Rockville Centre, NY 25784
15 Canton, NY 7245
16 Geneseo, NY 7713
17 Hamburg, NY 9749
18 Troy, NY 51268
19 Cortland, NY 17574
20 Saratoga Springs, NY 28505
21 Buffalo, NY 276688
22 Syracuse, NY 146134
23 Hempstead, NY 58557
24 Bethpage, NY 17281
25 Monroe, NY 9420
26 Newburgh, NY 28751
27 Oswego, NY 17092
28 Geneva, NY 12670
29 White Plains, NY 59421
30 Nyack, NY 7057
31 New York, NY 8622467
32 Elmira, NY 26494
33 Schenectady, NY 68476
34 Dobbs Ferry, NY 11431
35 Rochester, NY 210992
36 Jamestown, NY 28679
37 Utica, NY 64728
38 Dix Hills, NY 24652
39 Glen Cove, NY 28132
40 Mount Kisco, NY 10835
41 Monsey, NY 28287
42 Peekskill, NY 25401
43 Lawrence, NY 6773

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?