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

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

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

  1. Tahlequah, OK
  2. Stillwater, OK
  3. Alva, OK
  4. Edmond, OK
  5. Weatherford, OK
  6. Ada, OK
  7. Okmulgee, OK
  8. Bethany, OK
  9. Durant, OK
  10. Claremore, OK

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

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

The 10 Best College Towns In Oklahoma For 2024

Tahlequah, OK
Source: Wikipedia User Caleb Long | CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 16,389
% Undergrad Pop.: 43.8% (best)
Median Rent: $783 (3rd best)
Unemployment Rate: 705.4% (15th best)
Crime Rank: 3rd best
More on Tahlequah: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Northeastern State University, Indian Capital Technology Center-Tahlequah, Beauty Technical College Inc

Stillwater, OK
Source: Wikipedia User Fletcherspears | CC BY-SA 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 48,644
% Undergrad Pop.: 34.1% (4th best)
Median Rent: $921 (10th best)
Unemployment Rate: 530.8% (8th best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Stillwater: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Oklahoma State University-Main Campus, Meridian Technology Center

Alva, OK
Source: Wikipedia User | CC-BY-3.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 5,020
% Undergrad Pop.: 34.3% (3rd best)
Median Rent: $809 (4th best)
Unemployment Rate: 507.7% (6th best)
Crime Rank: best
More on Alva: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Northwestern Oklahoma State University, Northwest Technology Center-Alva

Edmond, OK
Source: Flickr User okchomeseller | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility
8.5
/10

Population: 94,503
% Undergrad Pop.: 14.3% (8th best)
Median Rent: $1,257 (17th best)
Unemployment Rate: 348.1% (best)
Crime Rank: 4th best
More on Edmond: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: University of Central Oklahoma, Oklahoma Christian University

Weatherford, OK
Source: Wikipedia User anyjazz65 from USA | CC BY 2.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 11,999
% Undergrad Pop.: 35.3% (2nd best)
Median Rent: $714 (best)
Unemployment Rate: 520.1% (7th best)
Crime Rank: 2nd best
More on Weatherford: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Ada, OK
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
4
/10

Population: 16,537
% Undergrad Pop.: 19.7% (6th best)
Median Rent: $853 (5th best)
Unemployment Rate: 478.7% (5th best)
Crime Rank: 9th best
More on Ada: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: East Central University, Pontotoc Technology Center

Okmulgee, OK
Source: Wikipedia User Caleb Long | CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0
Overall SnackAbility
1
/10

Population: 11,366
% Undergrad Pop.: 21.3% (5th best)
Median Rent: $732 (2nd best)
Unemployment Rate: 917.1% (17th best)
Crime Rank: 13th best
More on Okmulgee: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology, Green Country Technology Center, College of the Muscogee Nation

Bethany, OK
Source: Wikipedia User Butters4 | CC BY-SA 4.0
Overall SnackAbility
7
/10

Population: 20,620
% Undergrad Pop.: 9.0% (11th best)
Median Rent: $1,024 (15th best)
Unemployment Rate: 472.9% (4th best)
Crime Rank: 5th best
More on Bethany: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southern Nazarene University, Southwestern Christian University

Durant, OK
Source: Wikipedia User Kerwin Moore | CC BY 3.0
Overall SnackAbility
3
/10

Population: 18,759
% Undergrad Pop.: 18.1% (7th best)
Median Rent: $877 (8th best)
Unemployment Rate: 547.2% (9th best)
Crime Rank: 12th best
More on Durant: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Southeastern Oklahoma State University, Kiamichi Technology Center-Durant, Southern School of Beauty Inc

Claremore, OK
Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility
6
/10

Population: 19,724
% Undergrad Pop.: 13.4% (10th best)
Median Rent: $957 (11th best)
Unemployment Rate: 584.4% (13th best)
Crime Rank: 8th best
More on Claremore: Real Estate | Cost Of Living | Crime Report

Colleges: Rogers State University, Claremore Beauty College, Northeast Technology Center-Claremore

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

To crunch our data on Oklahoma'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 17 places in Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma For 2024." We updated this article for 2024. This is our six time ranking the best college towns in Oklahoma.

And it looks like Tahlequah placed Summa Cum Laude.

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

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

The best college towns in Oklahoma are Tahlequah, Stillwater, Alva, Edmond, Weatherford, Ada, Okmulgee, Bethany, Durant, and Claremore.

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:

17 Best College Towns In Oklahoma

Rank City Population
1 Tahlequah, OK 16389
2 Stillwater, OK 48644
3 Alva, OK 5020
4 Edmond, OK 94503
5 Weatherford, OK 11999
6 Ada, OK 16537
7 Okmulgee, OK 11366
8 Bethany, OK 20620
9 Durant, OK 18759
10 Claremore, OK 19724
11 Tulsa, OK 411938
12 Norman, OK 127701
13 Lawton, OK 91023
14 Chickasha, OK 16231
15 Moore, OK 62685
16 Oklahoma City, OK 681088
17 Shawnee, OK 31391

Best College Towns By State

Enjoy The Snack?